Resignation letter

[Apan Raj]

get me a model of good resignation letter which is very pleasing and never hurt anyone.

[Arjun Shastry]

Next time I will charge Rs 25 for doing this.
Apan resigns

[Mark Herschberg]

A letter for what country?
Here was my last resignation letter.

To Whom It May Concern,
For personal reasons I must regretfully end my employment at Vaultus, and am hereby providing two weeks notice.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Herschberg

I then told them the real reasons in person, but the above was all I put in writing.
--Mark

[HS Thomas]

The length of time in service may warrant a longer letter of resignation.
You may want to go back at some point.
So put down what work you enjoyed there the most so that your ex-bos may have something to remember you by.
regards

[SJ Adnams]

Mark is right. just keep it short. If you wanna thank people do it in person.

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Simon Lee:
Mark is right. just keep it short. If you wanna thank people do it in person.

Actually it is nice to thank people in the letter since the letter will become part of your permanent record. And to be a bit mercenary, there may come a time in the future where your old boss is at a new company where you want to work. Why not score some brownie points for possible future use?

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:

Actually it is nice to thank people in the letter since the letter will become part of your permanent record. And to be a bit mercenary, there may come a time in the future where your old boss is at a new company where you want to work. Why not score some brownie points for possible future use? ;)

Who is going to look at a letter 3 years down the road, especially after the boss moved on and doesn't have access to it the letter. The less you write, the less of a paper trail. I know it's unfortunate and paranoid, but I've seen some horror stories out there. Whenever you end any type of relationship, in general, write down as a little as possible. Thank them in person. It's even more personable and touching that way.
--Mark

[HS Thomas]

Well, does anyone like to have a short cryptic concise reference ?
A nice letter of resignation may at least get you some good references when you need it most - some clown in Security would like to know that you really spent some time there and wouldn't accept letters of reference.
They want phone numbers and names of people you worked with.
If your ex-boss has moved at least someone would be able to dig up your letter of resignation and think what a fun, hard-working person you are,
and put that under General Conduct.
regards

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
Who is going to look at a letter 3 years down the road, especially after the boss moved on and doesn't have access to it the letter.

Mark, don't you give the letter to your boss when you resign? Doesn't he read it? Don't you think he might remember a letter that says how much you enjoyed working with him? Paranoia is no excuse for bad manners, Mark.

[Matt Cao]

Hi,
Mark is right. It's depended which country and what's custom. In US, one sentence is good enough and that is to your boss. If have time, thanks everyone you have been contacted in person. If not, broadcast another version with all the positive things you learn while you were there to everyone else and supply your personal e-mail. This will serve a purpose later on because you need to touch base once a month to whomever you previously closely worked with for references. Things do changed as people do moved on, but we alway remember the experience we shared with colleagues who touched us.
Regards,
MCao

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Mark, don't you give the letter to your boss when you resign?

Yes, I handed that letter to my boss. Then I said to him, "Off the record, here's the real reason I'm resigning." In that particular case, he was the reason I was resigning, and I politely told him (my accurately, his management, not him personally). We spent an hour and a half discussing my issues (which weren't news to him, since I had repeatedly brough my concerns to his attention). At the end of the discussion, he tried to talk me into staying.
So yes, compliment your boss if appropriate (when a boss at a former company called me into his office to tell me that he was leaving, I told him what I great boss I thought he was), but always be careful of anything you put in writing.
Now if you call this boss who I disagreed with, and asked him for a recommendation, he'd say the following:
"The official company policy is not to comment on present or past employees." he would then go on to offer his personal opinion on me. Cover your ass because you never know when a lawyer might pop up.

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Don't you think he might remember a letter that says how much you enjoyed working with him? Paranoia is no excuse for bad manners, Mark.

I think you misunderstood part of my posting--I never said don't compliment your manager. When you write a letter that brief, it's obviously because of legal concerns (at least in the US). Now you may choose to email such a letter to your boss, but personally, I find that to be rude. Whenever I have resigned, I have written up such a brief letter, and then handed it to my boss in his offic. I stand there while he reads it. If you're going to resign, have the balls to do it in person. Then, in person, have the courage to tell your boss what you think of him (usually, that he's a great boss and you enjoyed working with him). That will make you stand out more than any letter. I don't know about you, but I don't keep letters of resignation my employees send me. Those reside with HR, and I never look at them (especially once I leave the company). However, I have very vivid memories of people who have said nice things about during a departure, even though I can't tell you what was said in their particular letters.
--Mark
[ November 01, 2003: Message edited by: Mark Herschberg ]

[shankar vembu]

well, just thought I would post my experience when I resigned from my job a year ago.
I first went to the senior PL(we all reported to him and he is the seniormost in technical area). I told him personally that I am going to quit and also the reasons, in my case higher studies. We had a short discussion and then he directed to me the seniormost guy in the management section. I went there and talked to him, again a short personal discussion. After the discussion, I was told to sumbit a resignation letter which was in fact only a formality for records. I wrote a brief letter saying that I am going to quit with effect from so and so date.
Just before I left, I sent an email to the other branches the ppl. with whom I was also working, this was a few lines (i am going to quit, i enjoyed working etc.....) and then I quit.
This was clean and everything went fine.
Of course, things were a bit easier for me cos I quit only to pursue my higher studies and was not all unhappy with my job or whatver.
-------
Shankar.

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
Now you may choose to email such a letter to your boss, but personally, I find that to be rude. Whenever I have resigned, I have written up such a brief letter, and then handed it to my boss in his offic. I stand there while he reads it. If you're going to resign, have the balls to do it in person.

Ok, this is why you are wrong... you should, of course, tell your boss in person. In fact, you should tell him, not hand him a letter and expect him to read it. You should then give him a printed copy of your resignation letter which can include how much you enjoyed working at the company and what a great boss he was. This letter goes to the HR department that keeps track of such things. Letters from resigning employess saying that their boss was NOT the reason for the resignation are definitely noted by HR. You boss will remember the nice things you said in the letter. Of course, if your boss is a jerk and is the reason for your leaving you should most definitely NOT say nice things about him. In that case, I would go with Mark's briefer version. When HR asks why you are leaving the safe thing to do is to say you are leaving for a better job.

[John Summers]

Hi,
I worked in HR for 2 years so I handled plenty of resignation letters.
1) Keep it as short as humanely possible, i.e.:
"
Date
Dear Whoever,
Please take this letter as my formal notice of resignation.
Regards,
Whoever".
Nb: in most companies where i worked this would be a perfectly acceptable letter.
2) Tell your boss in person FIRST, then give him the letter by hand. Most businesses need a dated letter. In the uk it is custom to explain reasons in person and say nothing in the letter.
3) If there are bad feelings, never , EVER, EVER go into details or reasons in the letter. Believe me, this will come back and haunt you.
4) If humanely possible, even if you HATE your boss, leave on good terms. You will need a reference in the future.
good luck
john

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Ok, this is why you are wrong... you should, of course, tell your boss in person. In fact, you should tell him, not hand him a letter and expect him to read it. You should then give him a printed copy of your resignation letter which can include how much you enjoyed working at the company and what a great boss he was. This letter goes to the HR department that keeps track of such things. Letters from resigning employess saying that their boss was NOT the reason for the resignation are definitely noted by HR. You boss will remember the nice things you said in the letter.

You have failed to prove me wrong, you've just stated your opinion.
Most companies don't track things like why people are leaving. Yes, the big ones do, but most companies are not big companies. In most companies there is no advantage to you to put anything extra in writing.
It is very clear that anything you put in writing can be used against you in court. You are claiming that putting nice things can help you signifantly more than orally relating your sentiments, enough so to justify the added legal risk. Perhaps you can cite some studyies of what benefits, writing nice things in the resignation letter has for either an employee or boss. That would qualify as evidence.
--Mark

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
It is very clear that anything you put in writing can be used against you in court.

Perhaps you can list some of the legal risks involved in saying that you enjoyed working at XYZ company?

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
That would qualify as evidence.

Evidence of what? That you enjoyed working for your boss?
As I said, paranoia is no excuse for bad manners.
[ October 23, 2003: Message edited by: Thomas Paul ]

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Evidence of what? That you enjoyed working for your boss?

Check with a lawyer, but my lawyers have all advised saying as little as possible.

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:

As I said, paranoia is no excuse for bad manners.

I agree, but you are incorrectly equating choosing oral comments over written ones as "bad manners."
--Mark

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
Check with a lawyer, but my lawyers have all advised saying as little as possible.

Do you often check with your lawyer before resigning from a position? I am sorry but the idea that saying a few nice things in a resignation letter can somehow be used against you is utterly untenable. If your lawyer friend meant that you shouldn't say anything bad about anyone then I would agree.

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Do you often check with your lawyer before resigning from a position?

Yes, also before I sign a contract. (I'm meeting with one tomorrow regarding my current job offer.)

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
If your lawyer friend meant that you shouldn't say anything bad about anyone then I would agree.

No, my lawyers have advised against saying anything I don't need to say. Agree or disagree all you want; personally, I'm going to follow the advice of my lawyer, and I'd advise others to check with a lawyer, too.
--Mark

[Michael Fitzmaurice]

Hi All
A friend of mine sends me these - I'm not sure where they come from, but he swears that they are genuine. Make up your own minds...

Dear X,
After just over a year of mortgaging my soul to your infernal regime, I have finally come to my senses and realised that your poisoned chalice of a pay packet is no longer worth the agony required to work for it, nor is it worth the sacrifice of my time, morals and any kind of life outside of work I might dare consider having.
This was a relatively straightforward decision complicated solely by the fear that my future career might suffer from my leaving without another job to go onto. However, you will be gratified to know that your regular motivational memoes have finally motivated me to do something for once, namely tender my resignation. The senseless assassination of the English language, criminal overuse of punctuation marks, bad grammar, horrifying spelling and forced joviality which are apparently meant to make us into more skilled, enthusiastic and hungry workers have finally taken their toll. It's too late for me, but if there is any tender feeling in that cold, black piece of rock that passes for your heart, take pity on my soon to be ex-colleagues and take note of the following.
Your and you're are two separate words, not alternate spellings of the same word. Same applies to their, there and they're.
Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. Note the difference.
Is it really necessary to end every sentence with five punctuation marks?
There is no justification on this earth for fifteen exclamation marks in a row.
Acronyms and jargon are no substitute for the ability to think.
Knowing obscure facts about the company and what all the terms you and your superiors invent at your little away-days is no substitute for being able to do the job properly. My colleagues would appreciate it if you stopped chastising us for not knowing what KPI stands for, and acting as if ignorance of that fact renders us incapable of doing anything right.
Repeating the phrase "sort your life out" every time you see us does not count as effective management support.
In closing, I would also like to point out that losing some weight, dropping the mockney accent and acquiring some real interpersonal skills (as opposed to what the latest management textbooks tell you employees appreciate) may well help you retain employees, acquire a clue and possibly even a life, and who knows, maybe even lose your virginity one day. But until then, you'll remain just another 21 year old arts graduate with no skills who's been shunted into management because it means you have fewer peers to piss off and those peers are all busy working in their own departments well away from you.
Farewell and good riddance from your elder and better,
Sincerely,
Disgruntled Employee of the Month

And also this one:

Dear X,
This is to inform you that "you sucks".
Especially when you tell me that you & your dear wife thinks that I wont be able to do sales for this company.
When you tell P and other students that they didn�t have Tapanyaki dishes because they cannot afford it.
When you tell others how only you can afford Gucci Shirt & Omega watch
When you buy $1000 camera just for fun and you don�t have money to pay your employees' expenses.
When you don�t listen to anybody (which is usually the case) and say things which you cannot repeat yourself.
When you try to be friendly (while saying your pay has been reduced by 50%).
When in any party you want to be center of attraction and if by chance somebody else is getting recognition, you make sure to put that person in dirt & get angry.
When you tell your employee that they have to complete all work... otherwise they will die.
When you tell us that because you are paying we are able to feed our children.
When you ask how much we spend on eating, traveling, clothing & amusement before calculating our take home pay (I wonder why you never asked about my condom bills?).
When in delivering any speech you talk "I, I, I, I, I, I and I".
When you tell people not to speak because their English is atrocious.
When you add all your airfares, golf and dinner expenses to the company's account.
When you take your idiot wife to the concerts & conferences sponsored by our company.
When you appoint your idiot wife chief financial officer (who does not even know how to calculate percentages).
When you try to tell me that I have to extend my visiting card to the client I am visiting (For gods sake X - I have done an MBA!).
Finally, I have to say that this place has eaten one year of my life and I am fully responsible for it, but you are the one who makes everyone�s life miserable.
You sucks X & you stink like rotten pig.
Hate is a small word to describe my feeling for you.
Hope to see you bankrupt soon (which is inevitable).
I am resigning...
Submitted with due hatred
SK

I think we can all learn a little something from these gentlemen...
Michael

[Pradeep bhatt]

Why do you need a format ?

[Jim Baiter]

This is the classic resignation

[Timothy Chen Allen]

Keep it short and be sure to put the facts (my last day will be...). One thing: no matter what anyone asks you, do not tell them why you're leaving or what could be improved about the company, either in the letter or in person. This is a deathtrap.
A couple of jobs ago, I left for the money, period. I couldn't say that, so when they asked me what could be improved, I said, "nothing at all, I've enjoyed my work here". They pressed until finally I said, "Well, okay, to be honest, you could have helped me with my immigration situation a bit more" (I'm an American working in Spain).
Suddenly my interviewer flew off the handle and started yelling at me about how they weren't an immigration agency, etc, etc. It just highlighted an already crap relationship I had with that particular manager.
Since then, my exit interview has always been more or less, "Q: Why are you leaving?" "A: Damned if I know, I love this place. It's been the best job in the best company anywhere."
Remember, you're leaving. You're not going to be around to see any supposed improvements they may make based on your suggestions, and they won't change anything anyway, so save yourself the pain. You don't owe them anything more than a cordial letter and two weeks notice.

[Kishore Dandu]

I gave my resignation a week ago. I just mentioned that 'I am pursuing other opportunities and has been great working for the company'.

When my VP asked me why and is there scope for improvement, I said "It is just to work in more exciting stuff, nothing to do with present environment'.

Basically, why do you want to improve something that you are not going to enjoy anyway or the other possibility being there will be no effort to correct even if you express your observations.
[ June 04, 2004: Message edited by: Kishore Dandu ]

[Marcos Maia]

Hi,

I agree with Thomas Paul, you have allways to look forward and as the world goes it�s allwys nice to have a good network to keep going...

[Billy Tsai]

One of my closest workmate and considered and good friend by me in the company just resigned because he is unhappy with the management, the way the direction of the company is going and the splitting of me and him apart from the same team to different teams.

Anyway how to write a proper resignation letter?

[Nick George]

You could always go the "Take this job and Shove it, I ain't workin' here no more" attitude... I mean, do you really want to STILL act like an anteater, even when you're saying "You have no more power over me?"