Not everyone likes to work but it is what it is. We can’t always enjoy a job that gives us exciting experiences, we have kind colleagues and the boss is a sweetheart, however, since we have to eat something, we continue to endure.
But sooner or later we consider growing, aspiring to something more, or simply taking a break. That’s when the fantasy comes to mind of stopping work by standing in front of our boss, giving him a few “kind” words, and leaving.
However, our idea of resigning and the correct way to do so can be very different. How leaving a job has its art and, whatever we do, we must know how to behave, no matter how much we want to attack our bosses. Let’s see it.
Every worker, at some point in their professional life, has felt disgusted by their job. Whether it’s the companies, the dictator-boss we’ve been given, having to work on something we didn’t want to, or any other reason, it can push us, sooner or later, to want to get out of there. In other cases we may have enjoyed our work, of course, but Staying stuck in the same job does not help us grow as people and we may be missing out on a world of new work experiences.
Whatever the reason that pushes us to want to leave work, this cannot be done just in any way. Those people who have had the bad luck of having to do a mentally and physically exhausting job will want to leave it as abruptly and quickly as possible, and there are many who would like to tell their bosses and colleagues everything they have had to endure from them. . Yelling at a boss is the fantasy of many workers, and also the biggest mistake you can make, even if you are leaving your job.
As much as we want to, we must resist the temptation to release our feelings and leave work brutely. As much as it may sting, it is important leaving the job in a calm, diplomatic, friendly manner and thanking our dear boss for the opportunities he has given us. This may all be a big lie, but a little theater needs to be done so that this release doesn’t turn into a nightmare in the future, especially when our new boss asks for references from the previous employer.
There are several steps and recommendations to follow when leaving a job in the most elegant way and through the front door. If we take into account everything we are going to read below, we will avoid any situation that could turn against us in the future, in addition to avoiding making enemies in the company we left. There are never too many contacts, no matter how much we love them, so we must think coldly and rationally when deciding to leave our job.
It has happened to all of us on more than one occasion that, after having an unpleasant situation at the company, we began to ruminate about leaving it. Emotions invade us and it seems that the stress and frustration we feel working there are more noticeable than ever. Our vision of the company becomes very limited, focusing on the bad and ignoring the good
This is why as the first fundamental step before leaving work we have to calm down and think coldly and clearly. We cannot leave a job just because something bad has happened and we believe that that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. This is why it is essential to evaluate all the pros and cons of continuing and stopping working there.
Once done, If we see that there are more cons in continuing to work there or that the disadvantages are much worse than the advantages that is when we have objective reasons that justify our departure.
2. Notify our departure
It may sound obvious, but there are many people who, in a fit of anger and nerves, decide to leave work the same day they have planned to do so. Very bad, serious mistake, and very problematic legally.
It is essential to notify the departure of the company, especially if the contract specifies that this must be done. In Spain, indefinite contracts and those with a duration of more than one year establish the obligation to give prior notice of the decision to terminate the employment relationship both on the part of the employer and the worker
At least, we must notify 15 days in advance In case of not giving sufficient notice, the company has the right to deduct what corresponds to the settlement. Furthermore, regardless of the legal aspects, not complying with the agreed contract is truly something very inelegant.
3. Write a voluntary termination letter
It may seem that writing a voluntary termination letter is something typical of other times, in which formality and protocol were aspects that still had their meaning. However, it is highly recommended to write this type of document, especially because It will serve to make clear and in writing the reasons why we left the job the date on which we will stop offering our services and the thanks for having hired us.
These types of documents are ideal because they allow us to control the tone and prevent the conversation with our boss from going awry. Sooner or later we will have to talk to him, but since he will already know that we are leaving we will not have to face a situation of surprise and tension.
4. Maintain tone
Although it is a very good idea to write a voluntary termination letter, it is not always possible and, in fact, it is almost preferable to speak with our boss privately to give him the news. In this case we run the risk of falling into the temptation of devoting a few words to him, in a very inconvenient tone that, if things go wrong, will make security “make it easier” for us not to go back there.
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the ideal is to control emotions. We must maintain the tone, using appropriate words and maintaining formality since, even though in the not too distant future he will no longer be our boss, it is not in our best interest to have him as an enemy. When our new company asks for references, he can use the conversation against us and we will never get work again.
If we have just informed him that we have stopped working for him, at least we will continue working for two more weeks, due to the legal aspects that we have discussed previously. Depending on what we have told him in the meeting, he can take advantage of that time so that we take away a “pleasant” memory before we leave.
This is why it is essential to practice what we will tell him before meeting with him, doing several rehearsals and seeing how we are saying it No matter how good what we are going to say may seem to us, a word said at the wrong time or a slightly tense tone can be interpreted as arrogance or lack of respect, and it is not in our best interest.
5. How not to announce it
Up to this point we have seen two ways to tell our boss that we are leaving. One is the termination letter and the other is to request a meeting to give you the news. With the letter, although we already warned him of our departure, there should always be a meeting as a farewell, to show him in person how much we appreciate the time we have worked with him and the experience gained.
What we should not do is send you an email or a Whatsapp message, written or audio , in which we tell him that we are leaving and that’s it. They are very cold ways of communicating such an important decision and, although they are very comfortable for us, we must be formal and polite or, otherwise and as we have been saying, this can turn against us in the future.
We can only resort to email or cell phone when there is no human way to meet our boss in person, and even if we have insisted that we wanted to have a meeting with him. Likewise, The letter of termination of employment is the most preferable alternative in this case, whether sent by mail or in paper format
But regardless of how we decide to announce that we are leaving, the first person who should know that we are leaving work is without a doubt the boss. Not even the colleagues with whom we trust the most have to find out about our departure before the boss since, as surprising as it may seem, there is always some spy of the employer who will tell him that we are leaving before we even tell him.
This situation can be really uncomfortable, since the boss can ask us to meet with him and tell us “well, a little bird told me that you are leaving, is it true?” and take it badly. Some bosses take it as a real lack of respect, betrayal, and even conspiracy when their employees announce to others that they are leaving before them.
6. What if he reacts badly?
We have rehearsed it, we even have our script and we have even done a little yoga before entering his office. We are calm and know what we have to say. We tell him and… he doesn’t react the way we wanted. He is furious, blasphemes in every language there is and even lets out some insults.
We cannot control the entire situation, even if we have done it in the best way Bosses are still people and, in the same way that there are rational and well-educated bosses, others will take any resignation as a betrayal. There’s not much we can do except stay calm and wait for his anger to pass.
It is very important that whatever you say, we maintain our manners, since if we don’t, he will feel more legitimate to do us more harm after leaving work. It is essential that in case this happens, we can see if there are any eyewitnesses so that, when they are calmer, they do not dare to put words in our mouths that we never said. No matter how boss you are, slander can be very expensive
7. What if you make a counteroffer?
In other cases, quite the opposite happens. Instead of getting angry, the boss half humiliates himself and tries to keep us by offering us a better salary or a change of position. This may catch us by surprise, but we should also think about whether it is really worth it
Perhaps the extras that we would enjoy now are pros that outweigh the cons, but we must be very clear that if a boss begins to value us just at the moment we announce that we have decided to leave the company, it is not a very good sign.
8. And after?
After announcing that we are leaving, it is very important to continue working as always for the time we have left in the company. We cannot reduce our productivity or become carefree under the philosophy of “total, for the little that I have left”. Let’s not forget that the boss is still our boss and that, now more than ever, he is going to pay attention to what we do and don’t do.
The contract remains in force until the date our services end, so let’s work respecting this agreement. We must finish all the things that have been left pending and worry about offering an image of someone who is hard-working and responsible, even knowing that we have little left. Showing professionalism until the last moment is the best way to leave a job with a bang.
