November 2019
How to Leave Your Job Without Burning Bridges
Landing a new role within the UK procurement and supply chain sector and advancing your career is certainly a cause for celebration! But before you celebrate, you need to consider the tricky subject of how you are going to tell your former employer you’re on your way out of the door.
After securing an exciting new role, it may be tempting to leave your current role in a ‘blaze of glory’ and tell your current boss exactly what you think of them when handing in your notice, but it pays to refrain from doing that. When resigning from a job, it is best to err on the side of caution rather than burn bridges.
Even if you know you will never want to see your boss or co-workers again, you never know when you will bump into these individuals later in your career or who they know in your future work circles.
When your manager asks you for feedback on why you are leaving, it may be a better approach to remain vague and leave your role in a professional and dignified manner which leaves your professional reputation intact.
In the following we will cover how the way you leave a role could have an impact on the rest of your career, and the steps to take to leave a role on a good note.
There are many reasons why professionals quit their jobs. Working in a toxic atmosphere under a boss you can’t stand can make day-to-day life unbearable. Temptation to quit a job on the spot during a particularly challenging moment, or have revenge on a bullying manager, can be very high. But quitting a job in a way which burns bridges can have a very strong knock-on effect.
Every sector has its own communities and networks. People know people, and people talk. If you leave your job in a fashion which gets people talking, you may build a negative reputation among hiring managers and decision makers.
You may also work alongside the same people further down the line in your career, and it is unlikely they will be supportive of you if you left them high and dry.
You may be faced with a counteroffer when you hand in your notice in a professional manner. You may be asked about your reasons for leaving and be offered changes in your contract which helps solve those problems, such as flexible working, or even an increase in salary which could have you second-guessing your decision to quit. If you quit unprofessionally, a counteroffer will never be put on the table.
One of the most important reasons to quit a role in a professional manner, no matter how much you dislike it, is that your employer will be used as a reference, and most high-level roles require two references. This means your current employer may be contacted by future employers. Don’t leave a sour final impression which will affect this reference.
You don’t have to tell your manager and your co-workers the real reasons you’re leaving if they are incredibly negative. Before handing in your notice, think about the narrative you want to present which will help with a professional departure.
Keep your story consistent across your workplace and stick to reasons which are positive and not critical of the company you are departing. Maybe the role you are moving to is your dream role, or you are simply in need of a change in scenery.
When you secure a job offer for a better role, don’t announce to the whole office that you are leaving the company before you have broken the news to your manager.
Though it may seem fair that you can tell your co-workers on your own terms, it can be disruptive to office dynamics, fuel gossip and have a significant effect on team productivity and morale.
Even worse, your boss may find out about your decision to leave before you have the chance to tell them.
The best approach is to break the news to your manager in a private meeting and then discuss the best approach to telling others in the company. It is likely that your manager will want to be the one to tell the team after recruitment plans are in place. Your supervisor will remain your supervisor throughout your notice period, and you don’t want to leave a bad final impression on the person who most likely will be making your reference.
During the meeting itself, it is best to keep your reasons for leaving brief and focus on the practical elements of your resignation, such as your last day and the handover process. If you wish to give constructive feedback on your workplace, it is best to do this during the exit interview, where your feedback will be recorded.
Make your resignation official with a brief and polite notice of resignation. Even if you initially resigned in person or on the phone, it is good to keep an official record of your resignation with a formal notice.
Resignation letters don’t need to give detailed reasons for why you are leaving the position. The essential elements of the letter include information about your agreed last day of employment, an offer to help with the transition and a polite ‘thank you for the opportunity’.
Also end the letter with your personal contact information, so it is easy for your company to get in touch with you if you forgot something vitally important in your handover.
As much as you may want to air your grievances, a formal notice of resignation which will be kept in official records is not the place to do it. It is better instead to develop your constructive feedback for your exit interview.
Clean your computer
Before you leave your role, make sure you have taken care of your digital footprint and personal information at work, and prepared your computer for a new user.
Clean your computer of personal documents. Delete anything that isn’t useful and email yourself any documents you want to keep. Also ensure you delete software for personal use, such as instant messengers and music streaming software.
Clear up your email inbox, and forward anything you want to keep in your records to your personal email address. However, do not steal contacts or sensitive data from your role. Stealing confidential documents is illegal and could get you into deep trouble if the information is leaked.
On your final day, ensure you clear your web browsing activity and delete cookies, passwords, saved auto-fill information and any other personal information from your web browser of choice.
If you have used your work email address for online accounts you want to keep, change your login email address, as you will lose access to your work email as soon as you leave.
Clean your office space
Spend some time in your final days clearing out your paperwork, transferring anything important into a handover file and recycle or shred the rest. Bring a box with you on your final day to clear out personal items. Leave your desk space or office ready for your replacement. This is a simple yet courteous act which will leave a good final impression.
Avoid negativity or bragging
Your notice is handed in and your last day is marked on the calendar. This doesn’t mean you have free reign to openly complain about your job, or slack on your work entirely during your notice period.
If you are leaving a difficult atmosphere, refrain from bragging about your new role. Keep your (soon to be former) colleagues in mind, who may be facing a more difficult time without your support. Offer to help them the best you can so you don’t leave them in a tight spot.
When discussing your reasons for leaving, try and stay on positive subjects and instead emphasize the benefits of the role, what you have learned and how it has helped your career. There is little to gain from being negative, but there is a lot to gain from leaving a role on good terms.
Say goodbye properly
You may have to do so through gritted teeth, but saying goodbye properly to your co-workers is the easiest way to ensure you don’t burn bridges within your company. Confrontation will achieve little beyond your own personal satisfaction, so ensure you say goodbye in a civil and friendly manner.
Send email farewells to each member of your team. Leave your personal contact information or your LinkedIn profile to those you wish to stay in contact with. For those you would rather see the back of, simply leave a cordial message.
Report serious issues to HR
Once you have secured a new role to move to, it is probably not worth working to tackle any toxic workplace issues you were facing which made you look for another job in the first place.
However, if you believe there are serious issues happening in your work environment which may put others at risk in the future, such as intimidation, bullying, discrimination and harassment, report these to a HR representative within your company.
Moving forwards
There’s no downside from leaving with grace. Even if you have had a truly awful experience, taking the higher ground is worthwhile for your personal branding and future career.
Enjoy the reward of a new role in a company that you are glad to be part of. Leave any negative energy at the door. Start your new role with only positive things to say and make a great first impression with your new co-workers.