Deciding to quit your job, whether to work for another company, start your own business, or just to take a break from work can be an exciting time.
However, it is also a time that can be filled with a lot of nerves. And one of the most common things that people are nervous about is how to tell their manager that they’re quitting.
To help you navigate what has the potential to be an uncomfortable conversation, this post will provide you with tips about how to let your boss know that you’re quitting.
The goal of the post is to show you how to approach the conversation professionally and leave on good terms.
To that end, here are four essential tips for how to effectively tell your manager that you’re quitting:
1. Tell Your Manager Promptly
The first tip for how to tell your manger that you’re leaving is to tell them promptly. If you’re leaving for another company, you’ll want to tell your manager as soon as you receive a job offer that you intend to take. Alternatively, if you’ve decided to leave to start your own thing, you’ll still want to let your manager know as soon as you’ve made that decision and are ready to take the leap.
The reason to tell your manager promptly is to provide as much time as possible (at least two weeks) to transition. Telling them promptly also gives the company some time to make a counter offer to your new offer if they want to fight to retain you.
2. Express Excitement About Your New Opportunity (Or At Least No Negativity Towards Your Current Employer)
The next tip is to position your conversation in terms of excitement about your new opportunity. Even if the true reason that you’re leaving is because you don’t like your boss or current employer, this is not your opportunity to air dirty laundry.
Ultimately, you want to maintain as many positive relationships as you can throughout your career. It helps as far as potential future job references and, in general, is just a good thing to do. With that being the case, keep this conversation positive, express excitement about what’s ahead for you, and do not communicate that you’re leaving out of dislike for your current situation.
3. Be Grateful
Again, if you don’t like your current manager or employer, you’ll still want to express gratitude for your time at the company. At the end of the day, they did provide you with an income, invest in you, and train you.
It’s important to be mindful of their time and investment in you and express your gratitude for that when you’re leaving.
4. Discuss The Transition Process
After following the previous three steps, the last thing that you’ll want to do is to discuss your transition process. And you’ll want to provide at least a two week transition process.
Additionally, ask what you can do during the transition to help set your successor up for for success. Be prepared to document your current project, processes, etc. and be sure to stay engaged throughout the two weeks and truly do what you can to enable the company to transition your role successfully.
Conclusion
Telling your manager that you’re quitting can be a difficult conversation.
But if you follow the tips above and approach it with professionalism and gratitude, you can help ensure a smooth transition and maintain a good relationship even as you move onto what’s next.
