Resignation Letter

What is a Resignation Letter?

A Resignation Letter, also sometimes known as a 2 Weeks’ Notice, a Resignation Letter, or a Letter of Resignation, is a letter submitted by an employee to their employer to inform them of their decision to resign.

There are many different reasons that can cause an employee to submit their resignation letter. For some, it is simply a matter of the salary or nature of the work not being satisfactory, and as such they may decide that resigning and finding a better job would be more aligned with their interests. Salary issues are one of the most common reasons cited for resignation, especially depending on the nature of the work itself and whether or not the employee believes that it is worth the pay they are receiving, or the environment that they are working in.

Bad work environments can be described in all manner of ways. For some, it primarily involves the general attitudes of their superiors and coworkers, while for others it may involve such things as the work expected of them by their superiors, the way that employees are encouraged to continue working, and et cetera. A lack of balance and separation between their work and their personal life may also contribute to an employee feeling that a work environment is not suitable for them. Commonly cited examples of this kind of issue tend to include being required to do (often unpaid) overtime, or otherwise doing extra work that cuts into time that they had originally requested as vacation time or similar, under threat of losing their job if they do not comply.

It is not a legal requirement (for the most part) for an employee to submit a resignation notice before leaving their job. Instead, it is simply a practice that is commonly done out of courtesy in order for the employer to be made aware of their employee’s decision to quit and have enough time to (should they wish to) find a replacement. Despite sometimes being referred to as a Two Weeks’ Notice, an employee does not actually have to give their letter of resignation two weeks before the date that they will leave the company - they will decide themselves what date to set for their eventual departure.

Because of this, in rarer and more extreme cases, such as an actively harmful work environment, abuse in the workplace, another legal or ethical issue, or even a personal issue that requires immediate addressing that will cause the employee to become unable to work for the company in some way, employees may simply leave the company without providing notice to their employer to preserve their safety. In some cases, an employer may also simply not see the resignation letter - however, this does not mean that the employee must postpone their resignation until their employer is able to read their notice.

In the context of contractual employment, there may be provisions within the contract that require a resignation notice to be tendered and accepted before an employee is allowed to resign. This, as well as the consequences for breaching the terms of the contract by resigning without providing prior notice, will depend on the terms agreed upon in the contract itself.

Otherwise, there are generally no legal repercussions to resigning without providing a resignation letter, but there may still be negative impacts on a person’s professional reputation. This may be especially apparent should the industry they were previously working on be very high level, or otherwise be quite small. Their resignation without providing notice may signal to others in the industry that they cannot be counted on to stay, which would make finding other work within the industry harder for them.

Thus, outside of some extreme cases, it is often better to provide a resignation letter as an advance notice of your resignation, in order to avoid most possible legal or social consequences. Some companies will designate the Human Resources department as the primary entity that processes resignation notices.

Who needs to use a Resignation Letter?

Any employee who wishes to resign from their job and inform their employer of their intention to quit in a courteous and polite manner will need a resignation letter in order to bring the subject to their employer’s attention. This can be submitted as a physical letter, as an email, or both - so long as the resigning employee is reasonably sure that their employer will receive their notice.

How to fill out a Resignation Letter?

Resignation letters will vary in length and complexity depending on whether or not you wish to elaborate on your reason for leaving the company. Overall, however, they are generally very simple letters to fill out.

As part of the process of resignation, you may wish to contact the Human Resources department of your company before submitting your resignation notice, in order to get a feel for what will need to be done to properly prepare for your departure from the company.

Date and Address

Enter the date that this letter was written, and the address it is being sent to.

Salutations

Politely and respectfully address the person you are sending your resignation notice to. You may add any relevant title that they hold, such as Dr., Sir, Professor, et cetera.

Name of Company or Workplace

Enter the name of the company or workplace you are resigning from.

Last Day

Enter the date that you have designated as your last day on the job before you depart.

Reason for Resignation

Enter your reason for resignation here. You may use additional paper as needed.

Availability for Discussion

Enter where, how, and when you are able to be contacted to discuss matters relating to your resignation. You may provide information such as:

• Your contact number
• The department you are currently working in (and will leave)
• Your mailing address
• Days of the week, and what time in the day you are able to discuss things.

Signature

Sign the letter in the space provided.

Tips when filling out a Resignation Letter

It is important to keep your resignation letter safe and to send it through secure means in order to avoid issues such as identity theft and to avoid or minimize any problems with your resignation. This is because the resignation letter contains your signature, which can be used for various purposes should it be stolen.

Legal counsel may be beneficial depending on your situation. Before submitting your resignation notice, you may wish to contact a legal professional for advice on how to proceed with your resignation in your current situation.

Practice good contract management. Keep a copy of the resignation letter in a safe and organized place for possible future legal use, or as a backup in case something happens to the original.