How To Quit Your Job Like A Boss
We know that quitting a job is not easy and that you are going to have to weigh out your pros and cons before just walking out of the door without thinking, but sometimes leaving the job that you are unhappy with will open hundreds of doors for you to be able to find the job of your dreams.
Almost 129 million Americans will spend one-third of their waking life at their workplace. So it’s imperative that you find a job or career that offers you a healthy work life balance because it will be critical to your quality of life.
Okay, so now that you are all ready to leave, let’s talk about what you’re supposed to do from here. Oh, and by the way, quitting your job without notice is not recommended, but we will touch on that later. First, let’s briefly touch on some of the top reasons people quit in the first place.
Top 6 Good Reasons To Quit Your Job
So let’s take a minute to look at the top five reasons why you would want to quit your job in the first place.
You’ve Found A New Job
This is one of the main reasons people are motivated to quit most jobs. Maybe, you just never felt completely satisfied at the one you are at, or maybe you do not make enough money in your current position so you wanted to only keep the job you currently have until you found something better.
Or maybe you’ve been summoned back to the office as part of the mandatory return to office mandate.
Whatever your reasoning is, just make sure you have confirmed the job offer. It’s best to have something in writing from your new employer before quitting your current job just in case something happens beyond your control.
The last thing you want to do is to quit your current job and have to ask for it back because your new employer hadn’t actually confirmed with you the new position’s availability.
Also, consider your benefits. Does your new job offer better? Or do you have a way to cover benefits while you’re between jobs?
You’re Expected To Work Unreasonable Days And Hours
This is a huge deal. I mean could you imagine having to work every holiday for the rest of your life? Or what about never getting weekends off? Having time to yourself, being able to acquire enough sleep and maintain affairs outside of work are critical to your social life and health. The number one regret most people have on their deathbeds in their final hours is having worked too much. Don’t make the same mistake.
Sometimes, leaving a job because of the schedule is your best option, you have to be happy with where you are working and the amount of time you have off as well as when. This is a key component to finding happiness in your life. A healthy work environment with a reasonable work schedule should always be one of your requirements.
Continued Education
This is also a very good reason to move on to something better. Raising a family or pulling yourself out of debt can be expensive. If your current job isn’t paying you enough then maybe it’s time to acquire more skills or another degree that will make you more valuable in the job market.
Relocating To Another City, State Or Country
Do you want to move somewhere with better weather? Or maybe there’s a need for you to relocate closer to where your family lives? Is it too expensive where you currently are residing? There could be a million reasons that you would want to relocate and unless your company has a position open for you where you are going, unfortunately you are going to have to quit.
A Difficult Work Environment
Having a difficult boss, nagging co-workers or even having to manage high maintenance clients can stress you out. There’s nothing worse than having to report to a job on a daily basis that you absolutely dread. Life is too short and if you’re in a toxic environment you will be miserable.
Stressful Projects And Unrealistic Expectations
If you find yourself always having tight deadlines or having to do seemingly unattainable tasks frequently then eventually it’s going to catch up to you. Most people go in knowing what to expect, but sometimes your job can morph into a nightmare of expectations.
When you find yourself acting out like the guy in the video above, then it’s time to rethink your purpose and figure out if the job is more important than your sanity.
Ways To Quit Your Job
Now that you know why you would want to quit your job, we are going to talk about different ways to do so as well as the pros and cons of each one. From there you can pick the best one that suits your needs and the environment of your work space.
1. The Expected Way To Quit
The standard “by-the-book” way of resigning is to write a resignation letter and speak to your boss in person. Although in person is not really mandatory, it’s preferred if you have a good working relationship with your manager. You can also do this by text or email if you’re nervous or feel there may be some confrontation.
Give them two weeks notice and let them know when your final day will be. You don’t really have to say anything much more than you’re leaving. Anything else is a courtesy.
If you were a valued employee then they may try to talk you out of it. If not, don’t sweat it. Remember, the good thing about quitting your job is that you are the one in control.
Pros: You leave in good standing and should be able to use them as a reference depending on your situation.
Cons: Face to face resignation could lead to them wanting to know more than you’re willing to explain to them. If you’re comfortable with your reasoning then this shouldn’t be an issue though.
2. The Graceful Way Of Quitting
Another way that you might want to consider is to go to your boss in a way that will make them regret that you are leaving by really laying things on thick. You will approach this by bringing up how you loved working for them, that you are so sorry you have to do this, but there is something more out there for you. If you’re sincere, tell them what a great place it is to work for and how you just do not know how any other company can compare to them.
Pros: You will get some extra points from your boss as you are walking out the door. The other people at the office might throw you a leaving party. This reduces the chance for any tension or drama your last few days there.
You will feel good about this option when it is over and have no regrets, allowing you to walk into your new job with a clean mind. This should help you get a positive word when using them as a reference in the future.
Cons: Other people will know if you are being honest or not. It can sometimes be hard to lie, especially if you are leaving for an actual reason and are trying to keep it to yourself.
3. Lying
This is a very risky way to quit a job. Sometimes people take this approach in order to try and leverage a higher salary or promotion at their current place. Other times people are just not sure what to say when they turn in their resignation and decide to make something up that everyone will empathize with.
Maybe the fact that you loathe hearing your boss nag you to death about those TPS Reports or how you’re sick of hearing your co-worker’s music from the next cube over may come off too harsh.
If you decide to go this route, needless to say, you better have your grand lie all buttoned up in the event it backfires. It’s definitely not something we’d recommend, but it is “a way to quit your job” so we’ll list it out.
Pros: Everyone in the office will think that you are living your best life possible. You now have a cover story to tell everyone else. You will leave your old job with no strings attached. They probably will not ask you to stay or push you to re-think your answer.
Cons: You could get caught lying and have a hard time during the last two weeks of your job. In fact, depending on your industry and city, word could spread about how you lied and other employers may catch wind of it.
4. Skip Your Boss And Go To Human Resources Instead To Quit
In some situations, like if your reason for quitting is because of your boss, maybe it’s better to go through the human resources department instead. Write a two weeks notice or give them a verbal notification that you’re resigning and let it filter back to your boss.
This is also effective if your boss or manager just happens to be on sick leave or a long vacation and you need to resign sooner than later. Whether you’re trying to avoid a confrontation or just doing your due diligence because the boss is out, you’ve handled things in a professional manner.
Pros: The tension will be already broken when they respond to you. You have time to think about what you are going to say. You do not have to worry about clamming up.
Cons: There could be awkward tension during your last two weeks if you use this approach just to avoid an awkward conversation with your boss.
5. Keeping Your Boss In the Loop
Some people have very comfortable relationships with their boss or manager and if this is you then it may be a good approach to keep them in the loop regarding your intentions. This way, if you do find a job opportunity that you want to pursue, you can remind your boss that you’re about to pull the trigger on a new opportunity and it won’t be a shocker to them.
A casual conversation at lunch or after work could be the best time when using this approach. It’s best used when you’re known for being transparent with your manager. This gives them time to begin looking for potential candidates early or just bracing themselves for the open position.
Pros: You will have no stress going into the situation. This will or should allow you to have an opportunity to use your boss as a personal reference if they appreciate the timing, etc.
Cons: It could backfire on you if you’re going to a direct competitor of the company or if your boss isn’t trustworthy as you think they could possibly find your replacement earlier than you’d prefer.
6. To The Point
If you have your career mapped out and you are comfortable letting your boss know this was just business — then you may want to get straight to the point when resigning. You keep things vague, no extra backstory or explanation. You just let them know you’re going to another job and give them proper notice.
Pros: It looks like you know what you want and where you are going. It is fast and simple.
You have no stress, leading up to the moment.
Cons: It could come across as if you never appreciated or cared about the job in the first place. Your boss may be caught off guard and assume you’re quitting because of something that has happened recently. This could leave a bad taste in their mouth.
7. Impulsive
In some situations there may be a certain event or issue that just makes you realize you can’t take it anymore. It’s at a point where you don’t care about a backup plan, having another job lined up or anything. The workplace has become truly toxic and it’s just not a good place to be anymore. You just want to get out of there.
In this scenario just let whoever is in charge know that you are no longer going to be working there. Make sure to return all company equipment and leave.
Pros: No stress and piece of mind knowing you will be free.
Cons: This approach tends to be quite memorable from an employer standpoint. Someone else (one of your co-workers) will get left having to do your job without any notice. If your co-workers or boss ever cross paths with you at another company where you guys work together it could be bad for you if they’re in a position of authority over you.
8. Emotional
If you have had a very stressful time at your job you may want to let your boss know every single thing that led up to this point of you resigning. This is not normally necessary or preferred, but depending on your situation you may feel like you need to get certain things off your chest and you want your boss to listen.
Maybe you want to reveal some things they didn’t know and give them advice on how they can treat their employees better or maybe you just want them to hear you out. Either way, try to be as professional as possible. Sometimes emotions can cause you to go overboard or even divulge more information than you probably should.
Pros: If you’ve felt like this has been weighing on you for a long time, you will feel better knowing you got it off your chest regardless of how it turns out.
Cons: Like everything in life, this could backfire on you and you could get a cold hard truth you weren’t planning to hear. You could end up regretting this route if you find that there were some things you could have done better to prevent your unhappiness.
9. Burning The Bridge (Or Even Blowing It Up)
This one isn’t recommended either, however there are certain situations where it’s definitely understandable. Burning or blowing up the bridge on your way out could involve anything from cursing people out or just making a big scene in front of enough people that everyone will remember you were fed up.
A situation where this approach isn’t necessarily verboten is if maintaining any affiliation with the people in your company would have an adverse effect on your long-term career or your reputation. If you burned a bridge at one of America’s top most-hated companies due to a bad experience then I don’t think many people wouldn’t be able to empathize with you.
Likewise, if you worked for someone like Jordan Belfort on Wall Street during the peak of his days defrauding clients on Wall Street, no one would blame you for making a scene on the way out. Of course, in that particular situation you probably would’ve just been praying the FBI didn’t arrest you as well for being an employee, let alone finding another job on Wall Street.
Pros: To be honest here, not sure what positive could come of this approach outside of just having piece of mind if you are sure that was the right move.
Cons: Depending on how far you took it, you could end up being escorted out by security which makes you look like you’re a threat (and maybe you were). Instead of co-workers thinking you really “stuck it to the man” and gave him a piece of your mind — they end up thinking how you’re probably the one who ended up with the short end of the stick.
Word of advice: don’t ever burn a bridge as bad as this guy in the video and if you do, don’t reference this article 🙂
10. Hide And Seek
Sometimes you may want to avoid conflict as much as possible for whatever reason. In this event you can either email or telephone your boss and let them know you will be resigning. Having the conversation from a distance may be a safe bet if you feel the conversation could turn hostile or with a major confrontation.
Pros: You have piece of mind knowing if the conversation turns sour you can end it quickly.
Cons: It’s not the best way to handle things and could be seem like a cop out to your boss. However, if you’re leaving anyway then it doesn’t make much difference what their personal opinion of you is. All that matters is that you’re giving them a notice.
Good Luck Either Way On Your Job
We have been through it all, why you would want to quit, how to quit and what the best ways there are to quit your day job. It’s a good practice to already have a job secured before quitting instead of looking for a job after you have quit and you’re unemployed.
One final word of advice, as you determine how and when you will resign, try and avoid these common mistakes:
- Sharing the news too soon with co-workers. Never put the cart before the horse.
- Talking bad about your company or boss.
- Not emailing yourself important personal documents that may be needed for your portfolio or future job interviews.
- Not saying goodbye. Think about how you want to be remembered. It’s a smaller world than you think.
You are finally ready to go out there and do this. Good luck.
