How to Leave Well in the Great Resignation

If you’re considering jumping ship, you might be tempted to short-circuit the exit process. It can be awkward to break up with your employer, and it may be easier to give short shrift to the process than to stand honestly and responsibly in your decision. However, the way you leave matters. Relationships matter, and if you tear out of there leaving chaos in your wake, it may come full circle years later when you arrive at a burned bridge.

Don’t short-circuit the exit process. Relationships matter.

Here are three components to leaving a job with integrity:

Give at least two weeks’ notice

Don’t let some circumstance get in your way of this strong expected norm. Obviously you’ve known that you’ll be leaving for more than two weeks and you can give your employer the decency of knowing. Even if your employer isn’t in your good graces, consider the humans who will be picking up the pieces of a hasty departure.

be responsible for your workload

Take responsibility for all of your remaining work. Close out what can be closed out and hand off what is left  to a new owner. Take the time to collect the information that the person taking over will need.

say goodbye and share appreciations

Say goodbye to your colleagues, either in individual emails or at a meeting if there’s an opportunity. Articulate what they meant to you and what you learned from them.

The steps above represent a responsible, accountable mindset. Through these actions you’re communicating that you never know what the future may bring and learning happens wherever you go.

Lastly, before you leave, consider whether you might be running from something that just may follow you to the next role. If that resonates as true, I would strongly recommend seeking coaching instead of leaving.