How to Quit Your Job Without Burning Bridges

When it comes to leaving a position and company, it can be easier to get fired than quit. Why? Because when you get terminated, the procedure is already settled and laid out for you. All you have to do is follow it, whether you like it or not. On the contrary, when you decide to quit, there’s a lot of decision making involved. Who do you tell first? What reason will you provide? How do you say goodbye to the people you’ve grown fond of?

Of course, nobody wants to get fired. Termination is a negative way to leave a job and a company. However, if you’ve decided to quit, there are certain things you need to do to make sure that your exit goes as smoothly as possible. You have to make sure that you won’t offend anyone along the way, unless maybe if your tenure has been problematic.

Even if you do have some complaints about your current position, it’s still better to leave without hard feelings. It’s important that you leave with grace and respect.

So now, here are a few tips on how you can quit your job without burning bridges.

1. Time it right

Timing is very important even when quitting a job. You should never quit while you’re part of a major project or task. Even more so, don’t leave while you have a lot of pending tasks of your own. It’s always best to leave your current position with all of your to-dos ticked done. You don’t want your teammates and boss (even if they’ll soon be “exes”) to hate and see you as irresponsible.

2. Tell your immediate boss first

If you’ve been contemplating resigning, do not talk to coworkers about it before you can tell your manager. News spreads fast and you don’t want your boss to know about your plans from other people but you. This is especially important if you are somewhat friends with your manager. 

3. Give ample notice

After letting your boss know of your plan, make sure that you gave ample notice to allow everyone to adjust. Your team might need to adjust tasks, considering that they’ll be one person short. HR will also need enough time to potentially find a replacement. 

4. Assist in finding and training your replacement

If it’s necessary that someone replaces you as soon as possible, you should volunteer to help in finding, hiring, and training your replacement. This is, of course, if you’re still in the company when they get to hire someone successfully.  

5. Continue working hard

While waiting for the effective date of your resignation, nothing should change in the way you perform the tasks you have left. As much as possible, extend help to your team any way you can. After all, you’re still getting paid for every day that you’re still in the company. Additionally, that’s the least you could not do for the people you’ve worked and triumphed with during the past several months or years. 

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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash