Transcription

00:00:06 Introduction

Welcome. You're listening to Links at Bain and Gray, a catalogue of podcasts centred on all things business support in the workplace. Our aim is to bring you interesting and relevant content that will keep you up to date and thriving in your role.

00:00:21 Tray

Welcome. Today we're talking about how to resign effectively. You're listening to Tray Durrant.

00:00:26 Emily

And Emily Bain.

00:00:29 Tray

Welcome. Um, so how to resign effectively. Funny one really, isn't it?

00:00:34 Emily

Very.

00:00:34 Tray

Cause it's um, usually at the most awkward sort of position and something, perhaps one’s sort of thought over and and chewed on for a little while. So I I mean, I guess one thing that people might be listening and thinking is what do we mean by resigning effectively?

00:00:49 Emily

Well, it's interesting because when I started thinking about this, I thought there is so much advice on how to land a good job, but there isn't so much advice on how to resign effectively and actually you're you're gonna come across them both in your career and and you can resign effectively and well and you can resign really badly.

I think I've been on the end of both of those actually over the years. But I think the most important thing is it's, you know, resigning can be quite stressful.

00:01:17 Tray

100%, isn't it? Yeah.

00:01:18 Emily

The build up to it. You know there's you've been with the company a long time. There's a loyalty. I do remember the very first person back 15 years ago who resigned from from Bain and Gray. The very first employee, I took it so personally. I was mortified, but actually she was a wonderful employee and she purely wanted to move on to develop herself and her career and we couldn't provide what she was looking for. So she she left for all the right reasons.

00:01:42 Tray

I suppose that that point about, you know, at that point in time Bain and Gray wasn't able to provide what this person was looking for. That's everything, actually, isn't it? To make sure you've uncovered every opportunity within the organisation and and not just to not have spoken up or or had a conversation with your boss before even thinking about resigning.

00:02:02 Emily

Absolutely. I think you've got to make sure that you're not jumping ship for all the wrong reasons, and I think you, like you said, you've got to ensure that there's still scope for you internally to develop, and I know that most, most companies would rather a an employee speak to them about how they're thinking and where they want to go because a good employer will actually really support somebody moving on.

00:02:22

Hmm. 100% yeah.

00:02:24 Emily

And we've had amazing people that have worked with our business who’ve moved on to another company that we've really supported and we recognise why they've done that. I think it it is an awkward conversation, but I think there's a couple of key elements that will really help it more to to be easier, and I think the most important thing for me is it has to be face to face.

You know, some people just write an e-mail or drop a letter on the desk. I would be mortified if I was at the end of that. I think the first step is it has to be, “can we have a meeting?” and sit down with your line manager, boss whenever and have that preliminary conversation.

00:03:02 Tray

Yeah, of course. So I suppose just one precursor I might add in to that is is to know 100% why you're leaving and what the organisation can't provide for you.

00:03:13 Emily

Mm-hmm.

00:03:13 Tray

So that, you know, those those reasons are steadfast cause if you thought it well through and and you know why you're looking and you've you've had a good relationship with the business to that point and they can't offer you the scope or the next challenge or whatever it is you might be looking for, then it's really important just to highlight those points. But then to thank the business, I guess you know for what they have done for you to get to you to this point to be able to be in that position in the first place.

00:03:35 Emily

That's the next point I was gonna say is be gracious because you could have been in the business for five years or three years, but that's also been your career and they've they've helped you develop in an organisation and hopefully got you from A to B to C so I think pull back on the sort of negativity if you feel it.

I think there's always hopefully a good organisation will provide an exit interview, which I would encourage you to be completely honest because that's what those exit interviews are for. They should be helping companies with their culture and learning what they can do better. But I think face to face have a really honest and open conversation, thank the person that that you've been working with. They'll be very thankful to you as well, I'm sure. Follow up then with a written letter. And most importantly, this is slightly going back a little bit. I would never say to anybody to hand their notice in unless they've had an offer in writing or at least the contract. Never go too far down that line until you're absolutely sure that you've got that offer.

00:04:34 Tray

Yeah, absolutely. And then what about when you've got to that stage and you've done the resignation and you've followed up with, well, perhaps you haven't actually followed up with an e-mail at this point? Because what if your organisation asks you to stay? …

00:04:45 Emily

Ohh interesting.

00:04:46 Tray

… And changes the parameters? What do you think about that?

00:04:48 Emily

I think, that happens a lot and I'm thinking has it happened to me? Or on this side of the fence? Or my personal previous life before Bain and Gray? I think you need to really think back to why you were looking in the first place. And I think you need to really feel that there is opportunities for you within that organisation that you can build on. I think there's a lot of people get headhunted out of roles. We do hear about this good PA, EAs get headhunted and perhaps get offered a lot more money or slightly false promises and then realised a few months down the line they've made the wrong mistake.

So I think before that happens before you get carried away, I think you need to talk to your line manager. Really thrash out what it is that you're looking for. If there's synergy between the business and yourself that you can actually meet halfway then I think you really need to think about it sometimes the grass isn't always greener, yeah.

00:05:46 Tray

100% yeah, it's an interesting one because I think if you have followed what we've just described in terms of, you've always had constant good dialogue with your boss. You know that there's whether there's opportunities or there isn't in the organisation you're with and therefore your resignation is really considered and it's really well thought out. No change of circumstance on that day because you've resigned is ever usually good for the longer term. In my experience it might last a good 3,6,9 months even, but it never usually plays out longer than that because some of the reasons that you wanted to leave won't necessarily have gone away, whatever dialogue happens on that day of resignation, so to speak. So I think, think really carefully before you do sort of accept something unless you really feel it's a growing or evolving organisation or there is change afoot that…

00:06:31 Emily

And there's opportunities.

00:06:35 Tray

… that you hadn't been aware of and there's now gonna be more opportunities than what what there were previously potentially.

00:06:36 Emily

Yeah. I mean, I can think of lots of people who've been offered and and then they get counter-offered internally. Nothing else changes though. Literally it's a financial thing, just financial. The role doesn't change the the, the, the, the worries or concerns that they had, don't get dealt with or addressed. And like you said then they're there again. But like I said -

00:06:55 Tray

Yeah, because no, no, nobody really leaves because of money. There's always other elements to it, aren't there? Yeah.

00:06:59 Emily

No. Absolutely. And I think the, again, I've said it, but be gracious and professional and kind, yeah.

00:07:11 Tray

Thanks Emily.

00:07:12 Emily

Thank you.