Before my previous job as a financial analyst, I worked full-time as a retail manager. I watched many come and go over the years when I had that job.
While some understood why they were getting fired, many were often angry and would do some disastrous things.
I’ve experienced yelling, items being thrown, lies being told, and more.
Many of these actions would then come to hurt them later when they needed a recommendation letter (why would you even ask for a glowing recommendation letter from a place that you negatively left?), wanted/needed to network, and so on.
I know this isn’t only true of where I worked when I was younger as well. I have heard many horror stories of people quitting a job in a bad way and I’m sure everyone has personally seen/heard something at a place where they have worked as well.
Whether you are leaving your job because you are experiencing a layoff, leaving for a new job, or something else, the tips below should help you leave on better terms. You never know when you may need a positive reference, a recommendation letter, if you may ever work with anyone at the company again, or whether you may even want your old job back.
So that you don’t make any mistakes when you leave your job, I’ve created the list below of six tips on how to leave a job on good terms.
1. Be nice when leaving or quitting a job.
Whatever the reason may be for why you are leaving your job, you should always be positive when you are at work or around those that you work with. You should not scream, threaten, make fun of, or anything else along those lines. You do not want to be remembered in a negative way so being nice is the way to go.
If you want to, it is usually wise to thank your employer for the opportunity to work there. This is a great extra step to take if you are able to.
2. Give enough notice.
If you want to know how to leave a job on good terms, then giving notice is extremely important.
Industries and positions vary a little when it comes to how much notice you should give, but generally anywhere from two weeks to a few months is standard when quitting a job. If you know your employer is going to have a tough time training a replacement then giving more time is usually wise.
However, keep in mind that in some industries once you give notice you may be asked to leave immediately, especially if there is sensitive information involved. Try to do your research and see what others at your company usually do.
3. Offer to train your replacement.
While you may want to get out of your current position ASAP, in some cases it may be a good idea to offer to train your replacement and/or to offer to be on call after you leave.
This will definitely help your employer remember you in a positive way as it shows that you also care about the company and those that work there.
4. Leave important data, supplies, etc.
If you want to learn how to leave a job on good terms, always leave what is not yours behind.
No matter what the reason is for why you are leaving or quitting your job, it is never a good reason to steal anything from your employer. This is a surefire way to leave your employer on bad terms and you may even have a police report filed against you.
5. Always provide quality work.
While it sometimes may be easy to get excited about quitting a job and you may be preoccupied with that, you still want to work smart!
When some are about to leave their job, their quality of work sometimes noticeably drops. You should still provide the same level of work, finish work that you are asked to do, arrive to work on time, stay until you would normally leave, and so on.
6. Be smart on social media.
Oh my, oh my. There have been countless times when I’ve been on social media and seen someone complain about their job, only to see that their boss has commented on their social media post and told them that they were behaving stupidly.
Social media is NOT private. Even if you are not friends with your employer or coworkers, someone else may be and you never know what may be shared or saved for them to see. If you want to know how to leave a job on good terms, be smart of social media!
What mistakes have you witnessed?
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