How to leave a job? 8 fundamental tips

Tips and recommendations on how to leave a job in a company, step by step.

Not everyone likes to work, but that's the way it is. We can't always enjoy a job that gives us exciting experiences, friendly colleagues and a boss who is a sweetheart, but since we have to eat something, we keep hanging in there.

But sooner or later we consider growing, aspiring to something more, or simply taking a break. It is then that the fantasy of quitting work comes to mind, standing in front of our boss, saying a few "kind" words and leaving comes to mind.

However, our idea of quitting and the right way to do it can be very different. There is an art to quitting a job and, whatever we do, we must know how to behave, no matter how much we want to attack our bosses. Let's look at it.

Tips on how to know how to leave a job, step by step.

Every worker, at some point in his professional life, has felt disgusted by his job. Whether it's the companies, the boss-dictator who has touched us, having to be working in something we did not want or any other reason can push us, sooner or later, to want to leave. In other cases, we may have enjoyed our work, of course, but staying stuck in the same staying stuck in the same job doesn't help us grow as people, and we may be missing out on the benefits of the job.We may be missing out on a world of new work experiences.

Whatever the reason is that pushes us to want to leave the job, this cannot be done in any way. Those who have been unlucky enough to have a mentally and physically exhausting job will want to quit as abruptly and quickly as possible, and there are more than a few who would like to tell their bosses and co-workers everything they have had to put up with from them. Yelling at a boss is the fantasy of many workers, and also the biggest mistake you can make, even if you are leaving your job.

As much as we may want to, we must resist the temptation to release our feelings and quit the job cold turkey. As much as it may sting, it is important to leave a job calmly, calmly, calmly, calmly, calmly, calmly and calmly. to leave the job in a calm, diplomatic, kind way, and by thanking our and thanking our beloved boss for the opportunities he or she has given us. This may all be a big lie, but there is some theater to be done so that this release does not turn into a nightmare in the future, especially when our new boss asks for references from the previous employer.

There are several steps and recommendations to follow when leaving a job in the most elegant way and through the front door. If we take into account everything we are going to read below, we will avoid any situation that could be put against us in the future, and we will avoid making enemies in the company we are leaving. There are never too many contacts, no matter how much we may hate them, so we must think coldly and rationally when deciding to leave a job.

1. Assess the pros and cons

It has happened to all of us on more than one occasion that, after having an unpleasant situation in the company, we start to ruminate about leaving. Emotions invade us, and it seems that the stress and frustration we feel working there are more noticeable than ever. Our vision of the company becomes very limited, focusing on the bad and ignoring the good..

That is why as a first fundamental step before leaving a job we have to calm down and think in a cold and clear way. We cannot leave a job just because something bad has happened and we believe that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. This is why it is essential to evaluate all the pros and cons of continuing and leaving a job.

Once it is done, if we see that there are more cons in continuing to work there or that the disadvantages are much worse than the advantages, that is when we have objective reasons to continue working there.Once this is done, if we see that there are more cons to continue working there or that the disadvantages are much worse than the advantages, then we have objective reasons to justify our departure.

2. Notify our departure

It may sound obvious, but there are many people who, in a fit of rage and nerves, decide to leave the job the same day they have considered it. Very bad, serious mistake, and very problematic legally.

It is essential to give notice of leaving the company, especially if the contract specifies that this must be done. In Spain, indefinite-term contracts and those with a duration of more than one year establish the obligation to give prior notice of the decision to terminate the employment relationship, both on the part of the employer and the employee.The employer and the employee must give at least 15 days' notice of the decision to terminate the employment relationship.

At least 15 days' notice must be given.. In case of not giving sufficient notice, the company has the right to deduct the corresponding amount from the liquidation, in addition, regardless of the legal aspects, not complying with the agreed contract is really something very inelegant.

3. Writing a voluntary severance letter

It may seem that writing a voluntary severance letter is something typical of other times, when formality and protocol were aspects that still had their meaning. However, it is highly advisable to write this type of document, especially because it will serve to make clear and in writing the reasons why we are leaving the job.The date when we will stop offering our services and the thanks for having hired us.

These types of documents are ideal because they allow us to control the tone and prevent the conversation with our boss from getting twisted. Sooner or later we will have to talk to him, but since he will already know that we are leaving, we will not have to face a situation of surprise and tension.

4. Keep the tone

Although it is a very good idea to write a voluntary termination letter, it is not always possible and, in fact, it is almost preferable to talk to our boss in private to tell him the news. In this case we run the risk of falling into the temptation of dedicating a few words to him, with a very unsuitable tone that, if things go wrong, will make it "easy" for security not to go back there.

As we have commented at the beginning of the article, the ideal is to control the emotions. We must maintain the tone, using appropriate words and maintaining formality Even though in the not too distant future he will no longer be our boss, it is not in our best interest to have him as an enemy. When our new company asks for references, he may use the conversation against us and we may not be able to work anymore.

If we have just informed him that we are no longer working for him, we will continue working for at least two more weeks, due to the legal aspects mentioned above. Depending on what we have told him in the meeting, he can take advantage of this time to give us a "pleasant" memory before we leave.

It is therefore essential to practice what we will say before we meet with him, rehearsing several times and seeing how we are saying it. No matter how well we feel about what we are going to say, a word said at the wrong time or a slightly tense tone can be interpreted as arrogance or disrespect, and it is not in our best interest.

5. How not to announce it

Up to this point we have seen two ways to tell our boss that we are leaving. One is the letter of termination and the other is to request a meeting to tell him/her the news. With the letter, although we have already warned him of our departure, there should always be a meeting as a farewell, to show him in person how much we appreciate the time we have worked with him and the experience we have gained.

What we should not do is to send him an email or a Whatsapp message, written or audioin which we tell him/her that we are leaving and that's it. These are very cold ways of communicating such an important decision and, although they are very comfortable for us, we must be formal and polite or, otherwise and as we have been saying, this can turn against us in the future.

We can only resort to email or cell phone when there is no human way to meet in person with our boss, and even if we have insisted that we wanted to have a meeting with him. Likewise, the termination letter is the most preferable alternative in this case, whether sent by mail or in paper format..

But however we decide to announce that we are leaving, the first person who should know that we are leaving the job is undoubtedly the boss. Even the most trusted colleagues should not find out about our departure before the boss does, because, surprising as it may seem, there is always a spy in the company who will tell him that we are leaving even before we tell him.

This situation can be really uncomfortable, since the boss may ask us to meet with him and come to us with "a little birdie told me you are leaving, is it true?" and take it badly. Some bosses take it as a real lack of respect, betrayal and even conspiracy when their employees announce to others that they are leaving before they do.

6. What if he reacts badly?

We have rehearsed it, we even have our script, and we have even done some yoga before entering their office. We are calm and we know what we have to say. We tell him and... he doesn't react the way we want him to. He is furious, swearing in every language he can think of, and he even slips in a few insults.

We can't control the whole situation, even if we have done the best we could.. Bosses are still people and, just as some are rational and well-educated, others will take any resignation as a betrayal. There is not much we can do except remain calm and wait for the anger to pass.

It is very important that no matter what he says, we maintain our manners, since, if we do not, he will feel more entitled to do us more harm after leaving the job. It is essential that in case this happens, we can see if there is an eyewitness so that, when he is calmer, he does not dare to put words in our mouth that we never said. No matter how much of a boss he may be, slander can be very expensive..

7. What if he makes a counteroffer?

In other cases, the opposite is true. Instead of getting angry, the boss half-humiliates himself and tries to keep us by offering us a better salary or a change of position. This may catch us by surprise, but we should still think about whether it is really worth it for us..

Perhaps the extras that we would enjoy now are pros that outweigh the cons, but we must be very clear that if a boss starts to value us just when we announce that we have decided to leave the company, it is not a very good sign.

8. What happens next?

After announcing that we are leaving, it is very important to continue working as usual for as long as we remain in the company. We cannot reduce our productivity or not worry about it under the philosophy of "all in all, for the little time I have left". Let's not forget that the boss is still our boss and that, now more than ever, he will pay attention to what we do and don't do.

The contract remains in force until the date our services end, so let's work respecting this agreement. We must finish all the things that have been left pending and worry about offering an image of someone hardworking and responsible, even knowing that we have little left. Showing professionalism until the last moment is the best way to leave a job through the front door.

Bibliographical references:

• Etkin, J. (2000). Política, Gobierno y gerencia de las organizaciones, Buenos Aires, Editorial Prentice Hall. (Chapter 3: The factors of complexity).
• Schultz, D. P. Schultz, Sydney E. (2010). Psychology and work today : an introduction to industrial and organizational psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.