Resignation Letter
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I had no problems "burning a bridge" (actually, it was barely a rope across a river) several years ago. It didn't help that I was being forced to work 60+ hour weeks on a project-from-hell. It didn't help that I was owed over $5000.00 USD in backpay. It didn't help that we lost our insurance coverage - seriously, no insurance for well over two years - it makes me appreciate the ACA. The straw that broke the camel's back? After walking out (and driving away) pissed, then coming back after cooling off some - the owner of the company had the audacity to make me choose between my education time (I was taking, at the time, both of Stanford's MOOC experimental courses - ML Class and AI Class - and doing well in both) or working long hours on a dumbass web application (which the client kept changing the specs on - lovely). I value my education much more than that job - and I let him know with both barrels. I also let every other remaining employee there know as well why I was leaving (it was a very small company - 5 people or so). I never got my backpay - despite sending a year's worth of Dunning notices - even a letter from my lawyer. Unfortunately, I didn't have the money to pursue it further (and even if I had, most of my money would have been eaten in lawyer fees). In the end, I found a new place of employment making 10K more, with benefits. I completed my studies, too. A few months later, two other people had quit (one told me he saw the writing on the wall when I left). A few months after that, the owner bought out his partner, and his partner moved away. Time passed, and after a brief stint with a couple of coders who couldn't make heads or tails of the code (seeing as the totally fubar'd the company website - which was based on our custom framework) - the company, AFAIK, imploded. On paper, I think it still exists as a name - but it no longer sells it's web development services. It's been years since - and I don't regret one thing about my method of resignation. There was no respect for me as a person or an employee, so I didn't feel like I needed to respect that company or employer in return.
Every rule has its exceptions... :)
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill
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I would say that a resignation letter should contain as little as possible. Specifically: 1. Don't give reasons for leaving 2. Don't make it personal 3. Don't burn bridges Basically, you never know when you might run across your former employer, so it's best to keep things civil. The resignation letter should: 1. Give the last date you will be present (don't forget to check your employment contract for any mandatory notification time) 2. Assure cooperation in a smooth handover before that date The resignation letter may: 1. Indicate availability for consultation after your last day of employment (for a fee) 2. Mention that it was a pleasure to work with them
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill
Way back in the late 1980's, I worked for a company that built minicomputers (remember them? :) ). At the time, minicomputers were losing out to PCs. My boss and I came to loggerheads over working significantly more than eight hours per day for the duration of a major long-term project. I declined and, for my lack of team spirit, I was laid off. I found another job within a few weeks. About a year later, HR at my new company came to me and asked if I would recommend my former boss for a position with them. Guess what my answer was... :-D P.S. They did not hire them.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock