Writing a resignation email can be confusing but fortunately, there is a pretty standard way of writing it. The article discusses how to write a resignation email by considering its various components. These include who it is addressed to, the subject of the email, reason, notice period, appreciation, offering help, and conclusion.
We will first consider all the components of a resignation email then a sample template that you can use for your own email. By the end of this article, you would know how you can write a personalized email as well.
How to Write a Resignation Email
Before we delve into the details, know that the resignation email is intended to be simple and concise. Once you know the standards of how it’s done, it’s pretty straightforward to write.
Who is it addressed to?
This will typically be your human resource [HR] email. You might need to cc some other executives as well, which should be mentioned in the terms and conditions of the appointment letter. If it’s not, that’s not an issue, they would likely just forward your email to the concerned personnel themselves.
You can address them using the HR person’s name, if it’s a direct email to them, or use “team” if it’s to an HR email accessible by multiple people.
Subject
You can write a simple “Resignation Notice” as the subject. A few more options are:
- [Name] I Resignation Letter
- Resignation from the post of Creative Lead
- Resignation Effective [Last Working Day] – [Name]
- Farewell and Resignation – [Name]
- Resignation Letter Submission – [Name]
Reason
Mentioning a reason may or may not be required. For those companies that do not, it’s okay to simply state you’re resigning. When required to state a reason, write it clearly- ideally in no more than one sentence. You can be polite here by mentioning the reason from your perspective rather than having a blaming tone. E.g., “I’m moving out-station to live with my family, thereby making the commute to work impossible.”
Notice Period
Your employment contract will mention whether you must provide a notice period before your resignation. If this is the case, mention the last date of your tenure in the resignation email. This would typically be 2 weeks. If there is no such time period mentioned, it is still respectful to allow some time before notifying so any change can be taken care of appropriately.
Thanking them
If you’d like to keep in touch or for any reason, want to have a positive impression while leaving, it’s a good idea to thank them. You could thank them for various things, like being able to work there, having had a good time, learning many things, etc. Thanking people can create good rapport in formal environments and is relevant on many occasions, including an interview.
Offer Help if relevant
You might be in a position where you had a lot of responsibility so losing you might affect the company’s operations considerably. In that case, you may offer that you will make sure to do everything you can to help out and that you are available to be contacted if need be.
Conclude
Wish them the best and end the email.
Related: looking to switch jobs? You might be interested to know how you can negotiate a better salary.
What to not include in your resignation email?
There are many things that are better avoided in resignation emails. These include:
Lengthy details about the reason for leaving
As stated earlier, it’s better to be concise and mention your reason in a sentence, only if required. A formal resignation email is not expected to have excessive detail about the topic.
Where you are going
The company is formally not concerned about where you’ll be going next or what your next plan is. These things can also change so if someone refers back to your resignation email, since it’s an official document, there would be a noticeable contradiction.
Criticism of the company
Feedback in the form of criticism has its place, but an official resignation email is not one of them. When a future employer sees the resignation email (which is sometimes required to confirm your current employment status), then it won’t look good on you as someone who spoke badly about a company they worked with.
Requests and other details not directly relevant to the resignation
You might need some help making the transition or need to ask about your pay or other details. Refrain from mentioning it in this email. Instead, make a separate email following up on this for those things.
Examples of Resignation Letters
General resignation email
[To: HR]
[Subject: Resignation Notice]
Dear team,
I would like to formally notify you that I am resigning from my [position name] at [company name]. As per the notice period mentioned in the appointment letter, I believe my last day would be [date].
[Mention specific reason if needed]. I have come to this decision with immense deliberation and would like to thank the team for having me here. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I appreciate my coworkers for being amazing support all through these [time you were there].
Considering my involvement in [roles], I understand that the transition needs to be carefully handled. I would be glad to help out in this process [also mention specific ways you’ll help out, when relevant]. Feel free to reach out to me as need be.
Wishing you all the best and continued success,
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Short resignation email
[To: HR]
[Subject: Resignation Notice]
Dear team,
I would like to formally notify you that I am resigning from my [position name] at [company name]. As per the notice period mentioned in the appointment letter, I believe my last day would be [date].
I would be glad to help out in the transition process. Feel free to reach out to me as need be.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Resignation email effective immediately
[To: HR]
[Subject: Resignation Notice]
Dear team,
I would like to formally notify you that I am resigning from my [position name] at [company name] effective immediately.
I would like to thank the team for having me here. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I appreciate my coworkers for being amazing support all through these [time you were there].
Feel free to reach out to me if necessary.
Wishing you all the best and continued success,
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Resignation email with notice period
This is the general resignation email mentioned earlier! Missed it? Check it out here.
Executive/ managerial resignation email
[To: HR]
[Subject: Resignation Notice]
Dear team,
I would like to formally notify you that I am resigning from my [position name] at [company name]. As per the notice period mentioned in the appointment letter, I believe my last day would be [date].
I have come to this decision with immense deliberation and would like to thank the team for having me here. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I appreciate my coworkers and the whole team for being amazing support all through these [time you were there]. It’s been a delight leading projects in the company with such enthusiastic staff.
Considering my involvement in [roles], I understand that the transition needs to be carefully handled. I would be glad to help out in this process [also mention specific ways you’ll help out, when relevant]. Feel free to reach out to me as need be.
Wishing you all the best and continued success.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Resignation announcement email to staff
[To: company email that sends it out to everyone with the same domain name]
[Subject: Resignation Announcement- [Name]]
Dear team,
I hope this email finds you well. I am resigning from my [position name] at [company name] from [date]. This was not an easy decision to make, as I have had great memories here that I will forever cherish.
I would like to thank the team for having me here. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I appreciate each and every one of you for being amazing support all through these [time you were there]. Every employee at this company brings a lot to the table, and I hope the dedication and passion will stay and grow even more through the years.
I’m happy to help with the transition and committed to ensuring this is a seamless process so reach out to me as necessary. For those of you I have made connections with, no longer being a part of this company will not change this for us. Do keep in touch.
Wishing you all the best and continued success.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Conclusion
The article discusses all the considerations you need to keep in mind to write a resignation email. We hope that you have a clear idea of how to do so by this time.
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