If there is one thing that movies have taught us is that the act of resignation always has to be dramatic. It is either followed by a loud slam of the doors, while everyone at the office high-fives you or preceded by a cheesy quote like: “You can’t fire me! I quit!” Sadly, back in the real world, things are seldom as flashy or dramatic. In fact, when it comes to the official resignation, simply saying that you quit and then not showing up for work tomorrow will not cut it. You need to follow a proper resignation protocol.
You see, your professional life doesn’t end when you quit, seeing as how, sooner or later, you will have to look for an employment elsewhere. In order for this to work, you should leave your previous workplace in a civilized manner and stay on good terms with your colleagues and superiors. Furthermore, due to the fact that an average person changes their job at least four times before the age of 32, learning how to properly resign is a skill that you will definitely use more than once. With this in mind and without further ado, it is vital that you learn the role of your company’s HR department in the standard resignation process.
Think in advance
In the introduction, we briefly addressed movie stereotypes where you can just immediately quit and walk out of the office like nothing happened. In reality, you need to notify your employer at least one week in advance. Of course, if the longer period is specified in your contract, you might even be required to submit a notice of resignation a month in advance, whereas two weeks are usually considered to be an industry standard.
At the end of the day, this letter ends up in the HR department. However, you don’t have to submit it directly as in most cases, you can simply deliver it to your direct supervisor, whose duty is to pass it on to the HR. When it comes to the format of your letter of resignation, you can either make it yourself or look for a template online. The latter is usually a better choice, seeing as how it saves you a substantial amount of time, and minimizes the possibility of overlooking some key aspects of resignation. If you do decide to go with the first option, it might be for the best to ask someone from the HR for help
Exit interview
After you’ve submitted the written notification, it has to undergo an HR evaluation. In most cases, the HR will contact you on a short notice in order to conduct an exit interview. They will discuss any benefits you are entitled to, as well as the information regarding your last paycheck. Keep in mind that this conversation is strictly confidential, which is why you can feel free to express any concerns you might have.
The issue regarding the last paycheck is particularly important, seeing as how trying to cheat your employees out of their last salary might backfire. Once you become known for this practice, it can be expected for your employees to withhold the information about their intentions of leaving you until the very last day.
Additional duties of the HR
Finally, one of the reasons why HR needs to be notified as soon as possible is due to the fact that they’re in charge of all the paperwork regarding the termination of the contract but some additional duties, as well. For instance, it is the job of an HR department to find a replacement. Now, while this may seem like an easy job, keep in mind that more and more companies take employee retention quite seriously. It is up to HR to determine whether the termination of the contract was due to the fault of an employer, incompatibility of an employee with their workplace or something else was at play.
In other words, due to the fact that HR plays a vital part in the future hiring and retention of employees, it is important to forward all that information to them, so that they can properly analyze it. Needless to say, this information will later be used to improve the structure of the company and some of its most important policies.
Conclusion
Once all of this is set in motion, both parties will have their responsibilities. An employee needs to submit an effective date of resignation and return all company belongings that are currently in their possession. As for the company (HR), they have to conduct an exit interview, deal with the paperwork and handle the benefits in the best way possible.
Sure, things sometimes don’t go the way everyone wanted but there is no need to end the resignation process on a sour note. When you come to think about it, this is definitely in everyone’s best interest. The employee doesn’t want this stain in their career, while the employer wants this transition to end as seamlessly as possible. It is the duty of an HR department to make sure that this is exactly the way it goes.
