The perfect situation is when you inform the employer about your quitting two weeks before. But life is not perfect – sometimes some unexpected cases happen, and you have to leave the job earlier than two weeks. In fact, the reasons are not the main thing, and here, you do not need to blame yourself for it. However, you are a professional, and resigning is an important element of your professionalism.
You may have only one day, you are given a good job, and cannot imagine your life without it. Naturally, in this case, you need to write an immediate resignation letter.
However, if the reason is not so serious (for example, because of pregnancy or relocation), you can offer your boss another date. Sometimes employers require you to serve the notice period – regardless of the reason that caused the immediate termination of work relations.
If both parties do not agree on what to do with this situation for some reason, then in order to avoid misunderstandings, immediately leave things "on good terms". The best option is when suddenly something happens before quitting officially – just send a short message in which you inform about an urgent departure from the job before the end of the contract period.
If this is not possible, then you just have to submit a written immediate resignation letter in which you formally announce your departure before the expiration of the term. All these options are quite eloquent and unambiguous, but most often there are no reasons for complaints from the employer side after receipt of such information.
Why do people quit their job immediately?
Actually, the reasons for without-advanced-warning quitting are numerous and different. In the resignation letter, you don't need to explain them, and it is better to do it personally.
There are several common reasons for immediate resignation:
1. Relocation. This reason often applies to the majority of people in any career.
2. Illness or another very serious family issue that cannot be postponed until the end of workdays in the current position, which you are forced to resign immediately. These reasons are sometimes embarrassing for employees, but they are no less real and understandable than other ones.
It is important not to lie about anything, this will only complicate your situation in the future – when you apply for a new job! As an example, you can always refer to any change with your spouse's work or its relocation with him/her abroad – even if it is true or simply your closest guess! Everything can happen in life 🙂
3. Important family events (such as the birth of a child, wedding, etc.). Be sure to inform me about this in advance if possible!
4. Boring job duties or the position you are assigned to for some time does not fit your level of qualification – these are also among at least good reasons for quitting immediately.
5. Another job offer has already been found – even if it seems fake at the first glance, better quit immediately and then look for other job options instead of waiting until you will get fired after your boss finds out that you have already found an alternative one. If there is no other job offer available just leave things "on good terms" with your employer and do not mention any specifics about this new opportunity, but to find something more acceptable for you in the future.
6. Most often, people who have been working at their jobs for a very short period of time quit them "on good terms", but do not write advance resignations – they just don't turn up for work at all and search for a new job sooner or later. This seems to be a violation of the contract, however, it does not contain any action from your side that would justify termination of your employment relations by an employer under normal circumstances.
However, if you have already worked at this company longer than half a year (this is one of the key criteria as per labor legislation), then you can apply for immediate termination as well as be immediately informed about it in writing – therefore letter will serve as evidence that you have submitted a notice of your departure and also allowed this company to start searching for a new employee.
As for the work environment problems, we should admit that you can make reports to the correspondent regulatory bodies if it makes sense. If you can prove that you have tried to solve these issues, but your employer has not done anything for it, you can get unemployment compensation.
How to warn about immediate job quitting?
Of course, quitting without warning is not great. But anyway, you need to take some steps to ensure that you are leaving on a positive note.
These steps are the following:
- Speak with your employer – You will agree that this conversation will be challenging and awkward. Anyway, you need to tell your employer that you're immediately quitting personally. Don't leave without doing it.
- Be polite when saying goodbye – This is also a personal conversation! If you want to leave on good terms with your employer, be polite and optimistic in this conversation – even if you are really angry or you don't plan to work for this company anymore. After all, the main goal of the conversation is to say goodbye personally in a decent way – do not forget about that!
- Explain why you're leaving suddenly – Generally, employers do not like when their workers leave the job immediately because, in this case, they have some problems. You cannot fully satisfy your boss in this situation, but there's one thing you can definitely do – to explain why you're quitting immediately. Don't share all details (your employer does not care about it), but it's better than resigning without explanation. Or he will have the worst-ever suggestion about your leaving (like, you've blown back on the company because of your laziness).
- Offer your continued assistance – You can find a new job, certainly. Play it smart and offer to help with the transition process. Being helpful will make you look more professional, mature, and responsible!
- In any case, if you want to successfully quit a job immediately without advance notice but stay on good terms with your employer, be polite and focused during a conversation or via emails/messages. Do not share too many personal details about this situation. Just do what you need to do – say goodbye politely and start looking for another job as soon as possible.
- Make a plan of your quitting as much as possible – Sudden leaving cannot be planned. Nevertheless, try to plan you're leaving as much as possible. This will make it easier for you to quit a job immediately. You don't need to follow the plan step by step, but at least you'll be able to stay under control during your last days in this company.
- Submit a resignation letter – It is the official document kept in the personnel's file. And you must submit this letter to stay professional in the employer's eyes.
Remember that your goal here is to act professionally in spite of all circumstances!
Now let's figure out what elements the immediate quitting letter includes:
- Official letterhead – The resignation letter comprises an official business style, so you need to use the official letterhead here. It contains the following elements – your name, your post, contacts, and date. You can put these elements at the letter's top if you're writing a physical letter, and in the e-mail, place it at the bottom.
- Greet and say the reason for your letter – Here, there is no place for fantasy and many words. Simply greet and say that you're going to leave immediately and name your last workday.
- The main body – Here, you need to explain why you're quitting. Yes, sudden leaving will cause outrage, discontent, and other negative feelings. Nevertheless, you need to try to make this part of the letter positive. As we have said before, you don't need to give a detailed description of why you are leaving the job, and a few words will be enough for it. You can also write that you can explain the situation in detail in a personal conversation. Besides, in the main body, we recommend thanking your employer for working together and all possibilities and experiences you've had there. Again, don't write a long poem (one-two sentences are more than enough).
- Formal signing – In the end, we advise you to finish your letter with a formal signing (like 'Best regards' or 'Sincerely') and sign it. You can also add some words of thanks (it depends on how much gratitude you have expressed in the main body).
- Proofreading – Read your letter several times to detect mistakes. If you find any, correct them immediately. Do not send the letter with even one mistake! You do not want to create a bad impression on your side, so be very careful here!
If you're already sure that there are no mistakes in your quitting letter, print it out and sign if necessary. After that, send this letter via e-mail or have a hard copy of it ready at hand for immediate submission.
There are some other things the resignation letter should have:
- Several details – As we have already mentioned, you don't need to share all details of the situation. If you want to leave on a good note, it's enough to explain the general case without detailing.
- Show your professionalism – Yes, the situation is unpleasant, and the employer will be angry. That's why you need to smooth it as much as possible, demonstrating your professionalism. You should bear in mind that it is the official document; it'll be kept in your personnel file and shared with your future employers. That is why we recommend you take this situation seriously.
- Information about transition – If you don't want to help your company transit after leaving, don't include it in the letter. If you're ready to help, you should definitely say about it. At the same time, you need to understand that most companies don't accept this offer.
And now, we'll give an example of the sudden resignation letter.
At the top, you'll include information about you and the receiver.
The main body:
Dear (Receiver's name)
I want to inform you about my quitting from my post of (your post name). I'm sorry I couldn't explain the whole situation, but some urgent circumstances (name them briefly) made me leave my job immediately. My last workday will be (name the date of your last workday).
I want to express my gratitude for everything you gave me during these years (period of working in the organization), for all my experience and possibilities. I wish all the best for you and your incredible team, and you truly deserve it.
I'll finish all my projects before my resignation and leave all information and documents available for your and your team.
I'm ready to help the transition. You can call or text me via e-mail or social media any time (leave your contacts here) during the next week.
Thank you for understanding the situation and appreciating my job. I've had an incredible time working with your team, and I believe that only the most amazing things are waiting for you in the future.
Best regards,
Your name.
