Excuses to Quit a Job
Better opportunities Even if you're doing something you enjoy, you might become aware of other employers with remote work options or a work-life balance that aligns more with your ideal. You might also find somewhere else that will give you more opportunities to work on the specific types of projects that you enjoy the most. Whatever it is, no one can fault you for leaving if you feel that staying would be holding you back. What to say: "I really value the guidance and mentorship I've had while working at this company, but I've got an offer that's more aligned with my values and lifestyle. I'm flexible and can stay in this position as needed for up to 3 weeks."
Education Going back to school is usually considered a totally legitimate reason to quit your job—especially if you're getting a degree or training that will help advance your career. At the same time, if this is your reason for quitting, make sure you give enough notice—you typically know well in advance when a new school term is going to start. What to say: "If I want to go any further in my career, I need to get my MBA. I've been accepted to business school and we start in 3 weeks. I'd be happy to help train my replacement and hope I can work with you again in the future."
Relocation Typically, this involves moving because your partner has to relocate for work, but it could involve a necessary relocation for other reasons. If it's something you don't have a lot of control over, your employer will be more likely to understand—especially if you're not able to give much notice of your departure. What to say: "Unfortunately, we have not been given much time to plan. We'll be moving next week, so I won't have time to work out a full notice. I'd still be more than happy to help however I can with the transition."
Family circumstances One of the most common reasons people leave a job is to care for a family member who needs assistance. Sometimes these are long-term situations, but often it's simply a matter of needing to help for a few months. While you often can't give the right amount of notice in these situations, people will usually understand why. What to say: "Due to these unprecedented circumstances, my family needs me now. Accordingly, I have no choice but to submit my resignation, effective immediately." This applies to you as well. If you're sick, dealing with burnout, or having some other personal issue, put yourself first. Your work is important, but not as important as you are.
Toxic work environment Unfortunately, you might need to leave a job if you're getting bullied or harassed at work. If the abuse is continual and you aren't being listened to or taken seriously, you might need to leave. Make sure you take copies of any evidence you might need for any ongoing legal disputes before you go. What to say: "Due to the current working conditions, I am no longer able to work for this company. This resignation is effective immediately. Any further questions can be directed to my attorney." Walters reminds you that "compassion is great there too, because people aren't usually toxic for no reason. They've usually had such an accumulation of challenging, hurtful experiences that they become toxic. And it's not helpful, but you know that they must have experienced a lot of pain in order to be that way."
Unsafe working conditions If you feel as though your health or safety is in danger at your workplace and your employer hasn't done anything about it, quitting your job demonstrates that you won't accept an employer who puts profits over the safety of its employees. What to say: "Despite numerous complaints about respiratory problems, the company still hasn't done anything about the mold issue in the offices. For my health and for the protection of my family I must resign my position effective immediately. I'm willing to help with the transition remotely." Quitting your job due to unsafe working conditions can mean that you still qualify for unemployment benefits if you have to leave before you have something else lined up, although this varies greatly depending on where you live.
Better pay or benefits This is the top reason workers tend to leave a job, regardless of how they feel about the work or the people they work with. Typically, you'll already have your next position lined up when you quit for this reason. What to say: "While I appreciate the opportunities I've been given here, I've received a very generous offer that also includes unlimited paid vacation time and reimbursed global travel, so I'm moving on. I'll be happy to help find and train my replacement."
Career change If you're contemplating a career change, you're not alone. Studies show the average person changes careers at least 3 times during their working life. And since your job is tied up in your career—the one you want to leave—it stands to reason that you have to leave the job, too. Notice is important here because this is a long process that you typically know about for a long time before you actually quit. What to say: "While I'm grateful for the time I've spent here as an accountant, I'm refocusing my passion for numbers in a different direction and becoming a professional poker player. My resignation becomes effective 2 weeks from now." If you're thinking about a career change, Walters advises that you "get as many ideas out there as you can and then start to explore through people, largely. So you can explore by doing informational interviews with folks and that's a great way to find out more—it's a great alternative to job boards."
Quitting Your Job
Prepare yourself personally to quit. This might mean getting another job lined up before you put in your notice, or it might simply mean taking a look at your finances and shuffling some things around. Either way, you want to make sure the whole process is as low-stress as it can possibly be. If you don't already have another job, take a look at your finances and figure out how you're going to make ends meet until you do find something else. For example, you might decide that you're going to move back in with your parents to save money on living expenses until you find something more suitable, or while you go back to school to get another degree. Walters notes that this is a very personal thing that depends a lot on your personality, risk tolerance, and financial situation.
Read through your contract or employee handbook. The last time you read those things was probably when you started your job—and you probably weren't worried about what you'd need to do if you wanted to quit. Take some time to look at any documents you have that are binding on your employee relationship so you're not caught unawares by some technical requirement. For example, your company might require you to return any company electronic devices when you collect your final paycheck. Some companies require you to sign non-disclosure or non-compete agreements that might affect the types of work you can do or companies you can work for after you leave. If you have any questions about your contract or anything in the employee handbook, ask before you put your notice in. After that, you'll be something of an outsider and you might find that people are more reluctant to give you answers.
Tell your direct report first. Telling your direct report that you plan to leave before you put in your official notice is a really respectful thing to do. Take them aside at some point when they're not super distracted and tell them in person. If you know, you might also give them a timeline for when you're planning on leaving. For example, you might say, "Hey, I haven't submitted my official resignation yet, but I wanted to let you know that I accepted that offer from Other Great Company. Onboarding starts next month." Use your best judgment with this. If you don't get along with your direct report or if you're leaving because of them, you probably don't want to tell them first, and that's totally understandable.
Put your resignation in writing. Even if your employer doesn't technically require it, writing a formal resignation letter signals respect and professionalism. It doesn't have to be extremely long. Just thank your employer for the opportunity, provide a brief explanation as to why you're leaving, and then let them know when your final day will be. A written resignation letter also serves as a record of your official reasons for leaving. If you're dealing with any sort of ongoing legal or regulatory issues with your employer, you might need this later on to show why you left. Make sure to tell your coworkers you're leaving as well! They'll appreciate it a lot more if it comes directly from you, rather than hearing it second- or third-hand.
Give at least 2 weeks' notice if possible. Two week's notice is pretty much the standard across industries, although some positions really do require a longer transition time. If you had one of those positions and you're capable of giving your company more advance notice, it shows them a lot of respect for you to do so. At the same time, after you give notice, there's a good chance that a lot of people at work will start to view you as a sort of outsider or a sitting duck. Depending on your position, you might want to limit the amount of time that people might think that way about you. If it's not possible to give 2 weeks' notice, it helps if the reason you need to quit is outside of your control. For example, if you have a family emergency and have to spend an extended period of time back home as a result, your boss will likely understand that you wouldn't have known about the emergency in advance and couldn't have given notice.
Offer to help with the transition. This is especially valuable if you have a pretty niche job or if there's no one else at your company that does exactly what you do. It also shows that you harbor no resentment or ill will toward your employer, regardless of the reason you're quitting. If you don't have time to give much notice, you can still help in small ways. For example, you might write up a little step-by-step guide on how to handle certain types of emails. Just making the offer, even if you aren't actually able to do very much, at least sends your employer the message that you don't want to burn any bridges by leaving.
Show your gratitude to those who've helped you professionally. As you leave, take the time to personally thank anybody you worked with who mentored you or helped you along the way. If they don't have non-work contact information for you, share that with them so that you can stay in each other's networks after you leave. Let people know how much you appreciate everything they've done for you. It might also be appropriate to extend an offer to help them in the future, particularly if you're making a step up in your career.
Signs It Might Be Time to Quit
Recent business acquisition or merger This is something to look out for particularly if you work for a publicly-traded corporation. When companies acquire other companies, one of the first things they typically do is get rid of any redundancies. If you're in a department that has a duplicate in the other company, you might want to start polishing and updating your résumé. The same thing can happen with smaller companies, even mom-and-pop companies. For example, if you work at a restaurant that gets bought out by a larger local chain, that chain might decide to close your particular location.
Recent company downturn or restructuring When a company is having cashflow problems, cutting employees is often one of the first things they do. If things have been tight in your company, you might decide you'd rather jump off the sinking ship. How long you have to act depends on your analysis of your employer's situation. In this situation, if you think it's best to go ahead and quit before you have something else lined up, you might be eligible for unemployment benefits, particularly if your hours have been cut drastically or the same shifts are no longer available.
Change in management or work environment Often, it's the people you work with who can make or break a job. If a favorite manager leaves or teams get shuffled around, you might find yourself no longer looking forward to work like you used to. That could be a sign that it's time to check out other possibilities. This could also be the case even if you just started the position if you've already determined that you and your direct report or other people you work closely with are going to clash.
Lack of opportunity for advancement Next to better pay and benefits, if it's been a while since you were offered any sort of promotion or similar opportunity, it might be time to look elsewhere. While many companies do promote from within, if you've been working for your employer for more than a year or two and are still in the same position, you might have better luck with another company. Don't be afraid to present your offer to your employer if you really like your job and don't want to quit. They might be able to match it—or at least give you enough of a promotion that you're willing to stay.
General dissatisfaction Dissatisfaction can be a real problem, even if you actually enjoy the work you're doing and can't put your finger on anything specific that's bothering you. If you just don't feel right about your work for whatever reason, it might be time to start looking for something else that you'll hopefully find more fulfilling. Walters notes that "going after ego wants, like something that offers more money or more status or more power can be very tempting and can feel exciting on some level. But if it doesn't align with the rest of us—power, passion, purpose—or other things that are meaningful to us, then that satisfaction or excitement isn't going to last very long." Walters recommends that you look at your strengths and skills, your passion (what you love to do) and your purpose (what's meaningful and important to you), because "knowing, really knowing what's essential to you in those 3 areas and where they overlap gives you really great clues about where to look for fulfilling work."
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