How do you quit?

[HMS_Irruncible]

@BrotherCadfael

It is conventional to express some sentiment about “enjoyed my time working here”, “learned a great deal from the experience”.

This is what I normally write (literally, in its entirety, as quoted above, to include scare quotes).

[Red_Stilettos]

I’m also in academics, but always at larger institutions.

I would write a formal letter with my effective resignation date and a vague explanation of why I’m leaving. I’ve never left on bad terms, so I feel that my coworkers deserve an explanation. I also give a pretty substantial notice, sometimes a full semester. It takes time to replace an instructor. Do you really want to subject your colleagues to spending their holiday scrambling to cover you, either by interviewing/hiring or prepping the class themselves?

I know people will say I’m being naive to care about anyone at a job I’m leaving, but this is one way that academics really is different from other workplaces. Our timelines are much longer, for everything. And there tends to be less emphasis on things like information security and proprietary knowledge that would get you escorted out as soon as you resign. Institutions will keep you as long as they possibly can.

[BobLibDem]

@Chefguy

Some employers have a time requirement in their personnel rules. Failure to give proper advance notice can be cause for the company not giving you a “recommended for rehire”, which is HR-ese saying that you were dismissed for cause. Not a good thing.

Sending an email to say you’re quitting is rude at the very least and a bit cowardly sounding, IMO. Were it me receiving such an email, I’d say forget the two weeks, pack your shit and go today. As others have already said, take your letter and tell the boss in person. No sense burning a bridge.

But if I’m retiring I don’t give a hoot about not getting a recommended for rehire.

[Frylock]

I did the deed, with a typed letter presented personally. I also simultaneously sent an identical email. I just want to make sure everything’s on the record. With the salutation and sign-off deleted, here’s what I wrote:

It’s with a great deal of sadness that I must inform you that I have accepted a position with another institution and will be starting there in mid-January. For this reason, I am resigning my position with *** University effective January 9, 2015.

This decision was not made lightly. To speak somewhat personally, I love *** University, and believe in its mission. I am emotionally invested in seeing it succeed. Indeed, I hope I might return to *** University as an adjunct instructor beginning in Spring of 2016, if there is a need. (Unfortunately, contractual obligations with my new employer will prevent me from doing any work with *** before that time.)

It is my intention to part ways on good terms. I am determined to make all transitions resulting from this resignation proceed as smoothly as possible.

President of the university met with me and asked if they’d done anything to drive me away, and I said no. He then said a lot of very complimentary things to me, and said they’ll be happy to keep me on through the transition.

There may be awkwardness for the next two months but at least I am (very probably) assured a paycheck so that’s nice.

*This is true, though there are reasons I went looking that have to do with certain things about my current workplace, but there’s no sense in which I’ve been “driven out” so my answer was an honest one.

[FairyChatMom]

I quit only one job in my life - it was a temp gig that they were going to continue as a part-time position, and I was willing to do it - easy money for 3 days a week - what a deal!

BUT the temp job was to help one of their employees get caught up. She was known to be extremely OCD (as told to me by my/her boss, his boss, and the next one up the line also.) She had a whopping 12 years of experience doing something I’d done for 26 years, yet somehow she kept telling me I was wrong all the time, even if I showed her in writing that I was following the correct convention. Right before I was going to transition to part time, she got on my very last nerve - I literally couldn’t sleep that night, I was so aggravated. So the next morning, I walked into the boss’ office and said “I can’t do this any more.” And that was that. I talked with both bosses over him and they understood why I had to go. I completed checkout the next day.

Seven or eight months later, I ran into my ex-boss and we chatted a bit. Ms. OCD was being given one last chance with some in-house help. He didn’t ask me to come back, and I wouldn’t have accepted unless she was gone. Frankly, while I miss the extra cash, I don’t miss the stress. Maybe I’ll look for another temp job again some day.

[Chefguy]

@BobLibDem

But if I’m retiring I don’t give a hoot about not getting a recommended for rehire.

Oops, meant to delete that part in my reply. You’re right: when I retired, I told my boss ‘tomorrow is my last day’, but I’d only been there for about eight months.