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Whether you love or loathe your Allied Health job, resigning can be hard! That initial conversation is almost always awkward, and the lead-up can be agonising.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to prepare for your resignation to make it slightly less painful (and also serve as a distraction!). Here’s a few:
Sign with your new employer
If you’re leaving to take another job, before you resign, make sure your new job is a done deal. This means both you and your new employer should have signed a contract and agreed upon a start date.
Check your contract
Make sure you give your current employer the appropriate amount of notice. If you realise that your notice period will affect your start date with your new employer, call your recruiter immediately to troubleshoot a solution.
Write a resignation letter
Write a letter and print it out in order to make your resignation ‘official’. Your resignation letter should be concise and to the point – it’s not the place to air your grievances!
Here’s a template for a resignation letter.
Fill in the template, print the letter out, sign it, and then a scan a copy for yourself so you have a digital record. You may want to email the scanned copy to your manager.
Schedule a meeting
Resigining requires a certain level of professionalism. Schedule a confidential meeting with your manager to break the news (And don’t tell the whole office you’re resigning before you tell your manager!).
Write down your reasons for leaving
Your manager will probably ask why you’re resigning. Have your reasons written down and be respectful about sharing them. Your reasons don’t have to be negative – they may include wanting to work on different kinds of projects or seeing career progression somewhere else. A good manager will support this decision.
Clear your desk
Some companies walk employees off the premises immediately after they resign, so be prepared for that to happen. When you resign, make sure all of your work equipment is in the office. Clear all personal data from your mobile phone, tablets, and computers. Have your personal belongings already removed, or, if you can’t manage that, at least take a bag in to work to put them into.
Stay cool
If your employer takes your resignation personally, you don’t need to react. Remain calm and professional. If you start to feel uncomfortable say, “I can see this has come as a shock. I’m going to go back to my desk now. Let’s talk about this again tomorrow.” Give them your letter and leave the office.
Be prepared for a counter offer
Consider what you’ll say if your current employer offers you a pay rise, or the same package as your prospective employer. Keep in mind that if you decide to stay, you’re going to have to let your new employer down. Also think carefully about the reasons you’re leaving and whether a pay rise will make those issues go away.
Keep performing
Perform your duties to the best of your abilities to the last day. Not only is it the right thing to do, but in an industry as small as allied health, your reputation is valuable.
Celebrate!
Enjoy your last day and a farewell drink with the team. But stay professional – if you left because of a personality clash, there’s no need to let your colleagues know what you really thought of them. Chances are you’ll cross paths again soon enough!
If your resignation process is a bit rocky, or you’ve left a job and your new position isn’t going as smoothly as you’d hoped, give us a call. We’ve pulled people out of some pretty sticky situations before, as you can read here.
Conflict resolution in the Allied Health world is our thing.
Call or email Medijobs Australia today.
