Telling your boss you’re quitting is never easy. No matter how excited you are to take a new job, start your own business or go back to school, you might still feel nervous about how your boss will take the news. If you leave on good terms, though, you could keep this person in your corner as a mentor, character reference or a referral to another job in the future.
How to Tell Your Boss You're Quitting
- Arrange a face-to-face meeting.
- Provide at least two weeks’ notice.
- Tell them you’re leaving at the start of the conversation.
- Express gratitude.
- Provide a resignation letter.
- Offer to help with the transition.
How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
Your goal in this conversation should be to share the news with your manager in a professional and thoughtful manner, as you want to maintain a positive relationship with them and the company.
“I really feel like the foundation of one’s reputation and one’s personal branding throughout their career is based on the strength of their professional relationships with their colleagues, with their managers and their direct reports,” Joseph Liu, career consultant and host of the Career Relaunch podcast, told Built In. “It’s a small world, and you never know when people are going to reemerge in your life.”
1. Plan What You Are Going to Say
Before you meet with your supervisor, reflect on why you are leaving your job and what you hope to gain from your new opportunity. Write those reasons down, and “make sure those reasons are aligned with the you that you want to be in the future,” Katie Hostasa, founder and CEO of career coaching firm KMH Leadership, told Built In. Once you are sure you are making the decision for the right reasons, write out the rest of what you would like to say in the conversation. (We will offer some inspiration of what to say later in the article.)
Anticipate Your Boss’ Questions
Try to anticipate what questions your manager will have and how you will respond to those questions. In some cases, you might not feel comfortable going into a lot of details about where you’re going or how much they’re paying you, which is also OK.
“What’s important is that you know what level of detail you are comfortable sharing … so you don’t have to think about what you’re going to say on the spot,” Liu said.
Prepare for a Range of Reactions
Your supervisor may feel blindsided by this news. They may feel overwhelmed by the need to fill your position, or they may feel betrayed that you would leave the company. If your boss does take it poorly, try not to fight fire with fire, Hostasa said.
“You can only manage how you respond and react,” Hostasa added. “You cannot manage or control how your boss responds and reacts.”
Don’t sweat the conversation too much, though. If you have a good relationship with your manager, they will probably be excited to see you take the next step of your career.
“It’s usually never as uncomfortable as somebody might be able to imagine in their mind,” Jill Chapman, director of early talent programs at Insperity, told Built In.
Be Ready for a Counteroffer
Decide in advance if you are open to a counteroffer or not. If your reason for leaving is purely compensation-related, consider broaching that conversation with your boss before you go out and interview with other companies. But note that accepting a counter-offer will likely not address the root causes that drove you to quit, and that if you accept the counteroffer, your relationship with your boss might be a little less trusting than it once was.
“If you say you’re going to a doctor's appointment, do they think you’re going to a doctor’s appointment, or do they think you might be out interviewing again?” Chapman said. “There’s a chasm in the relationship that opens up.”
2. Give at Least Two Weeks’ Notice
Inform your boss you’re leaving at least two weeks prior to your planned last day of work. If you don’t give your boss those two weeks, you may leave them in a lurch with not enough time to cover your workload and hire a new employee.
Depending on the circumstances of your new opportunity, you could give more than a two-week notice. This could be helpful, for example, if you’re working on a big project that is nearing completion.
Some companies may waive your two-week notice and make that day your last day. This is common when employees leave a company to work for a competitor, as they may be concerned that you would access sensitive information or poach clients. So before you go into the meeting, collect all the files you need from your computer; your access to electronic systems could be revoked after you give your notice.
3. Arrange a Face-to-Face Meeting
Your boss should be the first person in the office to learn about your departure, and they should be informed in a face-to-face meeting — either in the office or on a video call.
That doesn’t mean you should knock on your supervisor’s door and ask if they have a minute to talk — a move that Chapman said will strike fear into every manager. Instead, ask them if they have time for a meeting sometime that day, or you could schedule a meeting on their online calendar. This will make the conversation feel less like an ambush and ensure that you give this conversation the time and attention it deserves.
4. Lead With the Big News
Instead of making small talk, you should address the elephant in the room as soon as possible by stating that you are leaving the company. You should also let your supervisor know when you expect your last day to be. Your boss may not be happy with your decision, but they will appreciate you answering their logistical questions head-on. There are a few other points you need to hit in your conversation, but these are the most important.
5. Offer a Future-Focused Explanation
Your boss will probably expect a brief explanation of your reason for leaving. It’s important to keep your reasons “future-focused,” Hostasa said — both for your supervisor and yourself. After all, you should be running toward a new opportunity, not running away from your current role.
Instead of complaining that you lacked opportunities for advancement, for example, you could say you are excited about the opportunity to take on more responsibilities or to take on a leadership role in your new position. Even if you didn’t like your boss, don’t dredge up past grievances in this conversation.
“I would not dwell on the past,” Liu said. “I would focus much more on why you are headed in a certain direction.”
If you have constructive criticism and ideas for improvement, you would be better off sharing that information during the exit interview.
6. Express Gratitude
Use this opportunity to thank your supervisor for their support and for everything they have taught you during your time with the company. You could also tell them that it wasn’t an easy decision because you enjoyed working with them. These are a few ways of expressing your appreciation, but you should find the words that feel most appropriate within the context of your relationship with your boss.
“This is probably going to be a challenging conversation for both your supervisor and also yourself,” Hostasa said. “If you are showing up in integrity with your value set and who you know yourself to be, it’s just going to be an easier conversation.”
7. Provide a Resignation Letter
After your conversation with your boss, offer a letter of resignation that states your last day of work, as well as any last words of gratitude you want to share with your supervisor.
Resignation letters are not as common as they once were, but it is still the professional thing to do. It also shows that you have carefully considered your decision, which might ward off your boss’ impulse to make a counteroffer.
If you don’t already have a letter of resignation prepared, your manager may ask you to write one for the company’s internal records. Most HR departments require this documentation as part of their termination policy or offboarding checklist.
8. Offer to Assist With the Transition
Tell your manager that you plan to assist with the transition in whatever way is most helpful to them.
In the short term, they may ask you to aid the transition by keeping the news quiet. Once your supervisor has talked to HR and formed a transition plan, they will announce the news to the team, as well as other details, like whether the position will be filled and how the team will handle your workload in the meantime.
To aid with the transition, offer to write down notes about the projects you are working on and the status of each of those projects. You could also offer to teach your coworkers how to do aspects of your job that they might be unfamiliar with, preventing the loss of institutional knowledge.
Your manager might have more specific items they’d like to see you handle in your remaining weeks with the company. They might not be ready to discuss all of this right away, though, especially if they were caught off guard by your announcement.
“It’ll be a lot for your manager to digest,” Liu said. “I would give them some space and room to process what’s happened and let them know that you’re happy to have a follow up conversation if they want to discuss anything else.”
9. Finish Strong
In your last few weeks with the company, do everything you can to position your team for success after you’re gone. You may have to work a little harder to finish up projects and teach other employees about your workflows, technology tools and other information specific to your role. Your supervisor and coworkers will appreciate it. And, this should go without saying, be professional and respectful to everyone in the organization until the very end.
“It’s important to make sure you’re treating people well, even when you don’t have any skin in the game,” Liu said. “If anything, I feel like that is more of an indicator of one’s character and professional approach, how they treat people when they are no longer part of their immediate team or have anything to gain from them.”
If you really want to end on a high note, you could send a goodbye email to your team and more personal emails to your manager and your closest coworkers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell my boss I'm quitting examples?
In a face-to-face meeting, an employee tells their boss, “I have enjoyed my time with the company, but I have decided to take another opportunity that helps me reach my goal of becoming a manager. I plan for my last day to be two weeks from Friday. I know that we are in the middle of a big project, so I will make sure I finish my piece of it and answer any questions the team might have before I leave.”
How can I politely quit my job?
If you want to leave your job on good terms, you should avoid talking negatively about the job, the supervisor or your coworkers. You should schedule a face-to-face meeting at least two weeks prior to your departure. During the meeting, you could express gratitude for the opportunity and offer to help with the transition in personnel.
Is it okay to tell your boss you want to quit?
If you plan to quit your job, you should tell your boss at least two weeks before you plan to leave. If you don’t plan to quit your job, you probably shouldn’t tell your boss you want to quit.
How to tell your boss you're quitting over text?
It’s considered rude to tell your boss you’re quitting over text. In most work environments, you should schedule a face-to-face meeting or at least a phone call. This person has invested time and energy in your professional growth, and they deserve the courtesy of a real conversation in which they can ask questions.
