How To Bid Your Company Goodbye!

How To Bid Your Company Goodbye!
Leaving an organisation requires style, technique and certain savoir-faire says Aditi Joshi.
Bidding a final adios to your organization is an art. There are two ways in which an employee parts company with his organisation.
a) When an employee decides to tender his or her resignation.b) When the organisation decides to fire an employee.

Both parting involve some trauma for the employers and the employees. Those leaving a company are never quite sure of how to resign in the most amicable way from their soon-to-be ex employers, while those who have been given the pink slip are unsure about how much they should reveal about their past to their future employers.
Here are some do's and don'ts to follow when you are crafting your resignation letter or have just been handed the pink slip.
A) What to do if you plan to resign ?
When an employee decides to leave an organisation, his formal break comes in the form of a resignation letter. You have to be careful while drafting a resignation letter. Your current employer will feature on your resume for years to come and you never know when you may need a recommendation from him. A good resignation letter will help set the stage for a smooth transition from one job to the next.
Here are a few tips that might help you draft such a resignation letter and what to do if you are fired from your job-
Keep it Short & Simple (KISS principle): Use a simple format. A simple, "I resign..." statement is powerful enough in itself. Whether it is one sentence or three pages, it should be direct and clear. Start out by stating the obvious.
Your resignation letter should have the following essentials.
*The date of your last day of work and your new e-mail address.
*The postal address to which any correspondence can be forwarded and a phone number where you can be reached.
Give Prior Notice: Always give prior notice before you quit your current job. Generally, it is a good idea to give two weeks notice before ceasing to work to complete all your pending work and allow your successor to take over with out any hassle.
"Term of notification depends from company to company, so one should make it a point to submit the same within the set time limit" says Sarika HR manager of a reputed company. However, there might be times when you are required to join the next job immediately. In that case you can talk to your boss and the HR manager. Don't simply declare that you are quitting as it may have negative implications specially when approached for a ref check. Let your current employer know how important this new job is for you, discuss with them how best you could complete the resignation formalities, as you cannot miss the opportunity.
Reconsider Your Options BEFORE Resigning:Your company might ask you to reconsider your resignation by offering some real value added offers. If you accept you may leave an impression that you are quitting your job only for money. Be prepared mentally to avoid such offers before giving your resignation letter. This may leave an impression that it's only the money that is forcing you to quit your job. Tell them that you've found an opportunity that fits you better and that your decision is final.
Remember The Good Times: No matter what designation you held, no matter what department you worked in, the bottom line remains that you offered your services to your organisation and enjoyed the services of the same in return. You might have had some good experiences and some bad ones as well. When writing your resignation keep all the good things you enjoyed in front. Understand that there existed a professional relationship between you and your employer and be respectful towards it.
Be Honest Not Cruel: Even if you are leaving the job under less than desirable circumstances, avoid letting your feelings show in your resignation letter. Resist the temptation to badmouth and let off steam. Keep your reasons and other unnecessary statements out of your letter of resignation. Don't use the resignation letter as the vehicle to tell your boss what you really thought of them. It is never polite to include personal remarks in a resignation letter. If you genuinely have difference of opinion with your boss, save the communication for some other time and place. Never commit these thoughts to paper - your comments will remain in your personnel file and may come back to haunt you.
The Exit Interview: Some companies these days arrange for an exit interview. This is the best forum to put all your feelings (bad/ good) in front of your employer. If you have some constructive criticism that you'd like to share with your boss before you leave, the best place to do this would be in the Exit Interview. All that you need to do is to give a soft and lighthearted comment how things just went the other way and created problems.
Ensure A Smooth Takeover: Make sure that you've completed any outstanding tasks and participated in the smooth handover of any unfinished work. Ensure that your boss knows that you've actively participated in this process and that you have been as co-operative as possible. Ensure full settlement for any outstanding salary, holiday entitlement and commission payments that are due to you.
Keep in touch: Take time out to speak to all of your colleagues and associates. Make positive comments about their contribution during your time at the office. Try and remain in touch because you never know when they'll be useful to your personal and career development in the future.
B) What to do when you get firedWhat should you do when the job quits you? Being fired from a job is a sensitive issue and you need to handle it with care. Read on to find out more-
What does it mean? Getting fired doesn't make you a failure it's just a signal to show you that either the job didn't quite fit you or you never fitted the job. It is just an occasion to learn from the past, execute in the present and remember for the future. As long as you know that you're a good worker, with skills that add value to an organisation, with intelligence and enthusiasm and that you're pursuing the right new job for the right reasons, you can get over the "I was fired" hump.
How to deal with such a situation?Getting fired is an emotional matter. It is stressful and hard to accept that you are fired. It may initially be discouraging, shameful and haunting. But then you need to keep calm and work out the reasons for such a big move. Was the job you held interesting enough? Were you happy? Did you get along with the atmosphere out there? Was your boss helpful?
Should you accept the termination?Always try to negotiate your termination instead of just accepting it. When given a "pink slip", signifying termination of employment, let your employer know that two weeks or less is not enough to get all your affairs in order especially if you have been with the company for a significant length of time. Request some more time before your employer's proposed date of termination. Never threaten your employer with litigation or anything else. It will get you nowhere. If your employer still gives you a two-week termination notice, then at least try and negotiate a larger severance pay and/or extended medical benefits than what your employer is offering. Any small gain will work in your favour. If you disagree with your company employment evaluation, put your disagreement in "writing" right on the evaluation itself, this way your disagreement automatically becomes part of your personnel file. This will help if you need the file in the future to help determine the fairness of your employer's termination policy against you.
Does being terminated call for the formalities of a normal resignation?Now this is an important question. Yes! It more or less calls for the same calm and dignity as your resignation from a job. Its all the more important to be focussed and careful in this situation as you have to build up a reference and relationship with your employer that convinces them that although you could make no significant contribution in the current organisation, you might be an asset to another one. Be apologetic, if you ended up with a harsh verbal exchange with your boss. Keep cool and tell them that it just happened and you never really meant to be that rude or unprofessional. Again an exit interview could be the best forum for you to explain and clarify yourself. Just hide that tint of anger and rejection and utilise the occasion to get a clean chit for yourself.
Should you mention your termination to future employers? This is a tricky situation. In case you mention your termination you have to face all those speculative eyes and 'whys' and 'hows' which you may not be able to answer suitably. And in case you lie you always live under the threat of the time when people come to know of the reality. You may choose to omit the organisation from where you were fired, or you may not have a choice because the gap in your resume might be inexplicable. This calls for a deep thought and honest action. Be honest - as the old cliche goes "honesty is the best policy." One lie begets another lie and you will just continuously lie during the course of the interview process.Be creative - come up with answers that will make your exit with your previous employer not as bad. Never say "terminated." Tell them you resigned due to reasons like "professional differences with my superior," "no potential growth" etc. Being creative doesn't necessarily mean that you are lying. It's rather more of justifying why you have left them. Be prepared with an answer when an interviewer asks you why you left your last job. Make sure you can articulate why your last job didn't work out and what you have learned from the experience. Never blame or disparage the employer, simply state the facts and move on. Make them aware that this was a one off occurrence and put it down to experience.
It is naive to expect that your working life will always run without a hiccup. Keep looking ahead and keep a positive and upbeat mental attitude. Be prepared emotionally and remember failures are a stepping-stone to success.
SAMPLE RESIGNATION LETTER
Dear _________________,
This letter is to let you know that I am concluding my employment with (company) effective (date).
The time I have spent at (company) has been most rewarding and helpful in my career, and I hope that my contributions to the company have been constructive. My relationship with you has always been professional, warm and result oriented.
I have accepted a position that will enhance my career growth and will expose me to challenges and opportunities, which I believe, are in my best interest.
(Boss' first name), I have the utmost respect for you and wish nothing but the best for you and the company. If I can be of any special assistance during my final two weeks, please feel free to let me know.
Sincerely