This article teaches you how to write a resignation email with the help of resignation letter email examples and our resignation email template.
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So, you've accepted a new job, and it's time to type out that resignation email. But what do you say in your email resignation letter?
A great resignation email will set the tone for your departure. Send a professional resignation letter, and your last few weeks will be a pleasure. Get it wrong, and it could damage relationships, references, and even your future career. It'll also make working your notice period a little weird.
Here, we break down the fundamentals of a functional email resignation, showing you the building blocks for better messages.
Don't worry. We also provide 10 resignation email samples and show how to write a resignation letter with Flowrite's resignation email template.
Flowrite writes your emails for you using AI. Here's how it can help you nail the proper resignation email:
Nobody likes breaking bad news in person, so we should all send emails, right? Wrong. If you're quitting a job, you'll want to do it properly – and that means speaking to your boss or HR team in person (if possible).
In the past, when leaving a job, you'd do it in two stages:
• Sit down and speak to your boss in-person
• Send a formal email to your boss and HR team to tell them of your decision
But now, with more of us working at home or remotely, sitting your boss down or even speaking on the phone isn't always possible.
Email is easy and quick, but it's impersonal. Sending an email without speaking to your boss could be considered rude and harm your relationship. This can matter, particularly if you want your boss to provide a reference.
So, should you resign in person or by email? You should do both.
If you can't speak to your manager in person, the next best thing is a video call or phone call. Then, once you've broken the news, follow up with a formal resignation email to set the wheels in motion with your HR team.
We're all about the written word, but if you need some help communicating clearly, Forbes has created a nice list of things you should never say to your boss when quitting.
What is a resignation letter? It's a formal piece of written correspondence that terminates your employment.
At the most basic level, your resignation email sets out your intention to leave and the date you want to go.
In most cases, your HR team will use the date of your resignation letter to calculate your departure date. Most of us will have to work a notice period, so the sooner your resignation letter is in, the quicker you'll be starting your new job.
If you've followed our advice and spoken to your boss first, that's a great start. Still, many won't consider the process underway until they receive a signed and dated resignation letter.
It's totally fine to quit with a letter, but is it ok to resign over email?
None of us will write a resignation email as public as Greg Smith, who chose to call out the toxic culture at a major US bank. You'll probably only want to take this bold move if you're supremely confident or rich (like Smith).
Even if your experience at a company hasn't been great, you should resign gracefully, says HR expert Priscilla Claman. Why? "You need your current boss or HR department to be able to provide at least a neutral reference if future employers contact them," she says.
An email resignation may be acceptable, but it's not professional and could harm your career. Your boss could take it personally and choose to provide a less than complimentary reference, or refuse to give one at all.
However, there are some rare cases where an email resignation is acceptable, such as when you're experiencing problems with your employer or in conflict.
In Europe and the rest of the world, most employees need to give their employers a month's notice before leaving. In the US, they only need to provide two-weeks notice.
Employment laws in the States are lower, with employers and employees free to chop and change. So while there's no legal duty to send a two-weeks notice email, it's polite and professional to do so.
Like any resignation email or letter, it should typically only be sent after you've spoken to your boss in person.
Loads of people ask: Is resignation the same as 2 weeks' notice? And the answer is yes.
They're both a form of resignation email that terminates your employment. In the US, you'd generally say that you're offering two weeks' notice from the day the resignation email was sent. Elsewhere in the world, your resignation letter starts a negotiation process to decide on your official leaving date.
Make sense? Then let's get started on how to write a resignation email.
A resignation email is a formal email that follows a standard format. The best resignation email format we've found is one that keeps things simple.
There are five essential parts to any resignation email:
3. Opening lines & Body
The great news is that once you've mastered how to write a resignation email using the correct format, you can use it anytime you need to. You can check out 10 examples of resignation email format samples later in this blog to see how we put this into practice.
Before we get to the resignation email samples, let's dig into the details further into what makes a great email.
Selecting an appropriate resignation email subject can be a challenge, so we recommend keeping it as simple as possible. You want to ensure the subject line for the resignation email is clear. Why? Suppose the recipient doesn't know it's a resignation email. In that case, they might ignore it, delaying your new start date and affecting your plans.
Here are ten resignation email subject lines you could use:
Each resignation email has a greeting, opening, the meat of the message (body copy), and a sign-off.
If you're worried about how to start a resignation email, check out our guide on formal email openings. This should provide the insight you need to craft great messages.
After you've provided an appropriate greeting, it's time to get to business. First, tell someone straight away what the purpose of your email is. Don't worry if this sounds quite formal; that's what this email is – so tell someone you're leaving upfront.
Here are a few acceptable resignation email openings;
The resignation letter email body is where you can go into details. Some essential resignation letter email content includes:
Many people want to know one question: should they apologize in a resignation email? Leaving a job is part of life, and (unless you've done something wrong) you have nothing to apologize for. In fact, saying sorry when you're not could be pretty annoying, say the experts at Business Insider.
Say so if you're genuinely sorry for something you've done or a situation you're leaving. But, like we tell kids, only ever say sorry if you mean it.
When it comes to ending your email, read our guide on how to close an email for all the inside tips and information.
Deciding how to sign off a resignation email is up to you. Still, we would recommend being formal in most cases. On the other hand, if you're friendly with your boss and they're already aware you're resigning, feel free to be a little warmer.
Check out our guide on how to end emails before deciding on an appropriate sign-off.
We've explained the principles, and it's time to show you some resignation email examples. We've created 10 resignation letter email examples that illustrate how to say "I quit" politely and professionally.
You're free to cut and paste our sample resignation emails, but we'd always suggest editing them to personalize them. Even though you're leaving, you'll want to show you care about your old job, so always update our sample email resignation letters.
If you've already spoken with your boss and broken the bad news, this short resignation email is for you. A simple resignation email focuses on the fundamentals and ensures that your request is communicated clearly.
Here's our simple resignation email with a notice period sample.
I'm writing to you to formally resign from my employment. I've enjoyed my time at (company), but I have officially accepted a new role.
Please can you begin the leaving process and advise me of an official leaving date so I can update my new employer.
This is a standard and simple email to an employer for resignation. We follow the format above and provide some thanks for the time spent in employment. This employer resignation email sample has space for you to adjust it to your circumstances.
I'm writing to formally resign from my (title) position at (company name). I've enjoyed my time working here and learned a considerable amount. I have also developed lifelong friendships with many people who work here.
I have accepted a new role as (job title) at (company name). I would like to agree on a leaving date as soon as possible to let my new employer know.
(Add personalized information here)
I wish you well in the future. Once again, thank you for my time here.
As a manager or leader, you may be required to send a resignation announcement to staff. A resignation email to co-workers is about breaking the news that you're leaving but that they'll be left in safe hands.
You may have already heard the news, but I would like to formally announce that I leave (company name) on (date).
I've had a wonderful time at (company name) and have enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I know that the company is in safe hands, and I wish you all well for the future.
Please send me your details if you want to stay in touch.
Thanks for all the memories!
When creating a resignation email to your manager, you can introduce more personality. You've been working closely with this person, after all! We assume you've already spoken before sending this resignation email to your manager.
It was great to catch up earlier to share my news. Please accept this email as formal resignation from my role.
I sincerely appreciate all the guidance and support you have shown me during my time at (company). It's greatly appreciated and has helped to shape my future career.
(Add personal details here)
Hope we can stay in touch,
Your HR team is less likely to know you and be interested in your circumstances, so this resignation letter to HR colleagues is relatively formal. This sample resignation email to HR will start the termination process and discussions about your leaving date, so be clear about what you want.
Please accept this email as my formal resignation from my position as (job title) at (company name) on (insert date).
I've accepted a new role as (job title) at (new company). They will contact you to request a reference shortly. I would welcome that chance to discuss my leaving date with you and urge you to contact me as soon as you can.
If you're leaving your old job for a new one, you'll want to agree to a notice period. However, deciding how to write a resignation email with a notice period can be challenging. You want to be fair to your old employer but leave as soon as possible.
In this resignation email example with the notice period, we suggest when we want to leave. But the door is open for negotiation. So be sure to adjust this sample email for resignation with a notice period to your circumstances.
I'm emailing you to formally resign as (job title) at (company name). I understand I need to offer two-weeks notice, and I would like to start the process today.
I'm happy to work with you to find an ideal leaving date. I would encourage you to call me as soon as you can so we can come to an agreement.
Thanks for everything you've done. I've enjoyed my time at (company name).
Some roles, such as zero-hours contracts, don't require a notice period, so you could leave straight away if you want to. In this resignation email sample without notice period, we explain why we're leaving and when we're going. Still, we aim to leave things positively.
If you're wondering how to write a resignation email without a notice period, then our sample can help.
I'd like to advise you that I am resigning from today. Please accept this email as my formal resignation request.
My contract states that there's no notice period, but I want to ensure a proper handover before I go, so it would be great to chat over the details.
You can call me or send me an email, and we can work out the details.
In some cases, you'll want to create a resignation email effective immediately. This could happen if you've experienced issues at work or simply don't need to offer any notice. Our advice on how to write a resignation email effective immediately is to keep it short and to the point – which is what we've done.
Here is our sample email to resign with immediate effect.
I am resigning from my role as (job) with immediate effect.
Please consider this email as formal termination of my employment. I consider myself no longer employed by your organization. I am happy to return all my equipment and will await your instructions on doing this.
Please confirm today that you have received this email and accept my resignation?
The difference between writing a good and great resignation email can be as simple as our AI writing assistant that takes your instructions and turns them into ready-to-send emails and messages, like this:
Our browser extension and web app take care of the email format, capitalization, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In other words, you can focus on the message, and Flowrite will take care of the delivery.
Our email template collection features dozens of email templates to help you write professional emails such us resignation letter emails.
Writing a resignation email or email resignation letter should be easy, but we know that it often isn't. Telling someone we're leaving can feel like we're delivering bad news, and who likes doing that?
By breaking down the process of how to write a resignation email, we hope we've made it simpler.
When you need to send a resignation letter email, follow the format, use one of our resignation email samples as a source of inspiration, or rely on Flowrite's resignation email template to do the job for you.
You'll ensure you leave in the most professional way possible, clear and confident to start your new role.
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