A Detailed Guide to Writing Resignation Letters (With 6 Samples)

What are resignation letters?

The resignation letter is mainly an official document, which records the termination or an employee’s end of employment with your company. The employee should submit this letter after intimating their decision to resign via email or in-person.

Ideally, you should encourage your employees to speak with their reporting manager directly before they send the resignation letter. This would give you ample time to prepare for the eventuality. If your employees are working remotely or cannot meet their manager physically, for some reason, ask them to connect with their managers via the phone or video chat.

If the employee has made their mind, you can provide them with a resignation letter template or sample and ask them to submit the letter in the given format.

In general, the best resignation letters should cover the following details:

• Resignation statement for the company
• Last date of employment
• Statement expressing gratitude
• Important information or next steps
• Signature

Importance of resignation letters

If an employee has decided to leave the job, then it is considered a professional courtesy to let them go. If they need help on the front, give them a resignation letter format to use. Resignation letters hold great importance for the HR department, as it helps them keep an official record of the employee’s resignation and accordingly calculate the final settlement and the severance pay for the employee.

Resignation letters also contain significant operational information, which can be of use to the reporting manager, such as the final working day of the employee and the notice period to be served. This will help them effectively plan their manpower requirements after the employee leaves.

How to write resignation letters

The process of writing resignation letters is simple, provided the employee follows some key steps. The employee should be encouraged to meet their reporting manager before writing the letter. This is so as to follow the right resignation processes and policies set by your company.

A resignation letter must cover the following information:

Date and time: The standard resignation letter should contain the date and time, along with a few additional details. It will help to keep a proper track record of the notice period or for the final settlement.

This information may not be required in a resignation email, as the information is already available in the document provided. However, if you plan to write a handwritten letter, then you must add these details on the document’s top right corner.

Direct address: The employee should mention the full name of the recipient. They may use salutations like “Dear”, “Mr/Ms”, “Hello” followed by the last name of the reporting manager.

Subject: In the subject section, the employee should indicate their reason for writing the letter. In this case, the subject should be stated as a “letter of resignation”.

Resignation statement: The employee should clearly state that they are writing this letter to submit their formal resignation. They may also include their job title to inform the company of the position that is becoming vacant.

Last working day: It is standard practice, across industries, for employees to serve a minimum of 30-days’ notice before finally resigning. You can add specific data about the notice period term and final working day with the company.

Gratitude statement: Whatever the experience may have been during the tenure, it is only nice to part ways on a positive note. To ensure this ideology is followed, you can ask your resigning employees to include a statement of gratitude to their reporting manager or the company in their resignation letter. This will help them maintain a positive and professional relationship, irrespective of whether they stay with the company or not.

Irrespective of the reason for resignation, employees should ensure that the tone of the resignation letter is positive. This will help the employee to stay in touch with their managers professionally even after having left the company.

List the next steps: The employee should list all the important information that their reporting manager must know about this transition. For example, include the details about the next step.

Proper closing with signature: Finally, the employee should close the letter with an appropriate closing statement, such as ‘thank you’ or ‘ yours sincerely’, followed by their name.

Additional tips to remember while writing a resignation letter

• Employees must never use the resignation letter as a medium to vent out frustration.
• Advice the employees to always deliver the resignation letter personally to their reporting managers.
• A resignation letter must be brief, simple and direct so that one can constructively convey their decision.
• Employees must plan their resignations to ensure a smooth operational transition for the company. This will also make sure that they do not go unpaid. If there is a gap after the last working day at the current/previous company and before joining a new company, the person would be idle for a few days without any payment.
• Employees should follow instructions provided by their reporting manager on the next steps they need to follow to ensure a smooth transition and final settlement process. The manager may ask them to finish any pending projects or take certain steps so that the company operations carry on without hiccups.

Resignation letter templates

Below is a generic resignation letter examples for employees:

1.
Dear (name of reporting manager),

Kindly accept this document as my formal resignation notice from (name of company). My last working day will be (final working date) — 30 days from today, (date). I am very grateful for your support and guidance during my time at the company. I appreciate all my valuable experiences while on the job. It was such a pleasure working with the team and, especially, you.

Do guide me about what to do to make this transition smooth. Thank you once again and best of luck.

Best wishes
(Employee name)

Note: This is a basic template for employees, which provides all basic information to be incorporated in a simple resignation letter. However, you can give employees an option to customize it as per their preference.

Resignation letter samples and formats to be used for different circumstances:

2.
For a better opportunity

To,
Name of reporting manager
Company name
Address
Date

Subject: Letter of Resignation

With this letter, I would like to inform you that I have been offered a job at another company. The role is a great next step for my career. I request you to accept this letter as my formal announcement of resignation from my duties towards (company name). My 30-days’ notice period commences on (start date) and ends on (last working date).

I am grateful for the ample opportunities I received to learn and grow during my term with the company.

Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
(Full name)

3.
For relocation

To,
Name of reporting manager
Company name
Address
Date

Subject: Letter of Resignation

Please note that this letter is my formal resignation announcement from (company name). I am relocating to (city/country name), therefore, it won’t be possible for me to continue with the current job.

My last working day would be (last working date) — 30 days from (start date). I thank you for the opportunities that allowed me to grow and learn. I hope my new position is equally inspiring, motivating and helpful.

I wish the best for you and the company.

I would like to be guided on how to make this transition a smooth process.

Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
(Full name)

4.
For family reasons

To,
Name of reporting manager
Company name
Address
Date

Subject: Letter of Resignation

Kindly accept my request of resignation effective from (last working date). My wife/husband and I welcomed our first/second/third (or another number) child a month ago. Post my parental leave, I would like to remain home with our child/children to focus on my family’s needs.

I hope you will understand my situation and I thank you in advance for it. Please inform me of any duties you would like me to perform in my notice period.

Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
(Full name)

5.
For undisclosed reasons

If the employee does not have a specific reason or they do not want to disclose their reason for leaving, they can customise the below version of a short resignation letter.

This letter is to inform you that I need to resign from (company name) by (date). Certain family/personal circumstances have arisen, which require my full-time attention. I will not be able to continue as (role/designation) any further.

I will be available over the next 30-days, until (last working date) to offer my assistance and support for a smooth transition.

6.
For a change in career

To,
Name of reporting manager
Company name
Address
Date

Subject: Letter of Resignation

This is a request to accept my resignation effective (final working date). I have been offered a new position with a different company. I think it is the right move for me at this point in my career and have, hence, accepted it.

I am extremely grateful for all the learning opportunities I received during my time with (company name). My last working day would be (final date).

Kindly let me know how I can assist you in making this transition seamless and positive. I will help you with the needful.

Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
(Full name)

Note: It is not mandatory to mention the future employer’s name in the resignation letter. In fact, it is recommended to leave out that information.

For an employer, an employee resignation letter is the best way to end the professional association with an employee. It allows them to end things on a positive note. Therefore, employers should encourage their employees to write formal resignation letters if they wish to leave the company. This is better than uninformed prolonged leave of absence or going absconding without any explanation. Employers should provide their employees with the required framework (template) to write an effective resignation letter.