Resign By Email - Ok Or Not?

[CLOTHEAD]

Morning Answerbankers

I asked a question regarding compassionate leave just under a week ago and thank you again for all the responses received.

So, I've decided not to go back to an organisation that treats it's employees so shabbily and I don't want to give the tin-pot dictator that runs it the slightest courtesy (this is a woman who styles herself a CEO and has a grand total of two full-time and four part-time employees). You might say, that following an exchange of emails over the last week our professional relationship has entirely broken down...

I remember what a fuss she made about everything being in writing when I joined - in fact she's obsessed with bits of paper! Can I just drop her a curt email informing her I'm not coming back or do I have to go to the trouble of putting pen to paper?

As ever - thank you in advance...

[dannyk13]

The courteous thing to do would be to put pen to paper.

[10ClarionSt]

Danny is correct. But I wouldn't bother contacting her at all. Just leave it.

[fiction-factory]

I would write.
You might get satisfaction from a curt email but I would avoid that. However you could alert them to the fact that you are sending in a resignation letter. I once resigned by sending a postcard from abroad and regretted it later. You neve rknow when you might need a reference.

[10ClarionSt]

A reference is irrelevant these days. Most places won't give them due to possible repercussions, so most places don't ask for them. References are mainly used now for security/care/teaching, that sort of thing. If you're applying for office work, engineering, warehouse, things like that, I'd be surprised if anyone asked for a reference.

[Khandro]

I.m.o. Best answer from F.F. ^^
Be nice to people on your way up because you might meet them again on your way down.

[Cloverjo]

The places I’ve been applying to for jobs still want references, and they’re not for caring/security/teaching.

Clothead, be polite. You might be angry and want satisfaction by being curt in an email, but always better to be polite.

[fiction-factory]

Yes, formal references have generally lost their value- but word can get around in a sector and employers/CEOs/managers may discuss things informally.
But it's your choice.
DO you have outstanding holidays? Are you required to give notice

[1ozzy]

Think of a way you can tell her to shove it where the sun doesn't shine without hurting her feelings.

The art of diplomacy is telling someone they suck and having them feel good about it.

[CLOTHEAD]

fiction-factory - References don't really matter as I'm already retired from a long career - this was a part-time retirement job which basically paid the poll tax... And yes, I think I have about twenty days of holiday remaining and if I remember correctly was required to give one month's notice - However, I was signed off by my GP till this coming Friday "Mother dying, full-time Carer - with stress' so I guess that will also come off that? (Mum died on Saturday :-( )

[dannyk13]

Sorry to hear about your mother Clothead. Please accept my condolences.

[woofgang]

I am sorry for your loss Clothead. No, sick leave doesn't come off annual leave. I would send a coldly formal letter of resignation. There's no need to give a reason or go into any detail, just say that you are giving your month's notice and that you have got 20 days of accrued leave to take, that your month's notice will commence on such and such a date (after your sick leave ends) that you will then attend work for x days and that the remainder of your notice period will be covered by your accrued leave. Do I recall that you have an HR department? If so then you could cc your letter to them with a covering note enquiring if there is anything else you should do.

[woofgang]

oops sick leave and annual leave link https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave

[Old_Geezer]

IMO an e-mail is just a modern day equivalent of a letter. The only real difference is that it's created and sent electronically rather than use pen, paper, and the Royal Mail. (Ok, maybe signatures aren't the same, but unsure that's relevant.) It can still be printed out if the recipient requires the paper version. Just put down the same words as you would have anyway. As for a reference, I don't see that the form of resignation is likely to make much change; that would depend more on the existing relationship.

[BagPussAA]

I have resigned a position by email in the past. As OG points out, these days email gets treated the same way as a letter used to in the past. Write it out as if you were typing out a letter. Dear **** yours sincerely **** etc. At least if you email, they can't deny they have received it. Use your remaining holiday instead of notice.

Im so sorry to hear about your mum Clothead. Your only consolation is that at least now, she is no longer in pain.

[woofgang]

actually, when I left my final job, I did it by email but the person I was resigning to was a work colleague that I had known for many years and we got on very well.....there was also a formal process operated by HR, which, again, I triggered by email but they then sent me a bundle of paper paperwork.

[Peter Pedant]

// A reference is irrelevant these days. Most places won't give them due to possible repercussions,//
eek - ref from her - - -
the americans have only three questions - were they employed with you? what was the sickness record? and would you employ them again.....
BUT
as soon as you say she is potty about bits of paper
then you really have been given notice about writing

so yes write

pay attention to holiday entitlement and whether you have had yours for the part year of your holiday year ( may NOT be Apr-Apr)

so I would be cutesy wootsey about it as there is more ( or possibly more) money in it for you and that is why you work

[Peter Pedant]

I think you can immunise yourself against a bad employer repuration or reference by saying in proper language

we parted on poor terms following difficulties around the death of my .... father

no employer is gonna think - I bet it was 'go! go! take as much time off!'

In 1985 Shrewsbury X organisation gave me a really bad reference and I said during the interview at Y
"My current employer has made difficulties about me attending this interview today. I gave them eight weeks notice"
and you could see from the committee's faces that they had also placed a few calls ......

[Peter Pedant]

My brudda attended an interview at alphaville and was surprised to be told: the only reason why you are here is Mr A at your current employer at betaville - you should NOT use him for a reference again.

employers were NOT meant to read references before the interview

that was herbert Barrie who has been dead for forty years but really should have known at that time that you shouldnt offer to give a reference to someone and then slog him off terrible