Forced back to the office? Three steps to resigning gracefully from your job.

Some employers want to end working from home (WFH) even though many of us love this flexible, asynchronous, commute-less way of working.

Liz Kislik wrote an excellent HBR article titled “What to Do If Your Team Doesn’t Want to Go Back to the Office.” She wrote from the perspective of a middle manager and outlines seven actions you can try to help others see the benefits of knowledge workers, like us, working from home.

The one action she doesn’t address is how to exit gracefully if all other efforts fail.

So, if you’re ready to quit your job instead of giving up working from home, here’s Commit’s guide on resigning gracefully.

#1 Prepare an exit plan

A graceful resignation allows you to practice empathy, adds to your library of templates for future departures, and ensures continuity for your team.

1. How much notice is required? Err on the side of generosity. Two weeks minimum, but four weeks is better, especially if you are in a critical role.
2. Write scripts for the conversation you will have with your manager and the discussion you will have with your team. These conversations can be emotional — a script ensures you stay on track and convey your points. Run your scripts through Grammarly, then share them with a trusted advisor — ideally, someone who has received resignations before — so they can edit it for tone and content. Include the reasons you are leaving and a handoff plan (see item 3) to show your team and your manager that you’re handling your exit professionally.
3. As part of your call script, include a handoff plan, which should include:

• Who can take over your responsibilities and be a point of contact to field questions about your work after you’re gone?
• Which playbooks and documents (FAQs are helpful) will you write to ensure your team can self-serve after leaving.
• Provide your contact information and willingness to help in case of an emergency. Timebox your availability to one month. Why? It’s kind to help. If you find yourself being asked too often or for things that are too demanding, politely decline.

4. Write your resignation letter. Again, run it through Grammarly and by a trusted advisor. I like this article and the examples from The Balance.

#2. Carry out that exit plan and handoff plan

1. Resign in person or over video. Follow your call script.
2. Make any adjustments to your exit plan based on your conversation.
3. Follow up by email with your letter of resignation.
4. Begin executing your handoff plan. Please make a point of going through your handoff plan with your designated point of contact, telling your team about it, and making it publicly available.

#3. Now the fun stuff

1. Write LinkedIn recommendations for your colleagues and publish them before you leave. They are a public way to recognize your team members and crystallize your respect for their attitude and work.
2. Inform peers, managers and direct reports that you respect that you are willing to be a reference for them.
3. Draft a goodbye note to your team and your organization. Thank them for the opportunity to learn from them and about them, recognize any particular individuals who made a significant contribution to your experience and growth, wish them luck, and indicate how they can stay in touch with you.
4. Reflect on your experience. Write down the hard and soft skills that you want to take away from your time at this organization. Often we learn best by identifying what we don’t like about a product, culture, technology, etc. Take some time to articulate those, as they can be helpful directional guides for you.

I hope you found this guide helpful; it’s one of many that we provide to engineers in our Career Transition Program.

Thank you to Sarah Marion, Elaine Lam, Beier Cai, Ryan Abbott, Ashley Brookes, and Greg Gunn.

Noel Pullen leads the Engineering Experience at Commit.