How honest should you be when handing in notice?

[Lollapallooza]

Especially when there’s a good chance you’ll cross paths with colleagues/bosses again!?

Handing in my notice next week and as a quick backstory, my biggest issue is something they said would happen but hasn’t and I’ll def bring that up.

Otherwise, I’ve just been really up against it over the last 18 months I’ve been here - multiple small-ish things that haven’t been anyone’s fault but have really impacted my work and resulted in me desperate to leave.

Different people know different bits but I would like to raise everything with one of the bosses if I could.

It would be therapeutic but is it wise, should I just say “I’m leaving for a different opportunity” and move on? Agh Friday night overthinking 😂

I have just left my last job and starting a new one on monday. My last manager did try to gently ask if there was anything that could be changed but I didn't really go into all the niggly things that have been bad over the past year because it is an organization that I would like to work for again in the future and because generally all my team were lovely and it's one of the nicest places I've worked, so I didn't want to focus on the bad points. My manager has been quite ineffective but I know that is because she has way too much workload to manage . I just said I was leaving for a better paid role but in five years time when I can hopefully afford to return to the organization on a part time basis I would. I feel like in my last two jobs prior to this last role ,I have left with bad feeling as things just got so horrendous with nasty managers and colleagues not doing their jobs properly and wanted to make sure I left this one on a really positive note.

It would be therapeutic
You might feel now that it would be therapeutic but in six months' time you won't care.
Just move on and don't burn bridges.

Vent on here instead!

Say nothing. Just thank them for your time there and the valuable experience.

If it is an HR exit interview, HR automatically discounts what you say because you are a leaver. If you make nasty comments, people assume you have been pushed out. Your feedback goes nowhere and if it does, may come back to bite you.

Like senua says, you won't care in 6 months' time. You have a great new job (I assume) and leaving the losers behind. So focus on moving on and save your headspace and battles for other things. Look after No.1

Very true.

I did leave one job that had really pissed me off in the latter days and I was dying to let it all out but didn’t in the end. Very glad I didn’t because when I look back I did love that job!

At this place I’ve just been so unsupported from the start, overlooked, very little training despite asking and pushed down by my old manager (she’s now left). It’s been bad but it was just down to circumstances of the team, it’s not really the firms fault if that makes sense.

If they press I might tell but I’ll just say “time for a new opportunity” when I actually hand the notice in.

You simply say "I wish to give 4 weeks' notice that I will be leaving the company. My last working day will be 20th August 2023"
Absolutely nothing else - it looks petty and unprofessional.

I usually have 'a change in personal circumstances' when I leave. That's so far meant anything from I'm moving house, to I've finally reached the end of my tether working with incompetent arseholes.

Don't forget you'll want a reference! And if you'll cross paths again you don't want to burn any bridges either.

I left a job a number of years ago due to a number of issues. I wrote a resignation letter outlining everything wrong with the job, then filed it. Sent another giving 4 weeks notice and stating my last working day,
I needed to put it all down on paper, but then realised I didn't actually need to send it

I just say the basics I have never given a reason or written more than one or two sentences

Don’t be honest at all. Just thanks for the experience, time to move on

My worst job I just wrote the basics. Then my utter twat of a manager had the cheek to get me to write my own acceptance of resignation letter. So when in the exit interview he told me "you know the door is always open for you" I smiled sweetly and said "not if you're on the other side of it thanks!"

It’s never worth burning bridges especially in a small industry. I am in thr same situation, dying to tell them the truth (had an awful time since my manager changed) but unfortunately she is well known in my industry and better keep my mouth shut.

I usually say "change of circumstances" if I'm leaving earlier than intended (because it turned out to be a terrible place to work).

Otherwise I say how much I loved working there but that I'm excited about a new challenge.

I have actually been more explicit at exit interviews with HR or I've had a more casual moan to line managers who I was close with. I've just been promoted and my lovely line manager is thrilled as she knows I don't like my current job all that much for example.

I'm always quite honest about factual things; high work load, low resources etc. I tend to avoid anything personality driven, they can't do much about that if you leave (in terms of investigations etc), I predominantly left my last job due to not getting on with the manager, but only mentioned the other more tangible things in my exit interview, as it happens I've been approached a few months later to return but I've asked to go into a different directorate to not work with that manager again so I've had to be honest with the director now, but have said I don't want to pursue any kind remediation. They seem happy with that so think I played the right level of honesty there to keep my options open.

(But I'd never do all that in a resignation letter, resignation letter just says "thanks for opportunity, leaving on promotion" very brief! I'm talking more when you have an exit interview or if management start asking you informally.)

I just said I was looking for a new challenge, then when I had my “leaving chat” with the manager I told her why I was leaving eg constant staff shortage, no support from higher than her, working too many hours.

I would be honest, and I have in the past. Just keep it factual and professional. You don't have to make digs about people, just state the reasons why you are leaving.

I did this for 2 reasons:

1. I wanted to get it off my chest.
2. I really liked my colleagues and thought this was an opportunity for me to raise issues on their behalf to give them half a chance of having things improve once I'd gone.

I wouldn’t put it in the resignation letter but when I have handed in my notice I have usually been asked if there was a reason.

I don’t have a line manager, only a manager I have to catch up with every 6 weeks but I actually really don’t like the manager who does mine so cba to talk to him about it.

My notice period is 3 months 😫

Nope. Always lie. Never burn bridges. New opportunity blah blah. You're leaving, any issues are no longer your concern.
I repeatedly cross paths with previous employers/colleagues so wouldn't be wise.

@Readthebooks that's quite a bizarre train of thought, negative feedback doesn't need to be personal or inflammatory, one of my previous employers took my feedback on board and ended up splitting my role into two, it can be constructive and produce some positive change for those still there.

Yeah my reasons would be constructive rather than negative! It could very easily turn into a rant though 😂

I was very honest about my reasons for leaving my last job but I was only there 6 months so I'll never use them for a reference or go back.

I do payroll so see all the resignation letters at my current work and 99.9% say sorry I've been offered a better position, all say they weren't looking they got approached, thank their manager for everything they've done, and wish the company all the best for the future.

The only time anything has changed due to people leaving is when loads handed their notice during one month so we all got a pay rise and they reduced our hours by 2 per week.