Australia is indeed a great place to start and grow a business.
If you have toyed with the idea of getting into business, this is undeniably the best time to do it.
If you are like most people, you will have a few loose ends to tie up before you are fully able to focus on your entrepreneurial journey.
One of these could be your current job. How do you give it up professionally and tactfully? Here are some top tips.
1. Get Organized
Start getting organized to leave your position in advance.
If your office is full of clutter and personal mementos, start cleaning and clearing up in good time. Do the same with your work computer and work phone.
This will streamline the process for you, as well as the incoming job holder.
2. Prepare Your Resignation Letter
Your resignation letter will be just about the most critical piece of documentation you give your employer towards the end of your employment.
This is the only official way to express your desire to leave.
Word the letter professionally and respectfully, regardless of how badly you hated your job or how eager you are to leave.
Firstly, you need to review your contract and see if there are any concerns you need to address in your letter.
As you address this, ensure not to criticize your employer, supervisors or co-workers.
Instead, keep the contents of the letter about yourself and your exit, without being emotional, offensive or using inappropriate language.
This being an important communique, you might need some help with the format and wording. You can find excellent resignation letter templates online.
All you need to do is download these and edit them to capture the specific details of your situation.
3. Give Notice
Unless under extreme circumstances, always ensure to give a notice period. This should be included in your resignation letter.
This period allows your employer to start looking for a replacement and induct and train them before your departure. It also serves as a transition period where you can handover unfinished tasks to an assigned colleague.
A notice period also communicates professionalism and ensures you leave on a positive note. This will be useful if you require a recommendation letter or even to come back to work for the company in future.
4. Keep Your Colleagues in the Loop
Once you have communicated to management and HR about your intent to leave, loop in your colleagues as well.
These people have been part of your success, making it good manners to say a word to them regarding your exit.
It does not end there.
Your business’s success is dependent on your ability to get clients. Your former colleagues are an excellent resource for helping you get business by referring prospects to you.
For this reason, ensure to let them know you will be leaving, and exchange contacts to enable you to stay in touch.
5. Remain Participative
As much as possible, remain as engaged and as enthusiastic with work matters as you were when you joined the company.
If you never skip company parties, meetings, team building activities and so on, do not start skipping them when serving your notice either.
While you might need to use this time in activities towards opening your business, your employer and colleagues might read the situation negatively.
HR might also want to have an exit interview with you. Do your best to create time for this as well. When you do, remain respectful and discuss any unsavoury issues tactfully.
Plan Early
Primarily, a professional resignation process lies in the planning.
Once you are confident that you want to get into full-time entrepreneurship, start thinking about your exit so as to allow enough time to handle the process maturely and professionally.
