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WSI Blog - THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING NOTICE BEFORE QUITTING

The Importance of Giving Notice Before Quitting

“Nobody likes a quitter.” You know the phrase, right? Well – that’s not necessarily true anymore, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported over 40 million people left their jobs voluntarily in 2018. (That’d be a lot of people to hate.) Total employee quits have risen every year since 2010, and haven’t been as high as they are now since 2001. Being in the staffing industry, we’re well aware that people quit. But although quitting is common, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. The right way? Give your employer notice. Here’s why:

You May Want to Come Back in the Future

When you quit a position without giving notice, you are essentially burning bridges with your employer. So if you call that employer six months later looking for work because you were just laid off – let’s just say, it doesn’t look good. But if you gave notice previously? Most companies are understanding and won’t hold it against you when you leave on good terms.

Team Transition

Plenty of notice gives the company a chance to find a replacement and allows you to tie up any loose ends. It’s also a courtesy to your co-workers who may have to take over some of your responsibilities when you’re gone. This gives them time to learn your duties and ask questions while you’re still around. During this time, it’s important to be as helpful and productive as possible, as the company you’re working for could be a good work reference in the future.

Your Professional Reputation:

How you leave a company says a lot about your professionalism. When interviewing for a new position, you’ll be asked if and how you gave notice in your last role. This gives your interviewer a glimpse into how you’ll treat them if you were to move on. Businesses are into networking, and word gets around. It’s best to have your reputation precede you in a positive light rather than a negative light around the HR watercooler.

In a perfect world, we’d love to have our associates work for us forever, but that isn’t the nature of our business. When it comes time to give notice, consider the guidelines above and keep in mind that:

  • A simple chat over the phone or face-to-face will do the trick
  • Give as much advance notice as possible
  • Any notice is better than no notice!
  • Ending employment on a good note can preserve connections that you may need in the future.
Anonymous colleagues using laptop and analyzing chart while sitting at table during business conference in office

WSI is here to help you get started.

Starting with an audit of your current employer brand, we’ll help you strategically attract top talent so you can hire — and keep! — the best people for your organization.