You may be thinking at some point of leaving your job, either to move to a new job, or to give up working completely or to start a new venture in your life.

Hopefully you will have considered your decision in advance and will be able to let your employer know that you are leaving, it is best to do this in writing.

It is not a good idea to resign to avoid any problems at work, there are usually better ways to resolve any difficulties. If you have an argument and you say ‘that’s it I’m leaving’ in the heat of the moment, and then have second thoughts the next day, it is imperative you talk to your employer as soon as possible to retract your ‘resignation’. Don’t threaten to resign either – it sends mixed messages and is not helpful.

If things are really bad for any reason at work, use the processes in place (usually a Grievance Procedure) to try to resolve the problems. If this doesn’t work and you feel you have no option but to resign you may be able to claim constructive dismissal against your employer.

Your resignation letter

Your contract should say how much notice you have to give your employer when you give notice to leave. This is a minimum period and your letter should indicate how much notice you are giving and when your last day at work will be. The law is that you need to give at least one week’s notice when you have worked for at least one month, but your contract is likely to say you need to give more than this.

If you leave without giving sufficient notice, you will be in breach of contract and your employer could take action against you, especially if you are leaving your employer in the lurch and they will incur costs. You also may be asking your employer for a reference in the future and leaving without giving proper notice will not make a good impression. If you really don’t want to work your notice talk to your employer about this, it maybe that you can come to an agreement about your notice period.

If you comply with the terms in your contract about giving notice your employer has to accept your resignation. You will receive your final pay on your normal pay day. You can’t normally take back your resignation (but your employer might agree to this). You will normally be paid for any unused holiday that you have accrued.

Benefits if you resign from your job

Your Jobs and Benefits Office can delay your Jobseeker’s Allowance for up to 26 weeks if you’ve voluntarily quit without good reason. (If you are claiming constructive dismissal, make sure they know).

Pensions

A note about pensions – if this is a Stake Holder Pension scheme, you can usually transfer this to a new employer, or into a personal pension plan.

Author

Nicky Ackerley BA(Hons)

Nicky is the owner of HR Support Consultancy. She has a BA(Hons) in Business Studies, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has been a practising HR manager for more than 20 years.

HR Support Consultancy has provided the BVNA Members Advisory Service (formerly known as the Industrial Relations Service) since it began in 2002.

Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 32 • August 2017