How to quit your job and come out on top, according to science

So you want to quit your job but don’t know how. As it turns out, science has found the best ways employees can say “sayonara” without leaving a bad taste in anyone’s mouth.

According to researchers at Oregon State University (OSU), there are seven ways in which people generally quit their jobs but only three can benefit both the employer and employee.

“There is a lot of research about why people quit their jobs,” Anthony Klotz, lead author of the paper and assistant professor in the College of Business at OSU, said in a press release. “But very little is known about how people quit. Employers, as well as employees, want to know what the right way is.”

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After several studies that included interviews with employees and employers, researchers concluded these were the typical seven ways employees choose to leave a job:

• By the book: This involves a face-to-face meeting with a manager to announce the employee’s decision to leave within a standard notice period. An explanation of the reason for leaving is also discussed;
• Perfunctory: Similar to “by the book”, except the meetings are shorter and a reason for quitting is not given to the employer;
• Grateful goodbye: Employees express their gratitude toward their employer and will offer to help with the transition period;
• In the loop: Employees will often confide in their manager that they are thinking of leaving the company and/or are looking for other employment before they officially resign;
• Avoidant: When employees let other employees – like peers, mentors or human resources representatives – know they plan to leave rather than giving notice to their immediate boss;
• Bridge burning: When employees are looking to harm the organizations or its members as they leave, often through, verbal assaults;
• Impulsive quitting: When employees walk off the job without communicating with their employer again.

By the book and perfunctory resignations are the most common, according to the study, but about one in 10 employees choose to quit using the bridge-burning style.

Based on the responses from the interviews, researchers say the best ways to quit are by using the by the book, grateful goodbye and in the loop methods because both the employee and employer come out on top and neither reputation is damaged.

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These methods are ideal for employees who wish to have positive recommendations and/or who may consider returning to that workplace in the future.

Avoidant, bridge burning and impulsive methods are considered harmful for employers because it may be an indication something is not working within the company, which may also result in a bad reputation.

For employees, however, if they want their reputation to remain intact, they should not use the avoidant, bridge burning and perfunctory methods when resigning.

“As an employee, you are pretty powerless for much of your work life, until you decide to quit,” Klotz said. “That is the one time you feel empowered and have a chance to even the score if you feel like you’ve been treated badly.”

There are also two key factors that determine whether a person quits their job in a positive way or in a way that could be damaging to a business’ image.

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If an employee feels they have been treated fairly at work and were respected by their boss, then employees will tend to use more positive methods when resigning.

Companies should consider monitoring how employees quit for potential signs of management issues. If a trend emerges that shows employees quitting in a negative manner, then it may be a sign of poor supervision or other problems within the company and its treatment of employees, researchers say.

“Turnover is common, it’s expensive, it’s disruptive and it can be contagious,” Klotz said. “But this damage is mitigated when employees resign in a positive manner. So to the extent you can, as an employer, you want to have employees resign in a positive manner.”

Klotz points out that every situation is unique and the best way to resign at one company may not be the best way to resign at another. However, Klotz said companies would be better off if they reviewed their employee handbooks and updated their formal resignation policies to better reflect the company’s current practices and needs.