Think twice before you resign

“Think before you act,” goes the old adage. Sometimes people take decisions that backfire and end up losing out just like Simon Batulamu.
Batulamu, an engineer, worked for a big telecom company for 12 years, until he decided to quit a position he had managed for more than seven years. After handing in his resignation, he changed his mind but it was too late, the bosses did not want him back.
Andrew Muyigwa, a human resource personnel, says: “Whatever your reasons for deciding to leave that specific job, you can take steps to makes the transition to a new beginning easier.”

Readiness to move on
Muyigwa explains that when an employee is given an offer elsewhere and they accept it, it means they have made a commitment to the new employer and have broken their loyalty to their present one. In such a scenario, Muyigwa says one has to be ready for a counter offer by their current employer. Therefore, before one accepts an offer from a new employer, they should be ready to move on to the new job.

Do not resign when you are emotional
Esther Wamweta, a human resource personnel, says: “If something happened and you’re hurt or feel like you have had enough, take some days off work and do something you enjoy and try so much not to think about work.”
She notes that some people prefer to use this time (leave) to reflect and assess the pros and cons to staying or leaving the job, and what options they have.

Think of next step
Think about what you will do after leaving that job. Wamweta emphasises that it is wise to know what you are going to do after leaving a job.
If you still want to be employed, ask yourself these questions; have you got a better job offer?
Are you sure of the company you plan to move to? How long has it been in existence, will they be around for the next 50 or more years, what is the work environment like, are you going to be doing something you love while there?
Wamweta says if the answer to any of the questions is ‘no’, stay and drop any thought of resigning until you can have a yes to all of them.
“For people who would like to go into self-employment, your questions are; do you have capital? Have you tried the business before and realised some profits? What is your sustainability plan? Do you have market for whatever it is you want to do?
“If you have a ‘no’ somewhere, please hold that resignation,” Wamweta advises.
She further advises that people invest in making themselves more “marketable” so that when you decide to move, you will be an asset to the place you go and will never regret or want to change your mind.

Resign the Right way
In respect to your current employer, Muyigwa states that a formal resignation letter has to be written with sufficient notice of a minimum of one month for the employer to plan for replacement.
“Some employees later consider coming back when an opportunity opens up but are rejected due to their unethical exit.”
Wamweta, however, points out in some rare instances, a company can allow you withdraw your resignation but it depends on the person’s skills and how easy or hard it will be to get a replacement.