KNOWLEDGE CENTRE - HR FAQS

My employee has resigned. I’m delighted. Can I accept their resignation quick before they change their mind?

Accept an employee's resignation quick

Q. Can I accept an employee’s resignation quick before they change their mind?

The short answer is yes, you can.  However, before you run out to buy the champagne and put up the bunting, stop and think about whether you need to meet with the employee to discuss their decision.

Reasons you might want to meet with them

#1 There’s been a dispute or a grievance

If an employee resigns after raising or being involved in a grievance or a dispute, there is a strong possibility that they are resigning as a direct result of the issue.  They may not agree with the way you’ve handled it or the decision you’ve made.  This situation can be dangerous as the employee could decide to pursue a constructive dismissal claim.

#2 The resignation came out of the blue

Sometimes you have a good idea that a person’s unhappy or is ready to move on.  You spend a lot of time with them and you can read the signs.  However, sometimes a resignation is completely unexpected.  Even if you aren’t exactly devastated at the news, it’s not a bad idea to arrange a chat to discuss their reasons.  You may uncover an issue that you weren’t aware of before and although it might not be something you can put right, you should at least take the opportunity to ask the question and find out what’s been happening.

#3 There are some changes happening in your organisation

Some people don’t cope very well with change.  They react badly to proposed changes and they’d rather leave than deal with what’s happening.  Depending on the circumstances, you might decide to meet with them to make sure they do understand the changes and what that means to them and their role.  You may find that they’ve misunderstood or that it wasn’t clear to them what the benefits of the changes are going to be.

After the meeting

Once you’ve had a chance to have a chat with the employee, you’ll know if the next step is to deal with an issue or to write to them to confirm acceptance of their resignation.  If it’s the latter, at least you’ll know that there really wasn’t anything you could have done to avoid it and you can accept it with a clear conscience.

If your employee has just resigned and you’re not sure what to do next, get in touch with us to chat through your options on 01487 815720.