This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

How To Quit Your Job With Dignity

Don't be tempted to tell your boss to rack off.
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When you leave a workplace that hasn't exactly been a glorious experience, there is always the temptation to make your true feelings heard before you walk out the door.

Some people want to make a statement or they want revenge; others want to cause trouble against the organisation or an individual who'd made their work life difficult, or intolerable.

But, is it really a good idea to rant at your former boss before you make your grand exit?

Leadership and People Management expert, Karen Gately told The Huffington Post Australia before you leave your organisation, think carefully about what you want in the future.

"The main reason some people behave badly when they're leaving their job is because they've had built up resentment. But you need to consider your future. What do you want? You want a good reputation. You want to be able to walk into a new organisation and, if you happen to be working with a former colleague from your previous business, that it's not a problem for you," Gately said.

When you resign, try to focus on leaving quietly and helping your replacement fit right into the role.
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When you resign, try to focus on leaving quietly and helping your replacement fit right into the role.

"Even if you've got good reason to be disgruntled, if your behaviour is equally as bad when you are leaving, people quickly lose sympathy for you. You might have been treated badly, but now you're behaving even worse. It doesn't help you to run around and try to cause a problem when you are leaving."

"Just leave quickly and quietly. Move onto your next job and be happy knowing that your reputation is intact."

Another thing to remember is, no matter what industry you're working in, it's a small market out there. You never know whether, years down the track, you might want to return to your old job.

"Remember people who are in the same industry know each other. If you leave an organisation in a bad way, that has the ability to tarnish your reputation," Natasha Hawker, from Employee Matters said.

"Bite your tongue. Unless there's a very good reason, you really need to keep quiet. People don't like people who are openly disparaging about their former employer. They reason that if you speak that way about your previous employer, you're likely to do the same to them when you eventually leave."

Even if you had a dreadful experience at work, keep your feelings to yourself as you make your grand exit.
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Even if you had a dreadful experience at work, keep your feelings to yourself as you make your grand exit.

Hawker told HuffPost Australia the best thing to do is to always try and take the high road; leave with dignity.

"Be dignified, even if it causes you pain! Right up until your very last minute at work you need to keep it together. As soon as someone resigns, their productivity reduces between 30 and 40 per cent. It creates a lasting impression about how you leave," Hawker said.

"You should focus on setting your replacement up for success, retain a positive attitude right up until the very end and that will put you in a good position with your colleagues and others who are witnessing how you exit a role."

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