10 Things to Do Before You Resign (the Leaving Well Edition)


In her 2023 article in The Cut, Alison Green shared ten tips for folks to enact before putting in their two weeks’ notice.

Alison’s advice focuses on the employee’s safety and security in navigating their departure, and this advice is important and very needed. From a Leaving Well perspective, though, I had some advice of my own to add to a few of her suggestions.

Suggestions like…

  • Checking in with your values leading up to your resignation
  • Providing a knowledge transfer document to help transition projects to other team members
  • Saving copies of your reviews, work, and emails about your accomplishments
  • Doing a quick review of your sent folder to identify contacts you want to keep in touch with
  • Taking as much time as possible to rest between jobs
  • And more!

By implementing one, a few, or all of the Leaving Well tips, you can choose small, incremental components that will add up to a more pleasant, humane, and even joyful transition from one role into the next.

This is a must read, even if you aren’t planning to leave a role in the immediate future–most people are going to resign and move on at some point. So be prepared! (and share this email with an HR friend or a colleague who may be pondering a departure)

​Read the article here or listen to Episode 10 of the Leaving Well Podcast: 10 Things to Do Before You Resign: the Leaving Well Edition.

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Leaving Well in the Workplace

Your Leaving Well guide to navigating workplace transitions 🧡 I normalize workplace transitions one organization + person at a time. Leaving Well is the art + practice of leaving in the workplace, with intention + joy.

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