You have finally landed your dream job or successfully managed to switch jobs, but they want you to join at the earliest. This has got you wondering how to start a negotiation about your notice period for resignation.
Don’t worry, it’s natural to feel anxious! In this piece, we will not only take you through the tips to drafting your notice period letter but also talk about what is a resignation letter with notice period, types of notice period negotiation, and even provide a sample of a resignation email with notice period.
Let’s start at the very beginning.
What is a notice period for resignation?
A notice period for resignation is a letter to inform the organization of your exit and to provide a grace period for them to find your replacement. Generally, the notice period ranges between 1-3 months depending on your job role and work level.
However, there are certain situations like relocation to a new city, family emergency, etc due to which employees have to ask for a reduction in their notice period. This is called a short notice resignation.
But even then, your notice period for resignation cannot be less than 2 weeks.
Types of notice period negotiation
In this segment, we will talk about the ways you can offer/be offered to negotiate for your requirement of a shorter notice period. Every organization hands out its policies document when onboarding new employees.
You can refer to that handbook or ask about your options when discussing the same with your Manager and HR. Usually, there are 2 ways of negotiating the notice period: Buying out and Garden leave.
Buy out
Notice period buyout is the most popular practice in negotiating your notice period for resignation. In this practice, the hiring company buys out the employee prior to the notice period expiring.
In the buyout notice, an employee presents their full and final settlements to the hiring company in order to relieve oneself from the relieving processes.
For example, you will switch from ‘X’ company to ‘Y’ organization. ‘X’ has a policy of 30 days notice period, but ‘Y’ wants you to join before that, so the latter offers to buy out your notice period after serving the minimum number of days. In this case, you can offer ‘X’ to adjust the remaining days of the serving the notice period from your Full and Final(FnF) payment. Once that is done, you need to show the breakup to ‘Y’ on joining and the same amount will be reimbursed to you by them.
While in some cases, organizations may accept a bond agreement where they can ask the employee to pay a sum in exchange for relieving early.
Tip: Always get such discussion in black and white to prevent any miscommunication.
Garden leave
Another case of negotiating notice period for resignation is called "Garden leave". In this practice, the employer can relieve an employee of responsibilities immediately after you submit your resignation letter with notice period while still keeping them on the payroll as an employee.
Depending on your job role, your company may opt for this option to maintain their confidentiality and access to critical information, especially if you are joining a competitor organization.
6 tips for writing notice period for resignation
Now that we have covered the two types of notice period negotiations, let’s go through the tips to draft a resignation letter with notice period.
Speak with your Manager
First steps first, you need to address the concern to your Manager and HR in case you need to reduce your notice period.
You can bring up this factor when you are informing him/her about your resignation to keep them updated about the situation so they can take the necessary measures to ensure work is not disrupted.
This is a basic courtesy to ensure that there is no misunderstanding when you submit your notice period for resignation and you can take your leave on a positive note.
Follow the proper format
Once you have come to an agreement regarding your notice period for resignation, the next step is to draft the notice period letter properly. Requesting for a shorter notice period for resignation falls under a formal letter category as it is taken as an official document.
So, make sure to follow the correct template and divide your points into paragraphs as it will be easier to read and highlight your professionalism till the end. A resignation letter with notice period needs to have the following elements:
- Recipient's name + Job title
- Address
- Contact details
- Date of letter submission
Relevant Read: How to write a resignation letter.
However, if you're drafting a resignation email with notice period then ensure you provide a clear Subject line, Mention the names of your HR & Manager, and state your last working day.
Mention the post you are resigning from
Another important factor to highlight in your notice period for resignation is the position from which you are stepping down.
Submitting a resignation email with notice period is extremely important as they would need to find your replacement at the earliest to get the work flowing smoothly.
Especially if you are serving a shorter notice period for resignation, you need to provide at least 2 weeks' notice before submitting your resignation.
Provide explanation for negotiating notice period
When submitting a resignation with notice period, you need to provide a reason for reducing the notice period so that the organization will be aware of your genuine concerns.
For example, if your new job requires you to move to a new city, you can cite it as a genuine reason to serve a short notice period as you would require to set up everything before joining the new job.
Do not forget to show gratitude
Similar to every other formal email, your resignation letter with notice period should also have a statement or two highlighting your gratitude to your Manager and team for the opportunities and skills you have learned during your stint in the organization.
Finish with a signature
The final element to drafting your notice period for resignation is your name and digital signature at the end irrespective of whether it's a letter/email.
Still confused? Don’t worry, you can now take some inspiration from the following notice period letter samples.
Resignation email with notice period sample
Sub: Notice of resignation of Radhika Mohanty
Hello Nibedita & Akash,
I am writing to notify you about my 2-week notice and will be resigning from my position of (job title) in the organization. My last day of work will be on the 5th of April.
As discussed, the reason I have to leave on a 2-week notice is that my new opportunity is in a different city and I will need to leave early to set things up before the joining date. Please do feel free to let me know if there's any assistance the team would need from me.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for all the great opportunities that I have been given and the chance to work with an amazing team has provided immense learning that will be cherished.
Please accept this email as my formal resignation as I am planning to move ahead for personal and professional growth.
Kindly ensure that I am relieved by the 5th of April as I will not be able to serve post the stated date.
Thanking You,
Regards,
Radhika Mohanty
Resignation letter with notice period sample
Radhika Mohanty
184, L-1, East of Kailash,
Delhi- 110065
Ph: +919051976781
Email: mohanty.radhika@hotmail.com
Date: 24/03/2022
Nibedita Sarkar,
(Job Title)
(Company Name)
(Company Address)
(State & Pincode)
Hello Nibedita,
I am writing to notify you about my 2-week notice and will be resigning from my position of (job title) in the organization. My last day of work will be on the 5th of April.
As discussed, the reason I have to leave on a 2-week notice is that my new opportunity is in a different city and I will need to leave early to set things up before the joining date. Please do feel free to let me know if there's any assistance the team would need from me.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for all the amazing opportunities that I have been given and the chance to work with an amazing team has provided a great amount of learning that will be cherished.
Please accept this email as my formal resignation as I am planning to move ahead for personal and professional growth.
Kindly ensure that I am relieved by the 5th of April as I will not be able to serve post the stated date.
Thanking You,
Regards,
Radhika Mohanty
To conclude, the only difference between a resignation letter with notice period and a resignation email with notice period is the following,
- In an email, you can address both Manager and HR in a single letter. Whereas, for a notice period letter you need to write 2 separate letters for the Manager and HR stating the same content.
- In a resignation letter with notice period, you need to state your name, address, and contact details along with the date and the name, job title, company name, company address of the addressee; the email version of the notice period letter needs you to mark a copy to both the HR and Manager and focus on the template.
Apart from getting the format and content of your notice period for the resignation letter correct, you must be aware and follow the Do’s & Don’ts of the serving notice period to make sure that you leave the organization on a positive note.
All the Best!
