Help with resignation letter

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. After 6 months of hanging on at a job I have come to dislike greatly, I'm going to resign from this position. I have another part time job that I have asked to move to full time. I honestly wanted to hang on to my first job for a year at least but I can't take the threat of mandatory stays every shift I work, s***ty assignments, no breaks, lack of teamwork (at least on day shift) and no control in my scheduling anymore. And the pay is not that great either.

I have been at this hospital for a little more than a year. My first job I was let go for something that wasn't entirely my fault, and that's how I ended up at my second job. They deliberately let me go for the ER to send me away to a poorly staffed med surg floor. I had no control over my circumstances, so between jobs I applied for positions at another hospital. After I finished orientation at this first job, I got an interview for the second job and subsequently got hired. I didn't want to leave the first job so soon after starting so I worked both positions side by side. I did this to see if the second position would be just as terrible as the first, but it was actually better. I have hung on long enough to come to that conclusion.

Now, after my long story, this is the purpose of my thread. I don't know how to write a neutral, politically correct letter of resignation. I hate the organization where my first job is, but I don't wish to burn bridges. It is the biggest employer in my city after all. And although I hate the organization and my floor, I don't have any animus towards my manager. She's a decent person, but she's not doing anything to change how the floor is run. I also have learnt a lot on this floor, and I enjoyed working with my night shift coworkers. Day shift, I don't like them all that much.

How do I convey that I am grateful for my time on this floor, and at the same time be truthful about the flaws that have caused me to resign? Should I even be truthful about that? If I'm truthful about my reasons for leaving, I'm scared I could be marked "do not rehire".

This is harder than it should be.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

No mention of problems, only pluses. how much you learned, but now you are going in a different direction, blah,blah.

No negative comment from you will do any good, so don't feel you are "responsible" for trying to fix anything. good luck.

[Sam J.]

This is harder than it should be.

The understatement of the century? Interviewing is the same. Funny, it's just as hard to resign from a job a person hates, as it is to resign from a job a person loves? There's always that lingering doubt about future ramifications.

Couple of ideas: Search online for 'neutral resignation letter examples', you'll find tons of examples that are generic, short, and don't have any nuances of hard feelings (as in short and sweet). Also, there are lots of Human Resource professionals with blogs that offer advice, and many of them allow you to ask them questions, such as "How do I write a graceful yet neutral resignation letter to a job that won't adversely affect any chance of future employment with this employer", or anything you can think of to ask.

[chare]

I always submit the following:

I am submitting my resignation, effective "date."

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to have worked at "Facility Name."

There's no need to include anything, either positive or negative, concerning your personal experiences in your resignation.

You should be provided an opportunity for an exit interview as part of your exit proceedings; this is the appropriate forum to air any grievances you have.

Good luck in your new position.

[SunnyVet14]

Leaving a position is like going through a divorce. Never easy. I've thought of it as 1 of 2 choices:

1. You can focus on the life lessons you learned in that time, visualize and describe your future of moving forward into a new job with new challenges, let go of the hard moments, etc. and write an unbiased, neutral, eloquent, goal- oriented paper of why you are resigning. (internet has many resources for this)

OR

2. Feel like a victim of circumstance and total unfairness from uncaring/ unsupportive co-workers, luke-warm managers and write an emotional but truthful paper of why you can't leave soon enough.

In my experience with jobs that created such ambivalence, I write BOTH 1 and 2 type letters and give #1 to the almost former employer and keep #2 for my personal closure.

[iPink, BSN, RN]

I agree not mentioning any negatives or you will be burning bridges and may be put in a "don't rehire" pile. Mention that you were grateful for the opportunity, etc. An online search for tactful resignation letters are out there. Glad you had that part-time job open into a full-time position. Smart move in waiting for such a position to open before letting go of the other job.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I initially started full time at this position then when I saw how out of control my schedule was, I decided to decrease to part time just so that I could have some breathing room. At the same time, I started this second position, which was part time from the get-go. I really pushed out my start date for the second position as long as I could so I could get settled in to the first one, but it soon became apparent that I wouldn't work at the first position for very long. Not because I was not meeting expectations, but because I was not happy with conditions there. The two part time jobs thing in other words was by design. More secure.

Now, I'm even worried about doing the exit interview, which is just an online survey as opposed to face to face. Will my answers to the exit interview questions be used against me? Like I said, I hate this organization as a whole. Not just my floor, but this whole organization. But they are the biggest employer in the city. The second hospital only employs about 1/10 of the people this first hospital does. What has been your guys' experience with exit interviews?

[Sam J.]

I agree with Sunny- write the nastiest letter of resignation you can think of, no holds barred, name names and let all the dirty laundry hang out, to let off the steam that seems to be building within you. Then tear it up or burn it. As far as the exit, no good will come of anything you say to the negative, in any way, regardless of whether they try to convince you they want the honest truth. Smile, shed a little tear even to show them how sad you are to be leaving, thank them, shake their hand, and walk off into the sunset. And if you're still angry about that place in the future when you've retired- do what the maids did in "The Help", and write a book!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

No, do NOT be truthful about what caused you to resign in your resignation letter. Tell them that you are resigning and when, thank them for the opportunity and be done.

Dear Manager,

I am hereby giving notice that I am resigning my RN position on [your floor], effective [resignation date].

Thank you for the opportunities provided to me during my employment here. I have learned a great deal and have enjoyed my time here (blah blah etc.)

Sincerely,

whichone'spink

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

Well I got the resignation letter out of the way. No, I didn't highlight my real reasons for leaving. I want to save that for the exit interview. Now I'm working on how to tone down my responses to the exit interview so that I don't torch that bridge completely.

[chare]

Now I'm working on how to tone down my responses to the exit interview so that I don't torch that bridge completely.

Yes, you neeed to be very careful of what and how say anything, as even comments in an exit interview have a way of coming back.

If you think there is even a remote possibility that you might ever re-apply to that facility your best course might be to bite your tongue an stay silent.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately as much as I want to highlight issues that could use fixing so that my floor truly can be a good floor, I will keep my mouth shut. These issues are well known anyway. It seems that my organization is dependent on a steady stream of desperate new grads from states where it's hard to find jobs. Because they know only desperate new grads will take the poor working conditions just to get experience. And only a desperate new grad will move to the upper Midwest tundra. Then after a year or two, those same people move to the other hospital (like I did) or move back to their home state, and the cycle begins again.