You’re Fired! I Quit! Kiss My – - -!

Leaving a job because you were fired, quit, or forced to resign can be an emotional experience.  At the spur of the moment, you can be tempted to make wrong emotional decisions that could be harmful in the long run.

If you leave your job on bad terms with tension accompanying the transition, try to make it as painless as possible.  You may be tempted to tell your boss off, curse them out, or send a nasty mass email to the entire company announcing your departure.  There will most likely be a few co-workers you will want to curse out and tell off too.  Don’t do it.  It may seem like the right thing to do for what they have done to you.  Of course, there’s the great feeling that you get after you’ve told them a thing or two or three.  Even as much as they deserve every word of it, remain calm and emotionally intact.

Later on down the road, you may run into these people again and you may even have to work with them or even worse, work for them.  It’s best not to burn bridges, just in case you need to go across them later on in life.

As angry as you may be about the situation, one thing you absolutely don’t want to make the mistake of doing is damaging or stealing company property.  Even though the company may have treated you unfairly, it’s not worth going to jail for.  Theft and vandalism are criminal offenses and you don’t want to be the one the company uses as an example to prevent others from those crimes.  Besides, it won’t make any sense to go to jail for stealing a pack of sticky notes and pens or writing “so long suckers” on the bathroom walls.

One good thing to do for yourself before you leave is to make sure you ask your employer for a reference.  This a proactive step to take because you will have to include the job on your resume.  By asking, you could be able to obtain a good reference or at least a neutral one.  If you are leaving due to a serious offense, it is best to ask your boss for one anyway even though things didn’t work out as nicely as you both would have wanted.  Your boss, unless he/she is satan’s spawn, should have no problems giving you a good reference.

I have quit a few jobs in my life.  A couple were left on not so good terms.  Somehow, I have mysteriously managed to keep myself from cursing out and telling off co-workers and bosses before I left.  The closest I’ve ever gotten was walking away from a boss who was yelling at me, just begging to get told off.  Instead I told him that was fine and calmly picked up my 2 or 3 personal items from my desk.  I didn’t even have to tell him I quit.  (He knew he was dead wrong for the way he spoke to me.)  I simply walked away and the last thing I remember was saying to my boss while he stood there in shock, “Mail me my check!” as the elevator closed. 

Believe it or not, your silence in these situations can be louder than any 3 or 4 letter words you can blast in their ears.

You may be upset, angry, stressed, or even disappointed about leaving a job, but the best way to leave under any circumstances is to leave peacefully with dignity.  So if you ever hear “You’re fired!” or have to say “I quit!”, don’t say “Kiss my – - - ”.  You can fill in the blanks.

Leaving may be a blessing in disguise and the best thing for you.

Do you have any experiences you would like to share?  Leave a comment below and add to the discussion.

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