How to Quit Your Job Without Giving Notice

Drafting a Formal Letter

Consider talking to someone in human resources first. There may be options available to you if you want to quit without giving notice because you have a personal or family crisis, or because you're the victim of workplace harassment. If you have a problem with your work environment, such as an abusive boss or coworker, make sure the person with whom you speak is not involved with or connected to the situation. Explain your reasons for wanting to leave immediately, and see if any accommodations can be made. For example, you may be allowed to work out a notice by working from home. However, if your work is not the type of thing you can do remotely, such as if you work on an assembly line, this may not be an option. Make sure this meeting will be kept confidential. You don't want everyone knowing you're going to leave until you do so. Otherwise, there might be some backlash.

Search for example letters. If you're unsure how to compose your letter, you may be able to find samples online that will help guide you. Avoid copying a sample verbatim, though. It might not fit your situation. Try to find more than one sample. Read them carefully so you understand the substance well enough to make it your own. You typically don't necessarily want your letter to sound to formal or canned. However, if you're delivering the letter to an abusive or problematic boss, a canned letter may be appropriate.

Use traditional business letter format. As tempting as it may be to fire off an "I quit" email, a traditional letter is a better way to go. Even though you're not giving any notice, it shows that you respect your employer. You typically can find a business letter template on any word processing application. Using that will make formatting your letter much easier. If your employer has a dedicated human resources department, create two identical letters. One should be addressed to your boss, the other to the head of human resources. Include your personal address on the letter, along with any additional non-company contact information such as your personal phone number or email address.

Maintain a courteous tone. Regardless of your real feelings about your boss or your job experience, courtesy makes a better impression. Being polite and professional will make it easier to accept your resignation. State the exact date on which you want your employment to end. Don't say "effective immediately" or "effective at the end of this week." If you're writing the letter on September 14 and you expect your last day to be September 16, write "I am writing to resign my position, effective September 16." Apologize for not being able to provide any notice, and close your letter by thanking your employer for the opportunity.

Keep it brief and to the point. Show your employer you respect their time. Don't go on a long, rambling rant about your personal issues or your problems with the company. Simply state that you're resigning your position, effective immediately, and leave it at that. Keep in mind that this letter could come back to haunt you, even if you already have another job lined up. You shouldn't put it past your boss to send a copy of the letter to your new employer – especially if you live and work in a relatively small town, or work in a close-knit industry. If you're not comfortable disclosing the reason you need to resign, you don't have to say anything specific. Remember that as an at-will employee, you can leave at any time for any reason at all, or for no reason. Mention any issues regarding accrued time off or your last paycheck. Some employers require you to come in for an exit interview when you accept your final paycheck. You should generally be open to follow any existing separation procedures, unless doing so would be impossible – for example, if you have to travel far away immediately.

Proofread your letter carefully. When you've finished your letter, double- and triple-check it for spelling and grammatical errors. You want your last impression to be a good one, and typos or sloppy grammar won't do you any favors. Keep in mind that some people view the presence of typos as a sign of disrespect. You're signaling that you don't think they're worth the effort to produce the best work. After you've proofread your letter, print it off and sign it by hand. Make copies of your signed letters for your own records before you take them to your employer.

Hand-deliver your letter. If at all possible, you want to take the letter to your boss in person rather than mailing it. Mail does have the benefit of being able to later prove the letter was received. However, this benefit is outweighed by the difficulty of timing. When you speak with your boss, be as apologetic as possible. It can help to acknowledge that you understand how your leaving may put them in a bind. If you have a legitimate reason, talk about the situation. They may be able to help you more than they would if you said nothing. If you have any questions about your employer's separation procedures, now is the time to ask them. Depending on your position, you may want to offer to help out in the coming weeks or be available by phone or email to answer questions. Reach out to coworkers or direct supervisors you worked with closely, or with whom you had a strong rapport. You want to thank them personally and let them know you enjoyed working with them, so there are no hard feelings.

Understanding Company Policy

Get a copy of your employee handbook. Most established employers, especially larger corporations, will have a written employee handbook. However, you may not have been given your own copy. Even if you do have your own copy, it's likely you haven't looked at it since it was given to you when you first started your job. If you don't have a copy, talk to someone in human resources about getting one. If you want to keep your plans a secret, you don't have to tell them why you need it. Just say you want to check the benefits policy. You also may be able to get a hold of an employee handbook on the sly if you know of a coworker who has a copy. Just ask to see theirs.

Review your company's separation policy. Your employee handbook should have a section dealing with what happens when an employee voluntarily separates from the company. These sections typically state that two weeks' notice is required. If the separation policy makes no mention of providing notice, then you have nothing to worry about. However, this is rarely the case. Your employer typically will list consequences for quitting without sufficient notice. A typical consequence is that you cannot expect a positive recommendation from the employer after you're gone. Often this means that future employers won't have the ability to verify any positive experience or education you've acquired as a result of the job. Particularly if you're just starting in a career, this can be a pretty devastating consequence.

Find out what will happen with benefits. Whether you get money in your final paycheck for accrued leave may be tied to whether you provided notice. If this is the case, you may want to reconsider whether quitting your job without giving notice is worth it. This may be particularly important if your employer allows you to accrue paid time off and you've been working there for awhile. Keep in mind that in that case, this amount may add up to hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. However, if the reason you must leave without notice involves some emergency, you may be able to make arrangements with your employer to get paid for at least part of this time.

Make arrangements to return all company property. If you were issued any company property, such as a laptop or a mobile phone, bring them with you on your last day. Find out what the procedures are for checking them back in. Some employers require all company property to be returned at a scheduled exit interview. If your employer has this policy, get a list from human resources of the property that was checked out in your name so you can make sure everything is returned. If you have a parking pass or badge for building security, your employer likely wants those back too. Check your belongings thoroughly before you leave on your final day, and make sure you aren't inadvertently taking home company property such as office supplies or other materials.

Consult an attorney. You don't generally need an attorney to quit your job without giving notice – there's no law against it. However, if you have unresolved issues with your employer, you may need legal advice. If you happened to be under an employment contract, you are not an at-will employee. It is imperative that you find an experienced employment attorney who can analyze our contract and the penalties for breaking it. Do this before you quit. In some circumstances you may feel as though you were forced to quit. If your workplace was abusive or unsafe, an employment attorney can help you assess your legal options. You also may need legal assistance if something happens after you quit. For example, your employer might seek reimbursement for expenses that were covered while you were an employee. This is most likely to happen if your employer paid for continuing education courses or something similar that has a future benefit.

Preserving Your Reputation

Have another job lined up. If you're quitting your job without giving notice because you need to immediately start another job, your decision likely will have few if any negative consequences. However, it's generally good form to make sure your new employer is aware that you are quitting without notice. It's also important to keep in mind that if you quit without notice and without good cause, you probably will not be eligible for unemployment benefits. If you have to quit your job without giving notice because of a family or personal emergency, this may not be possible. However, to the extent possible, your best option is to seek other employment while you're still working. Once hired, let them know you're available to start immediately. Some new jobs may not give you the time to work out a notice. If you fear the job offer will be rescinded if you have to work out a notice, you may have no choice. In any event, making sure your new employer knows that you are quitting your old job without giving notice can spare an unfortunate surprise. If your former employer decides to share this information with your new employer, you won't have to worry about negative consequences.

Request a written reference letter. Getting a written reference letter from your immediate supervisor before your last day can cut through a lot of red tape. This letter can be especially valuable depending on your employer's notice policy. You also should keep in mind that someone's opinion might change. When you leave, you may create a vacuum that leaves your immediate supervisor and coworkers scrambling. In light of increased stress and an expanded workload, they may not be as generous in describing your time working with them. Keep in mind that providing a written reference is no guarantee that a new employer won't call your old job. However, it can lessen their motivation to do so.

Refrain from lying on job applications. If you're filling out a standard application for a job, it likely will require information about how you left your job. Often you must specify whether you provided notice. As tempting as it may be, don't check the box indicating that you gave notice if you didn't. A potential employer can easily find out this information by calling your own employer, and may do so even if you state that you prefer they aren't contacted. Despite answering "no" when asked if a former employer can be contacted, a prospective employer still may call to verify that the information you provided was correct. Aside from that, telling a prospective employer that they can't contact a former employer is typically a bad idea. It sends up red flags by signaling to the prospective employer that you left on bad terms.

Be prepared to explain your decision. When you leave a job without notice, it may come up in future interviews. Employers often look at employees who quit without notice as people who didn't respect their employer. Particularly if you have another job lined up when you quit, leaving this employer without giving notice may not make any difference. However, be aware that there are some managers who are sticklers about this sort of thing. They may have seemingly arbitrary rules such as never hiring someone who has quit a job without notice. This isn't something you can predict or control. If you have a legitimate explanation for why you quit without giving notice, share it with prospective employers. If your former employer understood and didn't fault you for leaving, sharing their response to your resignation will look even better.