I’ve had enough of my boss and want to leave
Not all bosses are good ones, and working for a bad boss can make your work life really miserable. It might even be so bad that you want to leave your job.
If you’re unlucky enough to work for a bad boss, take a moment to think before you resign. You need to be sure you’re making the right decision.
It might be the case that your boss has broken the law by mistreating you at work. If so, you may be able to make a claim at the employment tribunal, and win compensation.
This article tells you some of the things to consider before you tell your boss you want to leave.
TLDR: Before you resign, talk to us! We are employment lawyers based in Northern Ireland and England who act for employees across the UK who have been mistreated at work.
Step 1
Prepare a list of reasons why you want to leave. Being unhappy at work can make you feel quite emotional, but writing everything down helps you be more dispassionate about your decision.
Think about why, when and how you plan to resign. Don’t do it in the heat of the moment, otherwise, you might regret it.
Arrange to have a discussion with your HR Department, and/or check your employment contract and/or staff handbook. These tell you about the grievance procedure and the resignation process at your organisation, including the notice period you will have to work and any other considerations there may be, such as a period of time when you are not allowed to work for a competitor.
If you want them to write you a good reference to help you get future work, you need to handle your resignation in a constructive way. You’ll find some ideas about how to do this in step 2, below.
Think about the timing. Ideally, you don’t want to leave the company ‘in the lurch’. So the most convenient time to leave might when you have just completed a project and not yet started a new one. If you are reasonable in the way you behave with them, they are likely to be more constructive in their dealings with you.
Think about your dream job and career goals. Do some searching to see what opportunities are out there that might suit you better.
Update your CV. Add your recent responsibilities and achievements so you’re ready to go back on the job market.
If you have already started job-hunting, we recommend you don’t resign until you have officially accepted a new job offer. This makes sure you don’t have a gap in your income.
Calculate how long you can afford to be out of work.
Stop over-spending and start saving now, just in case you experience a gap in employment. This means you will be able to support yourself financially, and it gives you time to explore your options, or to spend time with family and friends, before you accept a new role.
If you eventually decide to make a claim against your employer, you’ll need evidence to prove the behaviour you are complaining about. So collect relevant emails, text messages and other documents, and ask colleagues if they will be witnesses for you.
Step 2
Tell your line manager you intend to resign. Stay graceful, polite and professional. Even if they have treated you badly, it’s important that you maintain the moral high ground. Try to stay positive!
If your relationship with your manager is the reason you’re leaving, it might be easier to involve your union representative or someone from HR who will support you with this potentially difficult resignation conversation.
As you are ending your employment contract, which is a legal document, you need to resign in writing. You should therefore give them a letter that includes:
- A statement to say you’re resigning
- The date your resignation is effective
- Reason you’re leaving – This is *VERY IMPORTANT* if you later wish to bring a claim
- Statement of gratitude
- Your signature
In some cases, such as when the employer suspects there is a risk of sabotage, employees who resign may be asked to leave immediately. They will then be paid to cover the notice period they would have worked.
At the opposite extreme, you might offer to help your replacement by staying to do an official handover of your duties. You would then need to make yourself available to train that person to understand:
- Your usual weekly schedule
- Your daily to-do list
- Details of the projects you’ve been working on
- Calendar including your upcoming deadlines
- Your notes from recent meetings
- Access to all your business accounts and passwords
- Anything else useful you can think of
We mentioned including a ‘statement of gratitude’ in your resignation letter. Admittedly, if you’ve had enough of your boss, you might not feel especially grateful to them.
But, to leave on a really positive note, it can be wise to thank them for giving you the job in the first place, and for everything you’ve learned while you worked there.
Remember, you are dependent on them writing you a good reference which you can use in future job applications. So be nice! Even if you don’t think they deserve it.
In addition, you might want to sustain relationships with selected colleagues after you’ve left. So you could write each of them a personal handwritten note to say goodbye and thank you (this is much more meaningful than a group email!)
You never know, you might end up meeting those individuals in a new job later on, and it would be great if they remember you in a good way.
One final tip – when you speak to recruiters and potential employers, speak kindly of your past employer. Be authentic, but stay professional. They might not want to take you on if they think you’re too negative.
Going to the employment tribunal
Now let’s look at some of the reasons why you might have had enough of your boss.
If it’s a personality clash, there’s not much we can do to help with that.
If they are breaking the employment contract in some way, that’s a different matter. For example, if they’re not paying you the right amount, or not paying you on time, or they’ve demoted you for no reason – those would be reasons why you might want to leave, and could be reasons that amount to constructive dismissal.
Similarly, if they allow a culture of harassment or bullying against you, or they damage the relationship of trust and confidence between you, they have broken the law and you could make a claim against them.
What this means to you
Before you resign, talk to us! We have experience of dealing with all kinds of employment matters, and it’s a lot easier to negotiate a fair outcome while you are still employed.
However, don’t delay, because there are strict time limits on making an employment law claim.
Related reading
For more information on this subject, you might like to read our related articles, which include:
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