Sample Letters Accepting an Employee's Resignation

From hiring to firing, there are many aspects to managing employees. One that is often overlooked is having to deal with an employee leaving the company.

Employees leave for various reasons: to make more money, go back to school, to move on to different employment opportunities, to travel, to raise a family, because of health issues, or for any one of a number of other reasons.

Having an established policy in place to communicate with employees who are leaving the company will help you to handle an employee’s departure in a positive and respectful manner. It will also provide documentation of the employee's resignation.

Here's information on company resignation policies, tips for accepting an employee's resignation, and examples of a resignation acceptance letter and email.

Company Resignation Policies

Depending on the size of your company, you may want to consider creating a system or process for handling resignation letters. Having a set policy for resignations will ensure resignations are handled professionally and will put both the company and employees who are moving on at ease.

When an employee officially resigns, they will look to you to discuss the next steps required to make the transition a smooth one.

It is the company's responsibility to offer professional separation services and to explain things to the employee like notice requirements, final paycheck distribution, the status of employee benefits upon termination, and to establish his or her last date of employment.

Tips for Writing a Letter Accepting a Resignation

One of the first steps in a good resignation policy is to acknowledge that you accept an employee’s request to resign.

Typically, the employee will send you a formal letter of resignation. You should then respond with a formal letter accepting the resignation.

Here are some tips on writing a formal letter accepting an employee’s resignation:

• Use business letter format. Because this is a professional letter, you should use business letter format for your letter. In the top left corner of the letter, include your contact information, the date, and the employee’s contact information. Conclude the letter with your handwritten signature, and your name typed below.
• Accept the resignation. Your letter should inform the employee that you have received and accepted his or her resignation letter, and it should clearly state their official last day of work with the company.
• Express understanding. Your response should indicate that you regret losing the employee, but you respect, understand, and appreciate the hard decision he or she has had to make. You might also offer to provide some assistance to the employee. For example, you might offer to provide a reference letter for him or her. However, this offer is optional.
• Keep a record. Send one letter to the employee and keep one for the employee’s file. You might keep the letter yourself or send it to your human resources office, if you have one. It will allow you to maintain a clear record of when the employee left the company.

Tips for Sending an Email Resignation Acceptance

These days, many employees send their resignation letters via email. Depending on the circumstances and your company culture, this may be a totally acceptable way to resign. In that case, you may reply via email as well. To keep the interaction professional and positive, observe the following tips:

• Write a professional email. Although you may omit the address paragraphs and (obviously) the handwritten signature, the rest of your note should resemble business letter format. Don’t use casual language that’s more appropriate for personal correspondence. Skip text-speak, emoticons, and the like.
• Use the right subject line. Unless you’re replying directly to the employee’s resignation email, you should select a subject line that clearly communicates the topic of the email, e.g., “Resignation Acceptance and Congratulations.”
• Consider providing your non-work email or an invitation to connect later on LinkedIn. This is assuming, of course, that you’d be willing to provide a reference or referral in the future.
• Proofread and test your message before sending it. Accepting a resignation is an opportunity for you to grow your network, as well. Ensuring that your message is error-free and professional will enable you to strengthen your networking connection with your former employee.

Examples of Letters Accepting a Resignation

The following are examples of letters from a manager accepting an employee's resignation. Use these examples to help you write your own letter.