The day you resign
Resignations are best given in writing, with a short verbal conversation first if your manager is approachable. The written notice should state your last working day clearly, calculated from your contractual notice period. The notice period calculator and final working day calculator handle the date arithmetic including weekend rollback.
Keep the letter brief and neutral. State you’re resigning, give the last working day, and offer to support the handover. You don’t need to explain why, especially in the formal letter. If your manager asks in conversation, a sentence is enough: a new role, a change of direction, a personal decision. Save the longer explanation for the exit interview if there is one.
Days 2-3: handle the announcement
Your manager will usually want to break the news to the team in their own time, often the same day or the next morning. Don’t pre-empt this by telling colleagues directly; managers usually take a dim view, and the news travels faster than expected. Once the official announcement happens, you can speak openly.
Send a short note to the colleagues you want to stay in touch with. Personal email, LinkedIn, a quick coffee in the last fortnight. The professional network you build over the rest of your career will draw heavily on people you’ve worked with before; this is the moment to keep those connections warm rather than let them fade.
Days 4-7: scope the handover
The handover is the single thing most people will remember about your departure. Done well, you leave with a positive reference and a long-term relationship intact. Done badly, everything else from your time in the role gets coloured by the messy exit.
Make a list of every active project, every recurring responsibility, every external relationship, and every internal stakeholder who depends on you. For each, write three bullets: current state, what needs to happen by your last day, and who should take it on. The handover plan generator on this site provides a structured template if you’d rather start from one. Share the document with your manager early so they can prioritise.
Week 2: handover execution and continued performance
A real risk in the second week is letting performance slip. You’re leaving; the work feels less yours. Resist this. The way you behave during notice is part of the reference you’re building for the rest of your career. Show up, deliver what you said you’d deliver, leave things better than you found them.
Run regular handover sessions with whoever’s picking things up. One per week per project is usually about right. Document the things that only live in your head: the quirky stakeholders, the workarounds, the historical context for the decisions in place. Future-you will be glad they had the chance to work with someone who was taking proper notes.
Practical admin during notice
Sort out the personal admin while you’re still on payroll. Take any medical or dental appointments you can, while private cover (if you have it) is still in force. Get the P45 paperwork lined up with HR — you’ll need it for your next employer. Confirm any outstanding expenses you’re owed.
Pension: if you have a workplace pension, decide whether to leave it where it is, transfer to your new employer’s scheme, or consolidate into a personal SIPP. Each has trade-offs; for most people, leaving the existing pot where it is until the new scheme is set up is the default. Don’t rush a transfer in your final week.
Mental shape during notice
Notice periods are unusual emotionally. You’re still showing up to a place you’ve already left. Old frustrations matter less; old joys feel sharper. Common patterns: people become more diplomatic in the last few weeks than they were for the previous year; old conflicts become easier to resolve; the sense of urgency around everyday work drops.
Use the mental energy that frees up. Read in the area you’re moving into. Talk to people in your target field. Tidy up your CV and LinkedIn. Take the holiday you didn’t take. The notice period can be one of the most productive windows of professional development of the year if you treat it that way rather than as a long farewell.
Last week
The final week is mostly about closing things cleanly. Send a short note to your wider network announcing the change and the new role (or a placeholder if you’re between roles). Hand over remaining work. Do the exit interview honestly but not destructively; nothing useful comes from burning bridges in the last meeting.
On the last day, take a moment to thank the people who’ve made the role a good one. A short personal message to each (not a group email) is worth more than people expect. Then leave on time, on the agreed date, with the handover finished.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I tell colleagues I've resigned?
- Let your manager break the news to the team first. They usually want to announce it in their own way, often the day you resign or the next day. Once the official announcement happens, you can speak openly. Until then, keep it to yourself.
- What should I focus on in my notice period?
- Three things, in order of importance: a clean handover (this is what you'll be remembered for), maintaining the relationships you'd want to keep long-term, and using whatever bandwidth is left to prepare for what's next. Don't go quiet.
- Can I take all my accrued holiday during notice?
- Subject to your employer's approval, like at any other time. Some employers require accrued leave to be used during notice; some are happy to pay it out. Check the holiday policy and ask early. The notice period itself doesn't change because of holiday.
- What should I ask for before I leave?
- A reference (or at least confirmation of dates/role for future references), copies of any work you produced that you can take with you (subject to confidentiality), a printout of your tax code and contact details for payroll for the year-end P60. Most of these are easier to request now than after you've left.
General guidance for the notice period. For employment-law questions specific to your situation, contact ACAS or an employment-law solicitor.