How Should Resignations Be Officially Accepted? Seeking Clarity on Industry Norms

Hello Seniors,

We have an employee who has submitted his resignation because he has got a better opportunity in another company. He is currently serving his notice period, which is for 1 month. His future employers are asking him to submit proof of his resignation in our company.

I would like to know whether or not the Line Manager or the HR has to accept the resignation on mail or in writing, or is it just accepted verbally and the employee gets an experience or relieving letter at the end of the notice period. How can the employee prove to the future employer that he has submitted his resignation in the current company?

I want to know the general industry norm as there are different opinions in my company.

Regards,
Jamila Patel.

Thank you, Ravi. Could I have some more opinions on this topic, please? I have gone through a lot of similar threads on citehr, and I am receiving a mixed response on this subject.

Regards,
Jamila Patel

Hi Jamila,

A good company should accept the resignation by having the Head of HR or an authorized person sign the resignation letter submitted by the employee. The employee should then be allowed to take a photocopy of it, with the original resignation being retained by the company for record-keeping purposes. The employee can present the copy to their future company. This process is, I believe, the simplest way of accepting a resignation and is widely followed in the industry.

I hope my response is satisfactory.

Siddharth

Hi Jamila,

If any employee resigns to move outside, their resignation letter should be accepted by their superior, as well as their departmental head or project leader. After that, it should be forwarded to the HR Department. Then, the employee will receive an acceptance letter on the company letterhead. Simultaneously, we should take their signature on the acceptance letter xerox copy for our records.

After the one-month notice period, the employee must submit a No Dues certificate and also conduct an exit interview with HR. Following this, they can obtain all the necessary certificates, including the relieving letter and service certificate.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Sreehari

Hi,

In this case, you may ask your employee (who decided to resign) to submit his resignation letter in writing. Then, you can forward the same to the higher authority to obtain acceptance and approval for relief. If your higher authority accepts and signs his approval in the resignation letter, the resigned employee may use the photocopy of this approved resignation letter as proof of resignation for future employers.

This is what I know regarding this matter.

Regards,
Sudha T.

You can accept the resignation duly signed by the HR manager or concerned authorities. There is generally no practice on the said topic, but a lot depends upon the company.

Dear Jamila,

Your employee can submit a written resignation to your HR department, which could be accepted by HR since the employee is serving the notice period. Therefore, I don't think that the acceptance of the resignation would be an issue. A copy of the same can then be submitted to the future employer as proof.

Bharti

Dear Jamila,

When an employee resigns from the job, he submits his resignation letter to HR or the Department head. The Department head then submits it to HR for further procedures. If the management accepts it, they sign the resignation letter for approval. The employee can keep one photocopy of this resignation letter, as it serves as firm proof of resignation.

Regards,
Reshma

Dear seniors,

I have been working at a dealership for the past one and a half years, starting from August 2008 until the present. I officially joined the company's payroll in January 2009. In this particular company, the increment cycle typically begins in April but is implemented from September to November. This year, the increment was given in November, and I received an increase of Rs. 500. During this period, I was actively seeking job opportunities, and fortunately, I secured a new job after receiving the increment in December. I have since submitted my resignation with a 15-day notice period. However, our General Manager now insists on reclaiming all my arrears if I resign before April 2010. I seek your advice on how to proceed in this matter. Additionally, I would like to mention that this company has not provided me with an appointment letter, although I do possess all the company salary slips and other ESI and PF records.

I would greatly appreciate an urgent reply.

With hope and regards,

Rakesh Yadav
HR Executive

Hi Jamila,

The resignation by an employee is considered formally accepted only when it contains the signature of the authorized signatory (HR/Dept. Head). The employee can mail across a scanned copy of the aforementioned signed 'resignation letter' to the future employer to confirm his/her intention of joining the new company.

Dear All,

While appreciating the inputs given by the members on this issue, I would like to add my comments as well:

Normally, any communication from an individual to the management should be acknowledged, whether the reply is affirmative or negative, ensuring acknowledgment. In most organizations, once a resignation is accepted, it is typically not reviewed (exceptions may apply). Therefore, the acceptance can be considered as the acknowledgment of the resignation.

Furthermore, the relieving letter serves as the final communication for separation. It is common for organizations to require and accept this document. The practice of providing proof of submitting the resignation appears to be a new trend. One must consider the implications if an employee submits a resignation and then withdraws it subsequently. Thus, it is essential to adhere to the basic norms, principles, and current practices.

Regards,

Balamurugan Sivaprakasam
Head-HR, ICIL-MM Nagar

Dear Jamila,

Normal industry practice is to write "accepted and to be relieved on such and such date" on the resignation letter itself. A copy of the letter can be given to the employee, and he/she can show the photocopy to his/her new employer.

Regards, Digpal

Once an employee decides to resign and gives notice, the best management decision is to accept the resignation, pay one month's salary (notice), and relieve the employee from duty. After verifying the accounts, the settlement can be processed, with the employee staying on during the notice period to ensure work continuity.

Dear Jamila,

If neither the line manager nor the HR Manager accepts the resignation, then one has to forward his resignation from his personal e-mail ID to his senior and mark a cc to the company he is going to join.

Regards,
Amit

Dear Jamila,

You can give the employee a resignation acceptance letter mentioning that this letter should not be considered as a relieving letter.

The employee will be relieved only when his dues are cleared.

To whomsoever it may concern

This is to state that Mr/Ms ABC has resigned from the company with effect from [date].

His resignation has been accepted.

Please note that this letter cannot be considered as a relieving letter.

A relieving letter will be issued once his/her dues are cleared.

We wish him all the best for his future endeavors.

Hi,

I have a similar opinion as Siddhartha, i.e. a good company should accept the resignation just by signing (by Head HR/authorized person) on the resignation letter submitted by the employee, and the employee can take a photocopy of it. The original resignation should be kept with the company for records. The employee can show this to his future company. This, I guess, is the simplest resignation acceptance and much followed in the industry.

Regards,
C. M. Mohla

Dear Jamila,

When an employee resigns from their job and submits their resignation to the HR Department or any authorized signatory of their department, we will provide them with a resignation acceptance letter on the company's letterhead as proof of their resignation.

Regards,
Vijay Kumar Thukral

I agree with Sidharth that the resignation must be in writing and can be accepted by signing the original copy. The original copy should be kept with the company, and a xerox can be given to the person.