Employee Resignation Drama: How Should We Handle a Retraction Made in Anger?

Employee Resignation and Retraction

One of my employees has given a resignation, and then he retracted it by saying he made the decision in anger.

The situation is as follows: When we received his resignation letter, we did not accept it. Instead, we scheduled a meeting with him to discuss the matter. After the meeting, he expressed his desire to rejoin and sent us an apology email retracting his resignation.

Questions for Consideration

1. Can we terminate the employee since he retracted his resignation?
2. If termination is not an option, can we accept his resignation even though he retracted it?
3. What would be the ideal course of action?

We have decided that we do not want this employee in our company.

Dear HR Members, please share your valuable thoughts so I can decide on the next steps.

Regards

Hi Sneha Joshi,

Please clarify, as you mentioned that once he resigned, you called for a meeting and convinced him to withdraw his resignation. Now, you do not want that employee to be associated with your company? Also, when you say, "we do not want that employee in our company," who is included in this "we"? If it refers to the management, there should be a valid reason, and I believe that reason alone is sufficient to terminate the employee. Please correct me if I have misunderstood your query.

Thank you.

Often when an employee takes back his or her resignation, they start thinking that they have increased their value. Sometimes, attitudes change, and they boast that the company needs their services and can't survive without them, so they were retained. Such attitudes affect the work environment, and management may feel the need to terminate the person. This is the reality.

In another scenario, after resigning, employees come to learn about HR policies such as salary holds and the FNF process. Consequently, they decide to rescind their notice and leave the company after receiving their salary.

I believe something similar may have happened with Sneha. However, if the resignation matter has been resolved, we cannot proceed with the same logic. If termination is necessary, the process should be initiated from the beginning. Find the reason, give notice to the employee, and then terminate them.

Stretching past issues to resolve present issues is not advisable. If you wish to terminate someone you previously intended to retain, provide a genuine reason and follow through with the termination.

Good luck.

Though the employee has resigned out of anger or for any other reason, the management has called him for discussion, and subsequently, he had withdrawn. Now, we cannot ask him to leave the company. In principle, it is not a fair deal. It gives the wrong message to the rest of the managers in the company. I suggest not asking him to leave the company.

Further to what the seniors said above, when the employee wanted to resign, you did not accept it and probably coaxed him to stay, as he withdrew the resignation only after the meeting. After making him stay, you now want to terminate him. Did you make him stay so that you can terminate him as a reprisal for something that might have taken place, as resignation might deny that opportunity? There are gaps in the information furnished. Termination is a serious matter, and answers to questions about it cannot be sought so casually.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

Dear Ms. Joshi,

It is you/management who called for the meeting to reason it out with him to withdraw resignation. Once he has done so, citing any reason, it is unethical to want him out. As the minutes of the meeting will not be on record for obvious reasons, you may, in terms of law, accept his resignation, but it will be in bad taste. It will be better in case the employee is allowed to continue.

Regards, Col. Suresh Rathi

Dear Sneha, While handling this matter, there appears to be immaturity on the part of the employee as well as from the HR side. HR or management did not want some staff members to continue in the company. When this very person submits a letter of resignation, instead of accepting the resignation quietly, what was the need to call the employee for a meeting? This very meeting has come in handy for the employee to withdraw his resignation. His withdrawal of resignation has put you in a bind!

Instead of calling the employee for a meeting, if you had issued an "Acceptance of Resignation" letter, this problem would not have arisen at all.

Questions to Consider

Secondly, you have not written what transpired in the meeting. Did you tell him to withdraw the resignation? What was the cause of his resignation? How are his relations with his HOD? What is his performance level? Why do you not want this person to continue?

Options Available

Now you have two options. One is to allow the employee to continue. Another is to issue him a letter stating that the management has accepted the letter of his resignation. This is choosing between a rock and a hard place. Therefore, the choice does not matter.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dineshji,

The rock and hard place have been created by mishandling of the resignation letter. But it does appear that the company carries a chip on their shoulder with regard to this employee.

Rescinding Resignation and Management's Response

If the employee has rescinded the resignation before its acceptance by the management, as Ms. Sneha has stated in the query, then the opportunity to accept and relieve the employee has been lost. Now, if the management wishes to terminate, it will need to have strong grounds and follow the proper termination procedures. Such an action will undoubtedly impact the morale of the employees working and will leave a negative impression on all parties involved.

Nevertheless, I cannot help but mention that contemplating termination in this scenario appears to reflect vindictiveness on the part of the management.

Regards,
A. S. Bhat

Ms. Sneha, please respond to the views of the seniors. It seems that the earlier employee resigned out of anger, and now the employer wants to terminate out of anger. Sometimes, I pity some HR professionals who are forced to behave unprofessionally to satisfy the ego of the employer.

Having allowed the employee to withdraw the resignation purportedly at their instance (as inferred from the meeting), it does not lie in the mouth of the management now to say that we have accepted the resignation. They cannot accept a resignation that was withdrawn. If they now terminate him, it becomes all the more questionable. True, the management puts itself in an awkward position.

B. Saikumar

First of all, thank you so much for your view. The things which I want to clarify here are:

Why I Arranged a Meeting with the Employee:
Because he didn't come to the office for two days, and then he called me to meet. That's why I suggested he come to the office. He apologized for his behavior and told me that he wanted to withdraw. So, I told him we would let him know the management's decision by tomorrow. As soon as he reached home, he sent us an email with his withdrawal.

Actions Taken by Management:
Policy depends on the company, and in this case, we have decided not to accept his withdrawal and instead accept his resignation, requiring him to serve the notice period.

Reason for Termination Decision:
He was unable to take a call from his senior and was not able to work efficiently. Furthermore, if we retain him, it might set an example for employees to raise their voices in anger to management. We all have stress, but it doesn’t mean we take drastic decisions and then expect to retract them. It's not a home; it's a company where you have to behave and act in a certain way. If we give him a second chance, it’s clear that he won’t continue and will leave the job soon.

So, it’s better to depart and give him a smooth transition. I have solved this problem and heartily thank everyone who has participated in my thread and given me valuable inputs.

Warm Regards,
Sneha

Employee Resignation and Retraction: What Happened Next?

But still, we aren't given to understand what's the fate of this employee. Was he allowed to stay on, relieved as resigned, or terminated? The questions raised about his performance appear to be an afterthought. If I'm correct, having called him and convinced him to stay on, isn't it?

No doubt, HR managed the chapter to the satisfaction of management. What if this employee had not resigned and carried on with the anger, leading to termination? How about his final settlement? How was this made out, please?

I hope this revision is helpful and aligns with the original message's intent. Let me know if you need any further assistance!

Regards