How to Respond to a Resignation Letter — with Examples

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Employees leave the company for a number of reasons, which is often a challenging part for employers.

This situation can be even tougher when high-performing and tenured talents decide to hang up their boots.

When employees resign or depart from the company, at least in a formally informed manner, employers need to respond to resignation letters accordingly.

Let’s talk about this bittersweet situation in today’s article, together with sample resignation letter response templates (via email) that you can freely use as guides.

How should we respond to a resignation letter?

We can respond to a resignation letter by acknowledging and confirming its receipt, empathizing with the resignee, expressing gratitude for the service, and concluding with a positive note. A polite, professional, and empathetic tone is necessary when doing this kind of correspondence.

A general guide for a resignation letter response

Relationships are expected to end because people try to move on at some point in their lives.

This idea is manifested in breakups, children moving out of their parents’ house, and employee resignations.

So, employers must never think that their employees will be sticking around forever, notwithstanding how healthy the ongoing relationship is.

They must anticipate that even their most talented and treasured people will have to quit their jobs at some point in time.

When this happens, employers need to be able to deal with the resignation as gracefully and professionally as possible.

So, here are the most crucial parts in replying to a resignation letter that should help in maintaining a healthy relationship with the resignee afterward.

Confirming and acknowledging letter receipt

First, you have to confirm the receipt of the resignation letter to inform the resignee that the document went through successfully.

Acknowledging letter receipt also informs the reader, which is the resignee, that you have read and understood the content of the email.

It is also essential to note that the act of confirming information receipt is not only true when dealing with resignations.

In fact, it is a basic communication etiquette that should be applied in all kinds of correspondence, for it is a crucial element in building relationships.

Here are some ways to express confirmation and acknowledgment of the resignation letter.

Empathizing with the resignee

The next step is to express empathy toward the resignee by refocusing the message toward the decision to resign.

This makes the response empathetic yet objective at the same time, which is pivotal in maintaining healthy relationships.

We can do this especially when the employee implicitly or explicitly states that the reason for the resignation is related to the company’s deficiency.

The most common reasons behind an employee’s resignation include feelings of being underpaid, lack of professional growth, and an excessive amount of tasks and responsibilities.

When left unchecked and unresolved for a long time, this could to a company’s irreversible failure all the while.

Hence, an empathetic message serves as a strategic communicative approach that could diminish the negative impact of turnovers.

Here are sample statements that you can use in expressing empathy to a resignee.

Expressing gratitude for the service

Once empathy is conveyed in the sincerest way possible, it is also vital to express gratitude toward the person for their service, no matter how short it is.

Saying thank you is equally important as empathizing with the resignee. 

No matter where we go, an act of appreciation would always serve the same purpose; that is, gratitude is a means of maintaining social harmony.

An apology would highly likely be misconstrued as insincere than an act of gratitude, thereby making gratitude a universal strategy in softening the blow of any uncomfortable situation.

Of course, the resigning employee has rendered time and effort to serve the company, so thanking him or her for such contributions is pretty much self-explanatory.

Doing so makes the resignee feel appreciated, which is a contributing factor in maintaining self-confidence and competence even after the resignation.

We can express gratitude using the following statements.

Concluding your resignation letter reply with a positive note

After expressing due gratitude to the resignee, you may already end your response with a positive note.

Any message that denotes an act of well-wishing to the resignee will work as a closing statement.

Concluding any message with a positive note, especially in business correspondence, is also another essential default communication strategy.

Although we might think that doing so is quite repetitive and superficially formulaic, these endnotes do serve a particular purpose in communication.

When a message ends with optimism, it implicitly imparts a sense of dependability to the recipient, thereby establishing the reputable identity of the sender in the process.

This perceived identity of being dependable, reputable, or good-natured meanwhile prompts the addressee to practice the same attitude.

We can conclude the resignation response along the lines of the next several statements.

Sample response to resignation letter

Now, let’s have a look at how each of the parts mentioned earlier fit altogether in a more complete version of a resignation letter response.

Here’s an example template for your reference.

What to Say When Someone Resigns: Resignation Letter Reply (Example 1)

How to respond to a resignation letter via Email (Example 2)

Nice Response to Resignation Letter: (Example 3)

What to say when someone resigns — The other information to include

Each company follows and implements specific protocols in the resignation process which may include exit interviews, exit surveys, return of company property, and final payment procedures.

As an HR practitioner or as a general administrator in smaller business firms, you are expected to have a proper resignation procedure.

This would serve as a legal blanket for both the company and the employee, in which implementation failure may put either party at risk.

Such kinds of information are also expected in an email response, however, the specific guidelines may differ from one company to another.

It is, therefore, the duty of the company to prepare templates for resignation procedures to keep it as smooth and quick as possible.

Since the goal of the step-by-step guide is to expedite the resignation process, make sure to include the contact details of the person in charge for the resignee’s reference.

You don’t want to keep receiving text messages or calls from the same resignee asking for any information that you could have just easily slipped into your resignation letter reply.

Even if you think the employee’s resignation is a loss or a gain to the company, maintaining tact and civility in correspondence should always be the standard self-rule.

And, the other main point to remember when responding to a resignation email is to include all necessary information as much as possible to keep the process smooth-sailing.

How long does an employer have to respond to a resignation letter? 

Employers should respond to a resignation letter within three business days.

While there is no definitive rule about the timeframe for replying to a resignation, it is generally considered respectful to acknowledge all professional emails within 2–3 working days. 

Leaving a resignation unanswered for more than three days might cause the resigning employee to feel stressed. They might be anxious either that you are personally disappointed in them or that there is some technical or legal problem with their resignation.

Responding to a resignation within 72 hours saves your resigning employee from feeling unnecessarily concerned. 

That said, you should not feel pressure to respond to a resignation on the same day you receive it. After all, you may need to look into an employee’s contract and employment record to see whether there are any complications with their resignation. 

Make sure you take the time you need to reply. Your response should include all the necessary housekeeping matters, such as arranging for an exit interview and finalizing all administrative paperwork. 

It is better to take an extra day and write a comprehensive response to a resignation email than to rush to press send on a message that is missing a crucial piece of information. 

It goes without saying that there is no obligation to respond to a resignation letter over the weekend or when taking annual leave days. 

Let us now have a look at some more samples on how to respond to a resignation letter:

How to respond to a resignation letter as a manager (Example 5)

How to respond to a negative resignation letter (Example 6)

Frequently Asked Questions on “How to Respond to a Resignation Letter”

What is an example response to someone resigning?

To accept a resignation, we can say “We regret to receive your resignation notice, but we respect your decision. Your overall service is very much appreciated. Best wishes in your future endeavors ”

Does an employer need to respond to a resignation letter?

Ideally, employers must formally respond to a resignation letter by acknowledging and confirming its receipt in the least. They should also indicate whether the resignation is accepted or rejected together with any other details regarding the decision.

How can we acknowledge a resignation letter?

To acknowledge a resignation letter, we can say “I am acknowledging and confirming the receipt of your resignation letter.” or “Your resignation letter is received and acknowledged.”

What can we say when someone renders an immediate resignation?

To respond to an immediate resignation, we can say something like the following: “We are a little disappointed at your short notice, but it seems like we are left with little to no choice. We thank you for your entire service, and we wish you the best in the future.”

Conclusion

Dealing with resignations can be really taxing for any employer because it entails the need to recruit and train a new person for the job all over again.

However, we should just always bear in mind that when one door closes, another one is expected to open soon.

Marcel Iseli

Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.