remained unchanged.
L A total of 87.1 per cent of
customer service agents were
able to respond to calls within
attained, exceeding the initial
projected score of one
compliment for every two
complaints.
“We want them to gain an understanding of the issues faced on
the shop floor by talking to the
staff on the ground, and this also
gives them a chance to share more
Most of the other banners now
average one compliment for every
two complaints, and sometimes
even one for one.
“Customers who give us regu-
AT WORK WITH FIONA CHAN
3
How to resign with courtesy
...inaccurately
addressed
...no advance
notice
and poorly
phrased!
ers a clearer idea of
shop floor staff are m
manning the delicate
ing products on shelv
shoppers elsewhere,
befor
can c
Ps
This is the worst
resignation letter
I’ve ever read!
HR
SOCIAL
AWARDS
SINGAPO
SOCIAL
CONCER
S T I L L U S T R AT I O N : A D A M L E E
ŹTo get
THE most high-profile personnel
movement last week came courtesy of (pun intended) Singa the
Courtesy Lion, the long-time mascot of Singapore’s nationwide
campaign to promote kindness.
Last Wednesday, Singa unexpectedly announced his resignation via a letter published online.
Like many resignations, it was
out of the blue and yet, in hindsight, long in coming.
After all, Singa had performed
pretty much the same job for the
last 30 years, with no promotion
in title or, presumably, salary.
Singa was also overworked – in
some places, he stood 24 hours a
day to spread his message – but
underappreciated, with his contributions making no discernible effect on his target audience.
So perhaps it should not have
been a surprise when Singa turned
his back on courtesy to pen what
was ultimately an unceremonious
farewell.
His missive holds many lessons
for the rest of us – about how not
to write a resignation letter.
In general, it is best to keep the
letter short and sweet, says Mr
Josh Goh, assistant director of corporate services at recruitment consultancy The GMP Group.
Recruitment firm Kelly Services suggests limiting your text
to just the following: the name of
the person you’re addressing it to,
the effective date of your resignation, the date of your last day of
work, and a brief explanation for
your decision to leave.
To be fair, Singa’s letter contained all these elements. The
problem was that they were all
slightly off base.
To start with, his letter was inaccurately addressed. Instead of
being directed to his employer,
the Singapore Kindness Movement, it was addressed to his clients, the Singapore public.
The Kindness Movement didn’t
seem to mind, even helpfully posting the letter on its site for its intended audience to access.
But in real life, one of the first
things to consider is to whom you
should address your resignation.
The letter should be addressed
to your supervisor, not to human
resources, says Mr Goh.
In terms of departure date, this
should be easy to calculate based
on the notice period stated in
your
employment
contract,
against which you can usually offset any remaining leave days, depending on company policy.
If there is no contractually
agreed notice, human resource
professionals still recommend
staying on for one or two weeks to
effect a thorough handover of
your work to colleagues.
“To ensure a good exit, it is only fair to give your supervisor ample notice so that he/she can
make the necessary manpower arrangements should negotiations
to retain you fail,” says Mr Goh.
He also recommends, if possible, including an offer to help dur-
ing the transition and even afterwards, if necessary.
“The offer may not be
accepted, but it will be appreciated.”
Singa, however, gave no advance notice of his resignation.
His first sentence in the letter
was: “Dear Singapore, I quit” –
apparently with immediate effect.
But the biggest issue with Singa’s letter was his explanation for
quitting, which is often the trickiest part of the communication.
Even for those leaving on the
best of terms, there is always the
temptation to lay everything bare
about all your job complaints.
Singa certainly did not pull his
punches.
“I suppose it’s about time,” he
said. “I’m just too tired to continue facing an increasingly angry
and disagreeable society.”
It was the letter of a disgruntled worker, who believes his contributions are worth far more than
they are given recognition for.
But like other disgruntled workers who quit on a sour note, Singa
may come to regret his actions.
“No matter how bad the circumstances, you want your resignation to be amicable and not
leave a bitter taste in anyone’s
mouth,” says Mr Goh. “You want
to leave gracefully and not burn
your bridges.”
In fact, Mr Ronald Lee, managing director of PrimeStaff
Management Services, suggests
omitting your reason for leaving
altogether, especially if it is negative.
“However, if it is for reasons
such as going back to school, or
relocating to another country,
then it’s fine to mention it,” he
said.
Constructive feedback, tactfully phrased, could be worth giving
at your exit interview. But merely
harping on your unhappiness lays
waste to any prospect of asking
for references, keeping in touch
with your ex-bosses, or even rejoining the firm down the road.
As a gracious touch, you could
include a line or two of thanks in
your letter, Mr Lee adds.
“It is always courteous to convey your appreciation for all the
opportunities granted to you and
all that you have learnt during
your time with the organisation.”
Singa, of course, left that out
of his letter. Perhaps it is because
he never intended to quit after all.
As it turns out, his resignation
letter was merely a feint to “generate conversations and reactions”,
the Kindness Movement said last
Thursday.
And that is the final takeaway
of this advice column: Announce
your resignation only when you
can follow through with it.
“Ensure that you have explored
all possible avenues before you
think of resigning,” advises Mr
Goh.
“You should never use resignation as a bargaining chip.”
[email protected]
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the Sing
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