You’ve accepted a new role. Congratulations! Now comes the part that many people find unexpectedly stressful: telling your current employer you’re leaving.
It is important that you hand in your notice professionally, clearly, and on your own terms protects your reputation, your references, and your relationships. This guide walks you through every stage, from checking your contract to walking into your new role with confidence.
Step 1: Check your contract before you do anything else
Before you say a word to your manager, read your employment contract. You need to know:
Your notice period. Most senior roles in health and social care require one to three months’ notice. Some director-level positions require longer. Your contract is the definitive source, not what you remember being told at interview.
Any restrictive covenants. Some contracts include clauses that restrict you from working for competitors, approaching former clients, or poaching colleagues for a defined period after leaving. These are more common in senior roles. If your new employer is a direct competitor, it is worth getting independent legal advice before you resign.
Garden leave provisions. Some contracts – particularly at director level – include the right for your employer to place you on garden leave for some or all of your notice period. This means you stop attending work but remain employed and on full pay. If this applies to you, understand it before your resignation conversation.
Your new employer will need a confirmed start date. Make sure you give them a realistic one based on your contractual notice period, not an optimistic one you cannot honour.
Step 2: Write your resignation letter first
Draft your resignation letter before you have the conversation. Having it ready means you can hand it over in the meeting, which formally starts your notice period and removes any ambiguity about timing.
Your letter should be brief and professional. It needs to include:
- A clear statement that you are resigning
- Your last working day, calculated from your contractual notice period
- A short, genuine expression of thanks
It does not need to explain where you are going, why you are leaving, or detail any grievances. Keep it warm and clean.
A simple structure that works:
“I am writing to formally resign from my position as [job title] at [organisation], with my last day of work being [date]. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had during my time here and wish the team every success going forward.”
Step 3: Have the conversation with your manager directly
Request a private meeting with your line manager. Do not resign by email, via a colleague, or over the phone if it can be avoided. A face-to-face conversation is the professional standard and sets the right tone for the remainder of your notice period.
In the meeting:
- Be direct. Tell them you are resigning and hand over your letter.
- Keep it brief. You do not owe a detailed explanation.
- Stay calm and warm. How you leave is as important as what you have done while there.
- Avoid being drawn into a lengthy discussion in the moment — it is fine to say you would like to give them time to take it in and follow up separately.
Expect a range of reactions. Some managers will take it professionally. Others may be visibly disappointed, frustrated, or caught off guard, particularly in specialist care settings where senior staff are difficult to replace. None of that is your responsibility to manage beyond being respectful.
Step 4: Handle any counter offer carefully
Counteroffers are common at registered manager and senior leader level, where replacing experienced professionals is costly and time-consuming. Your employer may come back with a salary increase, a promotion, changed responsibilities, or an appeal to loyalty.
Before you respond, consider:
Why are you leaving? If it is purely about salary and the counteroffer meets your number, it may be worth considering. But if you are leaving because of culture, leadership, career ceiling, or values misalignment, a pay rise will not resolve that — and research consistently shows that the majority of people who accept counteroffers leave within twelve months anyway.
What has changed? A counteroffer often reflects what your employer always knew your market value to be. It is worth asking why that recognition required a resignation letter.
What are your obligations to your new employer? You have accepted a role in good faith. Withdrawing has reputational consequences and may cause real disruption to a service that has planned around your start date.
Read our Guide: Navigating counter offers in health and social care
If you decide to decline the counteroffer, do so clearly, graciously, and without leaving room for further negotiation. A simple response: “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve made my decision and I’m going to see this move through.”
Step 5: Work your notice period well
Your notice period is the last chapter of your time with this employer, and it matters. In health and social care, the sector is smaller than it seems – senior professionals cross paths repeatedly throughout their careers, and your reputation travels with you.
During your notice period:
Fulfil your responsibilities. Maintain your usual standard of work. Cutting corners in your final weeks reflects poorly and will be remembered.
Create a thorough handover. Document your caseload, ongoing projects, key contacts, and anything your successor will need to get up to speed. A detailed handover is a mark of professionalism and significantly reduces the disruption your departure causes.
Stay out of the politics. Colleagues will have questions and opinions about your departure. Keep your conversations professional. Do not vent about your reasons for leaving, and do not recruit colleagues to follow you, particularly if you have restrictive covenants in your contract.
Maintain your boundaries. It is not unusual for employers to ask departing senior staff to delay their leaving date or take on additional responsibilities during the transition. Be helpful where you reasonably can, but you are not obligated to extend beyond your contractual notice period.
Step 6: Clarify your garden leave position if relevant
If your contract includes garden leave provisions and your employer exercises them, you will stop attending work but remain employed and on full pay until your notice period ends. This is more common in roles with access to sensitive commercial information or client relationships.
If you are placed on garden leave:
- You remain bound by your employment contract and its confidentiality clauses
- You cannot start your new role until your notice period ends
- You should communicate your updated start date to your new employer promptly
Your new employer will usually understand and accommodate a garden leave delay — it is a known feature of senior appointments in regulated sectors. Let your new line manager know as soon as it is confirmed.
Step 7: Handle your reference proactively
Before your last day, confirm who your employer will provide as a reference. In most organisations this is HR or your line manager — sometimes both. It is worth having a direct conversation to understand:
- Who will provide the reference
- What they are able to include (many organisations now provide employment dates and job title only as a matter of policy)
- Whether they are willing to provide a personal character reference in addition to a standard HR reference
If you have had a strong working relationship with a senior colleague or trustee, ask whether they would be willing to provide a personal reference alongside the formal one. This is particularly valuable in roles where character, leadership approach, and values are as important as credentials.
Ensure your new employer knows who to contact and in what order.
Step 8: Leave on a good day
Your last day sets the final impression. Make it a good one.
Return all equipment. Ensure your handover documentation is complete and accessible. Say goodbye to colleagues properly. Send a brief, professional note to key contacts if letting them know you are moving on and wishing them well. Do not use it as an opportunity to signal where you are going or invite follow-up contact if you have covenant restrictions.
Leave your desk, your inbox, and your relationships in good order.
Step 9: Set yourself up well for your first day
In the week before you start, confirm the practical details with your new employer: start time and location, who to ask for, what to bring, whether there is anything you need to read or review in advance.
Give yourself time on day one. Arrive early. Come with questions prepared – about the team, the service, the priorities for your first month. Resist the urge to make early judgements or draw comparisons with your previous employer out loud, even informally.
Your first ninety days are your opportunity to understand the organisation before you start changing it. Listen more than you speak, build relationships with your team, and establish trust with your manager. Everything else follows from that.
Ready to explore what’s next?
If you are not yet at the point of accepting a new role but are thinking about a move, it is worth having a conversation with a specialist recruiter before you resign. Understanding the current market such as what roles exist, what realistic timelines look like, and what your notice period means for your options, makes the whole process smoother and puts you in a stronger negotiating position.
Compass Associates works with experienced professionals across elderly care, adult residential services, children’s care, and healthcare. If you are considering a new role, our team is here to help.