Jan 11, 2012

[Call Centers] Before You Resign...

For Philippines companies, or at least Philippine call centers based on my direct experience, January is typically one of the highest attrition periods of the year. One can possible attribute this to how the start of the year is perceived to be a good time for new beginnings and brand new starts. Or there's that "conventional" piece of wisdom that claims that people stay until January in order to ensure they get their full 13th month pay and any other bonuses awarded at the end of the year.

by Jimmy Tyler via Flickr

Regardless, there's certainly a significant number of folks out there (possibly including you), who are thinking about finally leaving your job in search of the proverbial greener pastures.

So as sort of my public service contribution to the industry, here's some food for thought that you may want factor in as you figure out what exactly you're going to put on your resignation letter.


Why Are You Really Resigning?
Naturally this is the first and most important question that you need to ask yourself. Don't think of the reason you're going to present to HR during your exit interview - first be honest enough to determine the precise reason why you feel it's time to move on. Is your pay really all that bad that you're unable to live from day to day? Is your boss really as bad as you think he is or are you ignoring other factors like your performance or your attendance record? Is the job really that boring / stressful / impossible to win?

I'm not saying that initial reasons for considering resignation are bad, but it should be considered to be a serious enough decision for it to warrant you really putting a lot of thought in this. One should never resign on a whim - it's rarely a good decision unless you're being physically abused or something of that nature.

Weigh the Costs of Your Resignation
As you get closer and closer to passing in your resignation letter, also factor in your life after this job. How much money do you have in your savings account versus your financial obligations (e.g. credit card debt, monthly utility bills, insurance premiums, etc). Do you have another job waiting for you or at least enough savings to keep you afloat until you can find another job? Do you have on-going medical needs that will be affected if you lose your company HMO benefits for the next 30-90 days?

While a lot of these are more grounded on trivialities like pay and benefits, they can affect your life significantly in the days after you finally leave the company. These won't necessarily make you change your mind in terms of resigning, but it will force you to better plan out your exit strategy and time table.

Map Out a Clean Exit
Don't burn bridges with your current employer if you don't absolutely "have" to. That means giving the proper notice of your intent to resign (typically 30 days in the Philippines) and already having a plan for using up your remaining leave credits while still having enough time to transition your duties to your replacements. A lot of people, especially in call centers, question the value of the 30 day notice and instead expect resignation to always be immediate or simply go on AWOL. It's really bad form and it's the kind of thing that will haunt you in the long run.

Be professional - it's a really good habit in terms of your career in the long term. Thus serve the 30 days, transition your duties and responsibilities well and you'll still be able to use the company as a character reference should you need it Plus it should make clearance and claiming your eventual final pay a lot easier as compared to you trying to make your exit as noisy and as controversial as possible.
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6 comments:

  1. Ooops.
    My cousin's husband grew up in the States and once commented how people in their mid-20's can be so juvenile with work ethics.
     
    After half a decade in this industry, I can't help but agree to him.

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  2. I was wondering what the blank comment was about, haha!
    I'll delete it shortly.

    And yes, I have to agree with your cousin's husband as well.

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  3. I am planning of resigning this month hehehe.

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  4. Oh my! Well, perfect timing then? =P

    ReplyDelete
  5. Please do.
    I thought I could log in to my Google then write something for the post.
    Hindi pala pwede. lol 

    ReplyDelete