Think Twice Before You Resign

The labour court gave a watershed ruling in the case between Mr Mohlwaadibona vs Dr JS Moroka Municipality. Case number J718/21 – March the 18th, 2022.

Some critical questions in the labour court were what is the effect of resignation on the employment relationship and if the resignation could be unilaterally withdrawn and the employee automatically reinstated.

The ruling found that the contractual relationship between the employee and the employer ended when the employee tendered their resignation. The only way the employee could be reinstated was to enter into a new employment contract.

 This leads to the question: why resign in the first place?

There are clear reasons why you should not resign from an employer in the current economic downturn and extremely high inflation, especially if you don’t have any savings to cover future living expenses in the short and medium-term.

It would be best if you only left when you have a clear, workable plan for the future. This refers to all levels of employees and executives.

The grass is never greener on the other side and one can expect that companies will experience disruptions during these rough economic times. Think about the psychosocial factors that will impact your quality of life and never resign on the spur of the moment because of an emotional outburst.

One of the primary reasons why you should stick to a challenging working environment is to build a track record on your resume. Being a few months in a position and then leaving will not enhance your professional profile. Sometimes one needs to stick around to build a more compelling skillset. Get the experience you require before resigning.

Research pointed out that most employees resigned for another position to earn more money.

Other popular motivations include:

  • Promotion or growth opportunities;
  • A role that better fits competencies and interests;
  • A better work environment;
  • A better work-life balance;
  • Better benefits like healthcare for retirement; and
  • Dissatisfaction with the current role and superior.

 When should you resign?

Headhunters survive by replacing executives that have resigned or have to “convince” preferred shortlisted candidates to consider another opportunity.

The most acceptable reason to resign is if you find a new position that fits your passion and work philosophy and your new employer’s value system.

Another acceptable reason to resign is to advance your career and your personal development or if you will excel in your job responsibilities. Listen to your gut feelings.

You are asked to execute something unethical. Before you resign, in this instance, explore all reasonable avenues to remain in your position whilst standing up for the truth. It is sometimes better to get fired, but at least you can look yourself in the mirror the following day. Most future employers will emphasise with you in this instance.

Resigning to improve your formal qualifications, i.e. completing a reputable MBA, could stand you in good stead.

Illness, coupled with a complex work environment, are furthermore legitimate motivations to resign. Extensive travelling requirements with little family time could also be an acceptable reason.

You have decided to resign. What now?

Make sure that you do this gracefully and leave on good terms. It is very wise not to alienate your current employer. Avoid closing doors unnecessary as you will require a work-related reference from previous superiors.

When resigning, always emphasise the positives about your tenure within the organisation. Remember to return all company property and tie up all loose ends. Give appropriate notice and, as far as possible, work your notice period. Avoid being overenthusiastic, providing details about why you are resigning.

Good luck. The future is in your hands!

Auguste (Gusti) Coetzer is Chief Executive Officer of People Power Placements, trading as Auguste Coetzer Executive Recruitment (email: gusti@augustecoetzer.com).

Auguste is a member of the International Women’s Forum of South Africa and holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology.

SA’s most competitive businesses are creating a welcoming, respectful, and inviting ‘return to work’ environment

Managing hybrid models and the return to work are at the top of business agendas across the globe. Reimagining the sustainable office of the future, a place people want to be to create, collaborate and find personal fulfilment requires a re-think of workspaces. Furniture plays an important role in shaping a company’s ability to create a welcoming, respectful and inviting ‘return to work’ space.

As we step into the post-pandemic office, it is clear people derive a sense of community and connection when working with peers and colleagues in person. In fact, according to international research conducted by JLL, 60 percent of office workers want to work in a hybrid style and 55 percent are doing so already. In a typical working week, employees expect to work in the office around 2.7 days.

Five ways furniture is creating the hybrid office of the future:

  1. Furniture is central to creating informal, flexible, and innovative spaces for working, collaborating, and fostering cultures of connection and ideation.The design of furniture settings and individual pieces help create inviting dialogue spaces that help people relax and interact and connect with colleagues. Furniture is fast becoming the social fabric of the workspace through the introduction of ottomans and couches, soft stools on wheels that can be clustered for meetings, dual purpose mini auditoriums or workshop spaces.
  2. Softer furnishings that bring the comfort of home into the workspace and actively support diverse workstyles. This trend, now better known as resi-mercial is driven by the need to bring home comfort into the office space. It includes couches equipped with power outlets and supported by laptop tables, the use of curtains to divide and soften spaces and meeting room chairs styled for ergonomic comfort and support for longer meeting or working away from desk periods. Because of this, we are seeing furniture being designed with health and wellbeing in mind including sit/stand desks, new types of seating, increasingly sophisticated ergonomically adjustable chairs, and a range of diverse types of workspaces to accommodate the varying types of work and ways of working that are suited to individual needs.
  3. A broader mix of meeting rooms to host in-person interactions as well as digital meetings call for an office with an array of different designs of meeting tables and meeting room chairs. This affects the very shape of meeting rooms, focus booths, and collaboration spaces. Examples include taller bar stool type chairs with circular tables may face directly to a large screen for digital meetings while more comfortable lounge seating with mobile digital whiteboards, carpets. lamps and artworks may be required for creating a relaxed dialogue-orientated space for interpersonal connection.
  4. Office furniture designed for individual privacy spaces and focus rooms.Smaller rooms with a single chair or two with bureau-style tables or counters, are being coupled with soft lamps and high acoustic detailing to enhance private conversations, one-to-one digital meetings or focused work. Sit-stand stools with shelves in vertical booths allow for short but confidential phone calls.
  5. Sustainably built, refurbished or sourced office furniture has a role to play in fulfilling a company’s ESG value proposition. For businesses downscaling or relocating, our furniture experts do extensive audits to establish what furniture can be refurbished to remove the cost and carbon footprint of buying everything new. Feature pieces are sourced from an extensive network of global and local brands with sustainable materials and tracked manufacture and assembly processes. Where possible, local designs and shopfitting are commissioned or recommended to support the local furniture economy.

We’ve seen first-hand the results that investment in well-designed furniture solutions provide. Improved performance, well-being and physical comfort, plus the stimulus of an aesthetically beautiful environment all contribute to better workspaces which are worth pursuing as hybrid work, and the office, remains central to working life.

Steven Fish is a Director of Tétris Furniture Solutions.

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