Leaving Job - Reason for Leaving

FrankN1

Hi there,

Are there any laws around have to specify exactly why you are handing in your resignation? For example, to go travelling or to take up another job.

Say nothing until you have the new contract signed and a confirmed start date

28064212

There are no specific laws regarding providing information related to resignation reasons. That isn't the same thing as saying you can say anything you want in a resignation letter. Or rather, you aren't protected from the consequences of such a statement. For example, if you stated that you were resigning because you were assaulted by your manager (when no such incident took place), the manager may instigate, and likely win, a defamation case against you.

Or a more complex example, somewhat related to your situation: your Company A has some sort of business relationship with Competitor X - say they are also a supplier to A, or they have an agreement that neither will directly compete with each other in a particular sector. You untruthfully announce that you are leaving A for X. Company A believes X are poaching staff from them, and cut all ties with X, as they believe the relationship is no longer in good faith. The ending of this relationship hurts the revenue of A and/or X. Subsequently, your deception comes to light - either company could hypothetically take a case against you for lost revenue.

The second example is, of course, highly dependent on circumstance. If you're a factory floor worker, or a junior office staffer, the likelihood of any consequences are virtually nil. If you're a C-level executive, or in a highly technical, difficult-to-replace role, it's much more likely.

The point is that you have no extra protection just because it's given as a reason for resignation. You're far safer sticking to the truth for any given statement. However, being truthful does not require that you must provide the complete truth - there is no requirement to provide any reason for a resignation - you can simply provide a date

Mrs OBumble

I presume you are trying to get put on garden leave.

In general, telling lies is not illegal, except if they defame someone.

But using a document (eg your resignation letter) to commit fraud is illegal. And that's what I think you would be doing, if you got garden leave because they were worried about you taking info to a competitor, but you weren't going there. It would be hard for them to prove - but Ireland is a pretty small place in many industries.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058304351/leaving-job-reason-for-leaving

Why exactly do you feel the need to lie about it? The world is actually a very small place when it comes to employment and at some stage you may find yourself in a situation where a former colleague is in a position to tell the story about the job candidate that told the silly lie....

If you have a more sinister reason for the deception, then be aware that obtaining moneys by deception is fraud and could result in a criminal complaint being made against you.

witchgirl26

I think there's a huge difference between tell a small white lie while resigning (i.e. "better opportunity" rather than "I can't stand my manager") which means you don't burn bridges & then outright lying which would be saying that you're going to work for a specific company when you don't even have an offer from them. Especially a competitor & if it's to get put on garden leave. Most industries in Ireland are small enough that people know others in their industry & if that was found out, it could cause a lot of problems for your career in the future.

dennyk

Don't know why you'd lie about that in a resignation letter, unless you're trying to strong-arm your current employer into a counteroffer or something. That really isn't a good idea, because there's a chance they might find out eventually, especially if you're in a fairly tight-knit industry, and it will definitely not be a good look for you if the truth comes out, and will likely hurt your career prospects at your current company and beyond even if you don't suffer any direct consequences.

If your employer is underpaying you, then the best solution is to actually go out and get a genuine better offer somewhere else. Changing companies is really the most reliable way to get a substantial raise these days. If you just want some paid time off work, that's what your annual leave is for.