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The Resignation Letter reading + listening

Have you ever written a resignation letter? If so, what did you put in it? What do you think makes a good resignation letter?

Listen to the first part of the programme, compare your ideas to the reporter’s and answer 2

1 What did the Associated Press reveal about Paul Manafort?2 What does Juda Engelmayer say is no fun?3 What is ‘I want to spend time with my family’ code for?4 What happened to Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling after he cited personal reasons for his resignation?5 What did Alabama Governor Robert Bentley say after an affair with an aide was revealed?

You are going to listen to a report in which it is said that the resignation letters of some top executives are often works of fiction. Why do you think this would be the case?

Listen to the next part of the programme and make notes on Andrew Mason’s experience with Groupon, his resignation letter and what he says about resignation letters.

2

these questions:

1 How did Andrew Mason open his resignation letter?2 What does Andrew say resignation letters often go to such great lengths to do?3 What did Andrew hope his resignation letter might catalyze?4 Why did Andrew not lie in his resignation letter?5 What did Andrew do after writing the letter?

Answer these questions using your notes above:f

Read the article below and write a resignation letter based on the advice in the article.B

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Business News DailyHow to Write a Job Resignation Letter

Made up your mind to quit your job? Before you pack up your desk and walk out the door on your last day, you’ll want to make sure your employer has

a formal letter of resignation on file.

A resignation letter may seem redundant, but many employers require it as part of

the exit process as proof that you are voluntarily terminating your employment. Even if your boss or HR manager doesn’t ask for one, it’s still

September 2016

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good practice to submit one anyway. Alison Doyle, a job search expert for About.com, noted that your letter can help you maintain a positive relationship with your old employer, while also paving the way for you to move forward.

“You never know when you might need that previous employer to give you a reference, so it makes sense to take the time to write a polished and professional resignation letter,” Doyle wrote in an article on the subject.

Unless your employment contract states otherwise, Doyle advised turning in your signed formal letter as a follow-up to an in-person resignation, ideally at least two weeks before your intended departure. Here’s what Doyle and other career experts had to say about the do’s and don’ts of writing a resignation letter.

What to include in your letterResignation letters should be fairly simple and straightforward. Vicki Salemi, a career expert for Monster, said the four basic pieces of information that must be present are:

●The date you’re submitting the letter (usually included in the heading)●A formal statement of resignation●Your proposed end date●Your signature

Beyond that, it’s a good idea to express gratitude in your letter. Even if you had your differences, thank your supervisor for the opportunity to work for the company. Janice Elliott-Howard, author and former corporate HR professional, said that your company will want to know that it hasn’t wasted its time on you, and that your tenure was a mutually beneficial experience.

“Conjure up the best time at your job, and have that image top-of-mind when you write your resignation letter,” added Alex Twersky, co-founder and vice president of Resume Deli. “Let your boss think they were great, even if they weren’t. You might get a good recommendation out of it.”

Twersky added that you should offer your assistance in training a replacement and preparing the team for your departure during your last two (or more) weeks.

Although this may not be necessary in all situations, you may also want to note that your decision is final, if you think your employer might offer you more money to stay, said Mike Assaad, metro

market manager of Robert Half Finance & Accounting staffing firm.

“If your employer presents you with a counteroffer that tempts you, think through the potential consequences,” Assaad said. “It’s best to politely refuse a counteroffer, as reasons for quitting a job usually go beyond salary, and more money likely won’t solve underlying problems.”

Topics to avoidDoyle reminded professionals that their resignation letters will be kept in their permanent employment files. It could be shared with potential future employers, so keep its contents professional and polite, she wrote.

“Eighty-six percent of human resources managers said the way employees quit a job at least somewhat affects their future career opportunities,” added Assaad, citing a Robert Half survey. “You don’t want to burn any bridges on your way out the door.”

With that in mind, here are a few items that should not be included in your resignation letter.

Why you’re leaving. Although it might make sense to explain a relocation or a decision to leave the workforce, our sources agreed that it is absolutely not necessary to tell your current employer why you are resigning. If you wish to say you’re leaving to accept a


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V Make a list of words from the article that are connected to work and resigning.

Which do you think is the best piece of advice in the article?b

new position elsewhere, you can, but in general, telling your old boss exactly where you’re headed is irrelevant and ill-advised, Salemi said. This is especially true if you are leaving for a competitor, as Elliott-Howard noted that spiteful employers may contact your new workplace and speak poorly of you.

What you hated about the job. If you’re leaving your job for another opportunity, it’s likely that your relationship with your boss, co-workers or management had something to do with your decision. No matter how bitter you are,

resist the urge to vent in your resignation letter, Salemi said.

“If you worked for a horrible boss and you’re looking forward to moving on, there’s no need to mention it,” she said. “If you were underpaid and your new job is giving you what you’re worth, congratulations. But

leave that point out of your resignation letter, too.”

Assaad stressed the importance of keeping a calm, professional tone in your letter. An aggressive or otherwise emotional letter will only come back to hurt you, he said.

“You may be resentful and overworked, but don’t quit angry,” Twersky added.

Similarly, Salemi recommended avoiding emotionally charged personal sentences that include “I think” or “I feel,” unless they are expressing a positive sentiment of gratitude.

V Write sentences of your own with the words you would like to learn.

e.g. I quit my last job because the hours were too long and the salary too low.

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What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?E

Business News Daily “You don’t want to burn any bridges on your way out the door.”

September 2016

There are other idioms in English with bridge. What do you think these mean?

1 bridge the gap

2 cross that bridge when one comes to it

3 water under the bridge

4 be like painting the Forth Bridge

5 build bridges

6 a bridge too far

V Match the words to these definitions:

f

1 I should probably have asked for more money when I was offered the job, but I can’t do anything about it now.2 We might need some extra help if this project takes off, but we don’t need to worry about that now.3 I hate decorating. By the time you’ve finished the kitchen, the bathroom needs decorating and so it goes on.4 Maria is on maternity leave for four months, so we’ll get a temp from an agency to do her work.5 The third multi-million-dollar purchase of a small startup proved too much financially for the social media company, as the added revenue couldn’t make up for the cost in the end.6 Hilary Clinton flew to the Middle East to try to get the warring sides to stop fighting.

a delay worrying about something that might happen until it actually does happen

b an event that is past and unchangeable

c be something that takes such a long time that by the time you have finished doing it, you have to start again

d do or create something that will serve temporarily

e a step or act that is regarded as being too drastic to take

f promote reconciliation or cooperation between hostile groups or people

1 2 3 4 5 6


Respond to these prompts using the idioms above:f

the Forth Bridge

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mid-intermediate+ (B2+)week of 03.10.16

student pages 4


Teacher’s notes 1/2

V Make a list of words from the article that are connected to work and resigning.

Make sure the students have these words in their list:quit employer resignation letter employmentboss HR manager employer referenceemployment contract supervisor job recommendation salary career workforce position co-worker human resources manager

burn your bridges = do or say something (usually bad) that would make it impossible to ever return to that situation or circumstance

What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?E

1 2 3 4 5 6d a b c f e

Suggested answers:1 It’s water under the bridge now.2 Yes, you can cross that bridge when you come to it.3 Yes, it is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge.4 The temp can bridge the gap while she’s off.5 The acquisition was a bridge too far.6 Hilary Clinton flew to the Middle East to build bridges between the warring sides.

V Match the words to these definitions:

Respond to these prompts using the idioms above:f

FYI The Forth Bridge is a very long bridge in Scotland.=

Transcript2AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Donald Trump released a statement today saying his campaign chairman had resigned. Trump thanked Paul Manafort for his great work, called him a true professional, but did not say why Manafort was leaving. Yesterday, the Associated Press revealed that Manafort’s lobbying firm had secretly done work for pro-Kremlin Ukrainian officials. Manafort has not released a statement or resignation letter. But if he does, there’s a good chance that it won’t say everything. Yuki Noguchi reports resignation letters are often works of fiction, though not always.YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Juda Engelmayer has seen his share of corporate scandals.JUDA ENGELMAYER: Failures, lawsuits, arrests, financial breakdowns, tainted food.NOGUCHI: All things he’s handled as head of

Crisis Communications for 5W Public Relations. It’s no fun, he says, dethroning a Titan over a big mistake.ENGELMAYER: Counseling a client who’s done something wrong and trying to, A, convince them that they’ve done something wrong, B, telling them to come out and say it to the public that’s loved and adored them for a long time - not easy to do.NOGUCHI: Engelmayer says there are shareholders and potential lawsuits to consider. So, often, the less said, the better, especially when there’s a pending investigation or emotions are running very high. And that’s also why so many end up saying, I want to spend time with my family.ENGELMAYER: It’s code for, I’m not going to be around. It’s code for, because of what’s happening, not only am I leaving this company,

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NOGUCHI: So is there anyone who can apologize and handle an ousting with aplomb? Andrew Mason gets props for his resignation style. Mason founded Groupon and took it public. But by March 2013, it faced cascading problems in its accounting, declining revenue and stock price.ANDREW MASON: I got fired, and I went home and I sat on my couch, and I wrote the letter.NOGUCHI: The letter opened with, I’d like to spend more time with my family - just kidding. I was fired today. Mason, now CEO of a walking-tour company called Detour, says he cringes at most resignation letters.MASON: They often go to such great lengths to convince you that they weren’t fired or that the company will be beleaguered and in the middle of an extremely-high level of crisis. And they don’t even mention that. And it just struck me as so insincere, so I just didn’t want to be that.NOGUCHI: People embraced his unflinching

approach - talking about missed financial expectations, his own accountability and joking about shipping off to a fat farm. Based on the response, Mason thought others might follow.MASON: For a while, I was hoping that my resignation letter might catalyze a change in tone or approach, a broader change in approach, and it hasn’t at all.

NOGUCHI: He says he might have felt more pressure to be more opaque if he’d been thinking about a new job or raising money for a new venture, but Mason says he wasn’t.MASON: To lie about that would give me a sense of shame. And it was just the wrong way to end it, and I wanted to go out on a note that allowed me to be proud, regardless of how people might perceive it.NOGUCHI: After writing the letter, Mason says, he got off his couch and checked into a fat farm.

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mid-intermediate+ (B2+)week of 03.10.16


Teacher’s notes 2/2

but I’m most likely not going to be employed by another company for a long time. You’re not going to see me. You’re not going to see my face come up or my name come up for a while.NOGUCHI: In one classic example, Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling cited personal reasons for his abrupt resignation months before the company filed bankruptcy. He was later convicted on 19 counts of fraud and other crimes. The point of resigning amid scandal is to get out of the way, to try to stop the chatter. Many just end up prolonging the

pain by neither resigning nor apologizing straight up. Think of Bill Clinton’s parsing of words about his affair with Monica Lewinsky or, earlier this year, when Alabama Governor Robert Bentley issued a perplexing statement after an affair with an aide was revealed.ROBERT BENTLEY: I love many members of my staff - in fact, all the members of my staff. Do I love more than I do others - than I do - you know, some more than others? Absolutely.

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