HR expert shares what managers should ideally say when an employee decides to quit

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 11, 2022. It has since been updated.

Most of us in the workforce are familiar with the anxiety and dread attached to the "I'm quitting" talk with a manager. In far too many cases, such conversations are met with hostility and resentment from higher-ups who make the employees feel as though their decision to move on to greener pastures is nothing less than a betrayal. But this doesn't have to be the case, according to Human Resources expert and TikTok user Daniel Space—better known as Dan From HR on the social media platform. Space believes that managers should respond to an employee leaving a company with support.

In a video shared on TikTok, Space conveyed how managers should react when someone informs them of their decision to resign. Prefacing the video, with the acknowledgment that it is probably one of the cheesiest things he has ever done, Space revealed that he decided to speak on the topic after he was asked via a direct message to give a word-for-word example of how a manager ought to respond in such situations. "This may be one of the cheesiest things I've ever done, but someone asked for it in my DMs. They said based on their experience and a few other experiences, they would like me to do a video for what managers should say when you resign," he explained.

"So here's everything you should hear. 'Congratulations. I am so happy for you and that all of your work paid off. You are going to be missed around here, we're going to miss all of these wonderful things about you. Please do not worry for a minute about any of the work or the transition, the company's gonna be fine. I'm going to be fine, we're just gonna miss you. Please keep in touch, please let us know if there's anything we can do,'" Space says in the video.

"'We'd love to celebrate your success, but we want to respect your privacy. If you'd like to tell us about your job or your position, we would all just love to celebrate you,'" he continues. "'It's an honor for me to see how far you've come, and this is so well-deserved. I hope you get a significant raise and a big title, and I hope you keep in touch.'" Space posted the minute-long video with the caption "for all of you traumatized employees—this is what you should be hearing." Several TikTok users started sharing their stories of how they were berated by their managers for wanting to leave a company and expressing how nice it was to hear words of support for a change.

"Hahahahahaha my last employer threw a card at me and put cupcakes down in front of me and locked themselves in their office while glaring at me," commented angiee. "My last job made me sign a document saying I’d never come back when I gave my two weeks," revealed KB. "My former boss said congrats, and then nothing happened during the last 2 weeks of my employment. No card, no goodbyes. It was weird. I'm glad I left," wrote Riley Holcombe. "People deserve to hear this. Most companies are petty and upset when you want to leave. Real leaders praise your growth," noted meepm3rp25.

Following the resoundingly positive response to the video, Space shared another shorter video, adding more to the speech. "'No, I'm not sure why you called the meeting but please go ahead and talk. You've got another role? Oh my God, congratulations! So happy for you. I appreciate the notice period but does that give you any time off before starting the new role? If you're comfortable, tell me all about your new offer, I want to celebrate with you. What flavor cake do you like?'" he shared.