When things look their worst, it can be tempting to lose our head and give in to despair. After all, how can we possibly hope to get back on our feet if our employer just up and fired us? It might even be tempting to give up and become a recluse like that poor staffer who was let go from the restaurant he helped start six months ago. But this is the last thing you should do. Why? Because giving in to your emotions only makes the problem worse. You’re still stuck at your job — but you’re no longer the one getting fired. Now it’s just a matter of time before you get another call telling you that your services are no longer required and that you can find another position within the company easier than what you had before..

Take a breath

As the situation is now, you’re probably pretty worked up and afraid. That’s normal, and you shouldn’t keep it inside. What you need to do is take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and then calmly explain the situation to your manager. Don’t get into a big fight with your manager over the phone — that’s not productive and could even backfire on you since they’re the ones who have to fire you. Instead, meet with your manager in-person to calm down first and explain the situation to their reasoning behind the decision. If possible, bring a friend with you so you can both calm each other down and stay focused on the meeting instead of getting impatient with each other. While you should definitely be conserving your energy for the meeting, don’t wait until the last minute to speak with your manager. Ideally, you should have a few days’ notice before your scheduled termination to let them know what the situation is really like and why you’re resigning. This gives you more time to find a new position and save your energy for the meeting. When speaking with your manager, try not to sound too upset or frustrated since this will definitely give the impression that you’re not willing to compromise and that you don’t want to stay in the job anymore. Make sure to show them that you understand why they made the decision they did and that you’re willing to work something out.

Explain the situation to your manager

Once you’ve taken a deep breath and calmed down a bit, it’s time to explain the situation to your manager. Again, don’t get in a big fight with your manager over the phone since this will only make things worse and may even cause them to fire you. Instead, meet with your manager in-person to calm down first and explain the situation to their reasoning behind the decision. If possible, bring a friend with you so you can both calm each other down and stay focused on the meeting instead of getting impatient with each other. As with the phone conversation, don’t wait until the last minute to speak with your manager. Ideally, you should have a few days’ notice before your scheduled termination to let them know what the situation is really like and why you’re resigning. This gives you more time to save your energy for the meeting. When speaking with your manager, try not to sound too upset or frustrated since this will definitely give the impression that you’re not willing to compromise and that you don’t want to stay in the job anymore. Make sure to show them that you understand why they made the decision they did and that you’re willing to work something out.

Try to reason with them and show that you’re willing to change

Now that you’ve had a chance to calm down and think things through, it’s time to try to reason with your manager and show that you’re willing to change. This might sound like a good idea in theory, but in the heat of the moment, most people make mistakes and do things wrong. So before you come across as too stubborn or dogmatic, you need to try to talk your manager into changing their mind. If you’re absolutely 100% sure that you want to leave your job and you don’t see a way around it, then by all means, use that as the basis for your negotiation strategy. In that case, though, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So instead of saying that you definitely want to leave your job and there’s no way around it, try to reason with them and show that you’re willing to change if the situation persists. For example, if they keep asking you why you don’t have a job, explain that you’re trying to save up money to buy a house and that you hope to have a job soon. If they still don’t budge, then show that you’re willing to compromise and agree to do something less than what you wanted. For example, you might be willing to work for half the salary that you initially wanted to start with and give up some of your benefits in exchange for their letting you go. Another possibility is for them to let you go for a penny less per hour worked or for no pay at all if you resign before the end of the month. So even though you technically want to be the one to make the decision to leave your job, you need to be flexible enough to show that you’re willing to change if the situation persists.

Ask for a meeting to explain yourself further

Finally, once you’ve tried reasoning with your manager and showing that you’re willing to change, it’s time to meet with your manager to officially resign. This way, you’ll be able to inform them about your decision and let them know why you want to leave. Ideally, you should have a few days’ notice before your scheduled termination to let them know what the situation is really like and why you’re resigning. This gives you more time to save your energy for the meeting. When you meet with your manager, try not to sound too upset or frustrated since this will definitely give the impression that you’re not willing to compromise and that you don’t want to stay in the job anymore. Make sure to show them that you understand why they made the decision they did and that you’re willing to change. For example, if they keep asking you why you don’t have a job, explain that you’re trying to save up money to buy a house and that you hope to have a job soon. If they still don’t budge, then show that you’re willing to compromise and agree to do something less than what you wanted. For example, you might be willing to work for half the salary that you initially wanted to start with and give up some of your benefits in exchange for their letting you go. Another possibility is for them to let you go for a penny less per hour worked or for no pay at all if you resign before the end of the month. So even though you technically want to be the one to make the decision to leave your job, you need to be flexible enough to show that you’re willing to change if the situation persists.

Conclusion

Congratulations on finally making the leap to employment security. Whether you got a job loss or were fired, it is important to understand the process of how to leave your job and get your severance pay. While the pain of a job loss is understandable, it is crucial to follow these tips so that you do not fall into the same mistake that other job-disappointment survivors have made. If you are experiencing a loss of income and want assistance, you should consider seeking out the assistance of a legal or financial advisor. Be sure to take any advice you receive with a grain of salt, but nonetheless, it is necessary to follow these steps to properly handle your situation.