Is it better to resign or to get fired?
To help professionals make a clear decision, we asked HR managers and entrepreneurs this question for their best advice. From leaving on your terms to preserving your reputation, there are several reasons to consider before taking a call that may help you choose your next step.
Here are 7 things to consider for whether resigning is better than getting fired:
- Resign to Positively Frame Your Departure
- Leave On Your Own Terms
- Be Prepared to Move On
- The Hangover from Quitting
- Getting Fired is Better for Benefits
- Resign to Avoid Prejudice
- Resign to Preserve Your Reputation
Resign to Positively Frame Your Departure
The most incredible benefit of resigning is that you won’t need to explain why you were terminated to your future employers. Resigning from a job lets you positively frame your departure. Resigning is a more professional and formal way of saying that you quit.
Eden Cheng, PeopleFinderFree
Leave On Your Own Terms
I think resigning is by far the better option over getting fired since the latter can hurt your chances of bagging a new job, given the general stigma. It makes employers a lot more apprehensive about extending a job offer or may add additional interview rounds just to make sure that they’re hiring the right person, which can be an unexpected ordeal for anyone who recently lost their job.
Demi Yilmaz, Colonist.io
Be Prepared to Move On
In some instances, it can make sense to resign before you get fired, while in others, it doesn’t. Both scenarios depend on factors like unemployment benefits and other termination terms. Quitting has some advantages worth considering, like framing your departure positively or potentially negotiating a good recommendation for employment. Otherwise, before deciding whether to quit or get fired, consider your future employment and factor in finances when deciding to quit or not.
John Tian, Mobitrix
The Hangover from Quitting
Getting fired can be a jarring and emotional experience and it would seem that resigning is a gentler, more palatable option if you want to break free from a job that makes you unhappy. However, there is a lingering effect to quitting. It’s imbued in us at an early age that no one respects a quitter. Those early life lessons are hard to shake – because they’re often correct. You often realize in hindsight that if you had hung in there longer, you would have been able to turn it around. That “what if” scenario can be difficult to overcome. A firing brings closure. You can walk away from a job termination realizing that you weren’t a good fit. If you pull the ejection handle yourself and realize that maybe you did so hastily, you may wind up with a lot of gnawing questions.
Jon Carder, Vessel Health
Getting Fired is Better for Benefits
Some people think that resigning is better than being fired because it saves them from feeling like a failure, but those who get fired are much more likely to receive benefits. Another fear that people have when they are fired is that their future employer will find out, however, there is no such thing as an employee record. While it may feel better to quit than get fired, if you resign you could be missing out on a number of potential unemployment benefits.
Paul Moody, ProMoverReviews
Resign to Avoid Prejudice
When an employee resigns from a job, it means that the situation, even if it was ugly, has ended amicably. At least on paper, the employee is now free to approach another organization for a job without the fear of prejudice or the need to offer explanations. On the other hand, when an employee is terminated, the blame sits squarely on the employee and not the organization. However, the decision eventually comes to on-the-ground circumstances. If the employee wishes to fight against wrongful termination, it is better to opt for termination than to tender a resignation.
Eva Taylor, WP Buffs
Resign to Preserve Your Reputation
It is better to resign rather than get fired because this helps preserve your reputation. Being fired can tarnish your reputation with future employers and prevent you from getting a new job. Resigning, whether you are asked to or doing of your own accord, it’s in your best interest to resign rather than having to explain why you were fired.
Leo Livshetz, Unhide
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