Resign or be fired

[kingrat]

The president of Cincinatti University has given an ultimatum to their basketball coach, Bob Huggins: resign or be fired.

Would you rather resign, or be fired? Does your answer change if the ultimatum is semi-public (i.e., your next employer will know that your leaving wasn't entirely voluntary) ?

Me, I say go ahead and fire me or lay me off. Legally, it's a lot easier for me to get unemployment or go after the employer for wrongful termination if that's the case. Resignation means I have to argue that I was constructively fired. And in reality, I am always pretty clear about the reasons for my leaving companies with future employers. For instance, in 1999, I was let go, or laid off by Syndeo Systems. In reality, they fired me because I was burned out and burned up over the company's mismanagement that normally had me working 60 to 90 hours weeks.

The idea that resignation is somehow better I just don't get. I suppose in some circumstances for high salaried execs it might. But everyone knows when someone leaves for personal reasons they have been fired. Unless the person is announcing their plans immediately (such as going to another company, writing a book, raising the kids), they've been forced out. Sometimes even if plans are announced, they've been forced out. But so often it seems to me companies don't realize that everyone knows. And I'm sure sometimes they want everyone to know, they just don't want to say it. That sort of thinking just doesn't make much sense to me.

Comments

why I chose to resign

[cagekitten.livejournal.com]

I once worked for a company that was sort of prejudiced. Management considered their Quality Assurance department to be less than them, to the point where folks in the department were not even allowed to get up for coffee or bathroom breaks unless they could do it during their 15 minute scheduled break. I was part of that QA department and kept coming up with all these great money making ideas for the company. When management refused them all, I pulled together all kinds of data from other departments and used it to put together hard core proof of how much money they would make every month (if they implemented my ideas) and gave the reports to the owner of the company. The bosses did not appreciate this (since they had passed on my ideas) and tried to pressure me into quitting. I fought back, refusing to quit, and I guess they were afraid to fire me without cause.

Here's the best part, they finally offered me 3 months salary to leave quietly. I took the money, found a new job in two days, and used some of that extra 3 months hush money to take a backpacking trip through Europe. Severance money is a damn good reason to resign, as apposed to waiting to be let go.

[coulrophobe.livejournal.com]

If it's obviously not working out on both the employer and employee sides, then I think it behooves the employee to be passive and wait for the employer to take the first steps in saying "this just isn't working." Of course, this is exactly what happened to me. :) I was going to quit, because my health and sanity demanded it - I just couldn't handle the constant stress, the 12-to-14 hour days, the evil bitch I had to work with, the severe understaffing - and I knew I had to leave before I had a nervous breakdown or developed ulcers. I was already suffering from exhaustion, depression, and burn-out, and was starting to get serious physical problems like unexplained dizziness.

Being let go was a huge relief, as I got severence and was still eligible for unemployment. I think people worry about the stigma too much; I know that I'm not a slacker or anything; it was just a horrible job situation that I needed to get out of one way or another. My resume was already updated, and I'd already started nosing around for jobs - and now I'm just enjoying a bit of well-deserved time off.

[dangergirljones.livejournal.com]

If the fact that I was given a choice was already public, then I don't see any value in resigning.

[ryanlion.livejournal.com]

For most people I think there is a stigma to being fired that resigning doesn't carry, even if you're forced to resign.

Later you can say you resigned, or quit, a job and that makes it your decision, or sound like it anyway, even if it wasn't a voluntary decision. Being fired means it was your employers decision, and how bad an employee were you that you were fired?

Personally I'd rather be layed off, there's no egg on anyone's face for that, plus then I can get unemployment. If I had to pick between being forced to resign, and everyone knew that, or fired, I'd pick fired. If you're going to make drama about something, then might as well make it noteworthy.

[faerieburst.livejournal.com]

Totally depends.

If it is semi-public, the "avoiding the stigma" factor is out of the equation. So, at that point, it's purely an issue of "What is going to benefit me more finanically, the severance package they are offering if I resign, or what I get if they have to fire me."

If it is private, then you have to factor in how things will look to your next potential employer along with the financial factors.

~Aramada

[malackey.livejournal.com]

As a general rule of thumb here in Canada - if you're fired, the company has to pay you severence. Usually one month's salary, but there's always room to negotiate, depending on your position. If you quit, you don't get nuffin'. I'd make the bastards fire me.