ASK HR: Can my resignation be reversed? I have changed my mind

Last month, I resigned from my job and according to my employment contract, I gave the mandatory one-month notice. I am now serving my notice but I have also changed my mind, and I don’t want to leave any more. How can I inform my employer of this change of mind? Do you think he will accept to retain me?

In life the grass always looks greener on the other side, be careful when making decisions that can affect your life or livelihood.

We spend most of our time at the workplace and therefore there is bound to be attachment to the environment and the colleagues we interact with. Therefore, the decision to leave should not be taken without due considerations of what we will lose or gain by leaving.

For your own comfort before you resign, you must have a background check on your future employer to check suitability in terms of conducive environment as well as the total remuneration offered by the new employer.

You must also get written commitment, before you tender your resignation to avoid disappointment.

All companies have procedures to follow when employees tender their resignation, if you are joining competition more often than not they will not allow you to serve notice but will instead pay you in lieu of notice.

I am struggling to understand why you resigned in the first place, and what made you change your mind.

Have a session with your boss, but you must have a convincing reason why you have decided to rescind your decision to resign.

This would also be a good opportunity to discuss the areas that you like about the organisation so as to set the mood for a good discussion. You then, carefully engage him on the areas you would like changed, you must study the mood of your supervisor to gauge whether it is the right time to suggest some adjustment in your role or remuneration.

You might be lucky to have an employer who will accept you back with no strings attached. However, some employers might not trust you with long term projects and may lose confidence in you, which might adversely affect your career progression.

You also need to be prepared since your boss might decline to accept your request for you to stay on, mostly dependant on your performance and how critical your role is as well as availability of talent for the role.

In future, be more decisive and weigh your options before you hand over that resignation letter, otherwise you might be forced to “eat humble pie”.