There’s a right way and a wrong way to quit your job. When possible, it’s always best to quit in person. A face-to-face conversation shows courtesy to your soon-to-be-former employer and strengthens the relationship as you close this chapter in your career. You never know when you might need a networking contact, a recommendation, or a letter of reference. Your manager is far more likely to help you out if you conducted your last days at the office with grace and peak professionalism.1
When It Is Acceptable to Quit Your Job via Email
There are some circumstances when quitting in person is not possible. Sometimes, personal circumstances require you to leave a job on short notice, or with no notice at all. If you have a family emergency, for instance, and need to leave immediately, you may need to resign by sending an email message to your manager.
Perhaps a face-to-face conversation is not possible because you work remotely in another state. It makes sense, in this case, to resign via email. Since most likely that’s how the two of you communicate, it won’t seem as abrupt as it would if you worked together in the same office.
Another reason to resign by email is if you work for an abusive manager or in a psychologically unsafe environment. Resigning via email may be your safest option. In this instance, you’re not sacrificing anything by severing the connection because it’s unlikely that your boss would provide you with a recommendation anyway. Most importantly, you’re protecting yourself, which comes before career considerations.