Resigning executives are often one step ahead. According to a study by the Association for the employment of executives (Apec) published this Thursday, August 24, 85% of executives who resigned in 2022 had already found a job before the announcement of their departure.
In half of the cases (49%), they had already found it after sending an application on their own initiative, while in almost a third of the cases (36%), they say they “have been ‘chased’ by a company or a recruiting firm.
The Association for the employment of executives underlines that “in this new school year 2023, in connection with the inflationary context, 43% of executives consider the change of company as a lever to earn more, i.e. 17 points more than in June 2022”.
The Apec study shows that resigning executives first notify their direct managers, in 63% of cases. The latter are the first people affected by the departure of the executive and must organize themselves after the announcement of the resignation. One in five executives who have resigned prefers to inform their work colleagues first, while only 11% turn first to the HR department.
2 out of 3 executives have completed their entire notice period
On the form, the resignation is first announced orally and then is formalized by sending a letter of resignation, reveals the study. In half of the cases, it is hand-delivered to the employer. It can also be sent with an acknowledgment of receipt (33%) or sent by email (18%). In very rare cases, a simple letter is sent (2%).
“In a context of strong recruitment tensions, companies seek to retain executives who resign or delay the announcement of their departure”, then underlines Apec. This is what 42% of executives who resigned in 2022 report. In 4 cases out of 10, companies ask to wait before announcing their departure, a proportion which rises to 52% for those with hierarchical responsibilities.
Regarding the period of notice, “only 3 out of 10 companies have agreed to reduce it”, notes Apec. As a result, two-thirds of resigning executives have completed their entire notice period provided for in their collective agreement and only a very marginal proportion (4%) have been completely exempted.
Among managers who only completed part of it, the notice period lasted between 2 and 3 months in 60% of cases. For 27% of executives who resigned, the duration of the resignation was between 1 and 2 months.
Amicable separations
The size of the company and the dimension of the position are taken into account in the period of notice. In companies with more than 250 employees, notice periods of between 2 and 3 months accounted for two-thirds of reduced notice periods, compared to 47% in companies with less than 10 employees.
With regard to the “dimension of the position” factor, “64% of executives managing teams gave notice oscillating between 2 and 3 months, compared to 58% for those with no hierarchical responsibility, nor team management or project”, underlines Apec.
According to the study, 7 out of 10 resigning executives remained focused on their missions before their departure, two thirds of them even having “actively participated in the handing over of files in order to minimize the risk of projects being blocked after their departure” . Finally, for 8 resigning executives out of 10, the separation was “amicable”, they believe that they left their company on good terms.