Resignation letters are usually expected to be professional, carefully worded and, in many cases, packed with polite explanations. One employee, however, appears to have decided that less is more.
A sharply worded resignation email allegedly written by an employee named Anjali has attracted attention online after Mumbai-based founder Mahe Ghanchi shared it on LinkedIn. Instead of offering a lengthy explanation for leaving, the employee used sarcasm, humour and a few brutally honest lines to announce her immediate exit.
Ghanchi shared the post under the title “The Dummy’s Guide to Resigning”, prompting social media users to share their own experiences with difficult workplaces.
Employee calls workplace “toxic” in resignation email
The email reportedly opens with a direct message to James, making it clear that the employee had no intention of turning her resignation into a lengthy conversation.
Anjali wrote: “Hi James, I don’t have the time and energy to stretch this out. This place is toxic and I’m not strong enough to romanticize suffering.”
She then connected the working environment with the toll it had taken on her, adding: “This job requires therapy, I resign. Immediately.”
Rather than ending with a conventional sign-off, she added a playful technology reference: “Spiritually, I quit on day one. Ctrl+Alt+Del—ivering my exit, Anjali.”
The combination of blunt criticism and computer-themed humour appears to be what made the resignation email particularly memorable.
LinkedIn users relate to the viral resignation
After Ghanchi posted the email, the response appeared to resonate with people who had experienced stressful or unhealthy workplaces.
Some commenters joked that they wished they had used similar words when leaving previous jobs. One user wrote: “The mail I should’ve sent after the first week at my previous employment.”
Another commenter described the message as “an inspiring email,” while someone else quipped, “Now James might be suffering.”
The reactions suggest that the post struck a familiar chord with employees who have struggled with workplace stress but felt compelled to maintain a formal tone while resigning.
“I really do need to copy paste this”
The resignation email also prompted users to compare it with their own professional experiences.
One commenter said the message was “ridiculously apt” for their current workplace and joked about copying it while changing the recipient's name.
While the email itself uses humour to describe a serious situation, the reactions highlight a broader workplace conversation around burnout, mental well-being and the decision to leave jobs that have become emotionally exhausting.
