Resignation letter with two weeks’ notice? What’s that?
In this gloomy economy, voluntarily quitting your job with hopes of finding “something better” has become rarer than companies without layoffs. San Francisco contrarian Neil Berrett is not only comfortable leaping into the unknown, he’s also forever raised the bar on how to leave your boss on good terms.
Berrett, a 23-year-old environmental data analyst, became an Internet sensation this month by inscribing the following upbeat resignation letter on a vanilla and Bavarian cream cake:
Dear Mr. Bowers:
During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim.
However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.
Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27.
Sincerely,
W. Neil Berrett
In a picture he posted on the Flickr photo-sharing site, the boyish-looking Berrett looks like he’s at his 16th birthday party. His hot pink shirt and wide smile reinforce his resignation cake’s ode to “pure excitement, joy and whim.”
For the past three years, Berrett has overseen the testing of radioactive soil samples at a closed military base being developed for commercial use. After working up to 60 hours a week, he says the time is right to explore his dream of becoming a professional photographer. Living off savings for a while, he plans to soon bicycle across Europe with his camera.
“My boss was surprised,” says Berrett. “But he thought the cake was unique, original and delicious. My co-workers were bummed that I was leaving, but eating cake seems to improve everyone’s mood.”
Employees at New World Technology have good reason to be bummed. During his tenure, Berrett made it his personal mission to share his sweet tooth on Fridays as a way to celebrate the coming weekend.
Not happy with generic supermarket treats, Berrett visited San Francisco’s boutique bakeries and showered his co-workers with seasonal fruit tarts, almond-filled croissants, chocolate souffles and “incredible morning buns” infused with cinnamon and orange marmalade.
“I wasn’t trying to buy popularity at work,” he insists. “I just liked to break up the monotony of the week.”
After the cake picture was posted on the pop culture Web site Boing Boing, the sweet resignation story became a viral hit on foodie blogs and has been covered by the Telegraph of London and the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. Among the more than 200,000 visitors to Berrett’s Flickr page were people asking how to apply for his old job and even a lighthearted marriage proposal.
The cake lover says he’s not ready for marriage, nor does he see himself as a trailblazer for frosting-based resignation letters or resumes.
“There’s a fine line between creatively quitting, and creatively quitting and making a scene,” he says. “I didn’t want to leave on nasty terms. I wanted to do it classy with a touch of personality. The cake was a celebration of me moving on to something that will make me a happier person.”
Darren Garnick’s “The Working Stiff” column runs every Wednesday. Check out the Stiff blog at www.bostonherald.com/blogs/workingStiff/
