Howdo,

Im after a new job. The one I’ve got is not for me any more. I am considering a new role elsewhere. I have been in my current position two and a half years. I cannot find my contract despite searching for it.

I was in the same job 13 years before this one and I felt duty bound to work four weeks notice, no problem.

Here’s the rub. How much notice am I required to give an employer? Id like to leave tout de suite as I am going to get the cold shoulder/life made very difficult in this job once I say I want away.

FWIW my record is unblemished, no days off or late (ever) I would, however not like to be a pellet about the whole thing but previous deserters have been treated like dirt from the day notice is given and I am certain I would be in for the same.

Just wondered if you folks had any advice given your life experiences.

Cheers

Assuming you did sign a contract then it’s whatever it says in that.

If you didnt then you could probably go with 4 wks and shorten it by taking any accrued leave.

Last job I left I was contracted to do 8 weeks notice, but they let me go after 4 as I wasn’t doing much. 🙂

All you can do is tell them you’re leaving and see what happens.
But make sure you empty the stationary/cupboard/copy contents of server to your memory stick/remove all you valuables from the office at least 1 day before.
And as long as you’ve got a job to go, don’t need a reference and can risk burning your bridges, just walk out if they give you a hard time.

Depends entirely how much you want to get paid. People rarely if ever get pursued for not working notice – they just dont get paid.

totally depends on your contract. Ask you HR dept (assumin there is one) to send you a copy of it. You can take any leave you might have accrued as notice so you could potentially leave a lot sooner than your obligation.
That said, Notice periods are not enforceable as they cannot ‘force’ you to work for them for x weeks before you leave. the only crux to this is that they won’t pay you and or could sue you for any pay you owe them though this is unlikely.

You don’t owe your current employer any real loyalty other than a moral one.

Ah, should have mentioned its a tinpot tyrant I work for rather than a large blue chip with HR and the likes.

Im a printer. Its a small place but like I alluded to, Ive got not much loyalty to them. Not trumpet blowing but I work hard, producing alot on a daily basis and havent been enjoying my conditions or the atmosphere for a long time.

I dont cause bother, I keep my head down and smash into it every day.

I just dont want to do it there anymore, as I say I will get the really short end when I say Im off so I just wanted to know where I stand.

Thanks alot for the feedback btw.

if you are frightend of being made unwelcome by handing your notice in i’d say you are doing the right thing – it’s not good for you to hide behind a facade of ‘im doing this because it’s what I get paid for and not because I like it’.

I know Im doing the right thing, rather the problem for me is how to approach the notice aspect.

I not a difficult person, but I dont want to go back and have little interest in helping them till they recruit. I wondered what my rights were and indeed how to act.

If you’ve not agreed contractually otherwise, your minimum statutory notice is a week. Time served is irrelevant (so long as you’ve been there over a month) – the whole “a week per year” thing oft quoted applies to the employer only, not the employee.

You need to find, or ask for, a copy of your contract. If there isn’t one, it’s a week’s notice, end of; otherwise, it’s what you agreed to when you signed the contract.

I not a difficult person, but I dont want to go back and have little interest in helping them till they recruit. I wondered what my rights were and indeed how to act.

all you need to do is hand them a dated letter stating how much you have enjoyed working for them etc and that you intend to work the minimum notice period and would like to either have your holidays owed as lieu of notice or paid directly to you. nothin more nothing less. They can refuse to accept it but they cannot force you to work there a moment longer than you want to.

I think your frequency of pay is a good guide – if you’re paid weekly, then give a week’s notice, monthly, a month.