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Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

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Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#11

Post by doodlebugging »

My own personal policy back in the day when I was single, debt-free, and working hourly wage jobs was that when they notice I'm gone they've had all the notice they were gonna get.

Back then, life was too short to spend it somewhere boring. There were too many places to see, things to do, etc. All my employers had my home address at my parent's house for anything they needed to send so if I had a new opportunity come up that sounded better than my current situation I loaded my stuff into my duffle bag, checked out of the motel or folded the tent (whichever I was using at the time) and hit the road. In a four year period I worked from Arkansas to Oregon, south Texas to Montana for more than a dozen companies. Sometimes I was there for months, other times just long enough to find out the guy who hired me lied about the pay rate or other terms of employment. A couple of the companies never paid me for the work I did though I worked in one case for four weeks, dawn to dark-thirty, 7 days a week. The industry was in collapse mode at the time so it was easy for me to write it off and move on.

For a long time I never held any job longer than 3 years. I'd get an itch and start looking around. Then I found myself in the position where I had so much varied experience that friends encouraged me to start consulting. Been doing that for 20 years. Not a bad gig.

Nowadays I'm tied to real estate, taxes, debts, the finest spouse anyone could ever ask for and some great children. It all worked out okay for me.

Companies come and go. Enjoy life while you are young. If that voice in your head tells you to move on, pack up and hit the road. It'll all work out in the end.

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#13

Post by BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 »

The usual employment notice period is the pay period. One employer had a budget cut and let me know three months ahead of time. Two others took my access card and provided severance. When I changed jobs, I let my current employer know the situation and they generally held on to me for enough time for me to wrap things up. In a number of cases I helped out my previous employer after starting with my new employer. When it comes time to find a new job, it helps to happy references from previous employers.

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#14

Post by tripletao »

In the USA, two weeks. Don't give earlier notice than two weeks unless you have a close, long-term relationship with your boss, and you're absolutely sure that won't create a problem.

For example, by policy, some companies would require your boss to advise HR and terminate your network/building access as soon as you give notice. In that case, your early notice either leaves your boss violating policy, or leaves you unemployed with two weeks pay in lieu of notice (of them terminating you). If in doubt, and if you have that close relationship, you may want to discuss your departure on a general and hypothetical basis first before discussing specifics.

Still try to avoid surprising your boss, as much as you can. For example, you could try to take on more maintenance and documentation work, and fewer new projects. A good manager may get the hint, and will appreciate the consideration in retrospect even if not. There's also a small but non-zero chance that a bad manager would turn this into a reason to fire you, so judge the tradeoff against that long-term relationship carefully.

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#15

Post by codegeek »

If in USA, most states have "at will" employment which means you can leave anytime. But the professional courtesy is 2 weeks notice. If you are not in USA, check your local country rules. I for example worked in HongKong for a while and we had a min. 3 month notice period on both sides. I have heard most of Asia and even Europe may be similar.

I would however advise you to think about yourself first without feeling bad for the employer. Be fair though. If you have a good relationship with your Boss and team and they depend on you for some valuable work, 2 weeks is absolute minimum so that they can work on a transition plan. If your relationship with your boss/team is really really good and if your boss counters asking for say more time, feel free to negotiate that. I did that for my last job when I quit and my boss wanted me to stay for at least a month and I obliged because I was ok with that since I loved my team.

If your relationship with your boss/team is not good or if you are not that valuable to them anyway (to be blunt), be prepared to be let go immediately on notice with extra pay. Companies do it for their own peace of mind and don't take offense with that but be ready for it.

Either way, do what is best for YOU, not for anyone else but try not to burn any bridges for all the hard work you have done so far with this company. People underestimate the power of past employers connection/networks sometimes. Yes, leave when you need to but always try to do it on good terms. Good luck!!

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#16

Post by _ah »

It depends almost entirely on seniority and your relationship to the company. I found that for most IC jobs, once you give your two week notice you immediately lose a lot of the relational power that you previously enjoyed. There is no incentive to take on new projects, so you quickly find yourself out of things to do. Depending on how the company handles your departure, two weeks is either nowhere near enough time or way more than necessary. As you increase in seniority, there are more people who rely on you to get your job done. Therefore the task of finding a replacement and training them is larger, and so more lead time is appreciated. For manager level and above, a month would be ideal if you can swing it. For executive roles, you should ideally be letting your fellow executives or the board of directors know about your departure multiple months in advance.

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#17

Post by st1x7 »

codegeek wrote: post #15

If in USA, most states have "at will" employment which means you can leave anytime. But the professional courtesy is 2 weeks notice. If you are not in USA, check your local country rules. I for example worked in HongKong for a while and we had a min. 3 month notice period on both sides. I have heard most of Asia and even Europe may be similar. I would however advise you to think about yourself first without feeling b…

> 3 month notice period on both sides. I have heard most of Asia and even Europe may be similar.

In the UK it's most commonly a month for software positions. Some blue collar jobs or hourly service jobs often allow a 2 weeks' notice.

Re: Ask HN: When to notify your employer you are going to leave?

#20

Post by giantg2 »

My state is at-will. My company does not permit references to be given. The company will not give you notice if they are terminating you.

When I leave, I'm packing all my stuff and giving my notice on the day I plan to leave. If the company is not loyal to its employees, why should I be loyal to them.

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