Anyone ever not given a 2 week notice?

Trying to figure out what to do here. I really don't want to burn bridges, and I'm staying in the same industry. The people I work with at my current company are likely lifers at this company. I don't forsee myself ever coming back to this company, but you never know. I'm likely not getting a recommendation for rehire from my supervisor anyways.

Situation is that I start a new job on January 12th. My last day in the office here will be either January 9th, or earlier if they tell me to leave. I'd really like to give 2 weeks, or more notice. However, they can shorten the notice at any time. I've never seen anyone not in a call center leave this company, so I'm not sure on what is normally done. I need to be employed by this company on January 1st to get my 401k match, and I'll also get an additional 4 days of vacation that will be paid out. That amounts to $1,500, not chump change.

The only leverage I have is that I need to train someone, but frankly that would take about 2 days--there are 2 other people who do basically the same thing as me, but in a different realm. And my manager did all of this at one point, so it wouldn't be ridiculous to think that they'd let me go immediately. So the earliest that I can give notice is either the morning of the 2nd, or right before I leave on the 31st (maybe--I have to look into this to make sure; I know that there are procedures for a speedy termination). I feel bad doing this, but I have to look out for me first, right?

Any thoughts, anecdotes, etc.?

Does anyone in management know you've been looking for a new job? Even a casual shat to drop some hints could be helpful without being "official". I'd try to leave things as positive as possible.... but if your current company is likely to fire you on the spot when you give notice: Yeah, look out for yourself first and they can learn to live with it. Good luck.

Tell them on January 1st that your last day will be January 9th. You have to look out for yourself and I wouldn't risk losing $1500 over some people that already hate me. Chances are that they would terminate you immediately to save the 401k match and vacation payout.

You shouldn't feel bad; they'd E36 M3can you pronto if they thought they needed to.

Are you allowed to just go to a competitor? Around here, if you give two weeks, you get two weeks of paid vacation if you end up going to a competitor.

I have quit without notice before and didn't worry about it. I had a spotty employment history all my life but managed to make it work until i was able comfortably to retire at 33...

My thought process was simple; if I was working for a company that would ever terminate someone on the spot without warning then I owed them no notice either. Some places I was at would exercise their right of at will employment without much process to fire people and they got the same consideration backfrom me as an employee. Most of my bosses didn't appreciate this but when excited lained to them as I headed out the door they had little in the way of rebuttal...

Whenever an employee gives notice, I immediately ask them to collect their personal belongings and I escort them from the building. A lame-duck employee can cause too much damage. Will they? I won't take that risk.

If they gave two weeks notice, I'll pay them for the two weeks. I will not allow them to pollute the atmosphere with their "honest feelings about...", steal proprietary information, sabotage projects, settle grudges or tell stories about the greener grass on the other side of the fence.

YMMV

tb wrote: i was able comfortably to retire at 33...

Say what

Comfortably retire at 33 following a "spotty employment history"? Questions abound.

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non:

Yeah, somewhere around that age... I never really took much notice of the day I decided I will never really work again.

But I caution people that you never really retire, you just become a full time money manager. I am truly fortunate, at least in some ways...

/threadjack

So if I understand this, you want to stay until you get your vacation paid and your 401k payout and then put in your notice, even though it will be less than 2 weeks? Odds are, they will ask you to leave once you put in your notice for security reasons, and if you are not there you will miss the 401k and vacation. If you don't put in your two weeks, all they can do is withhold vacation or the last week's pay, which you won't have so what do you care?

It is my policy, and I have lived on both sides of the equation (manager and employee), that once you say you no longer want to do the job, you will stop doing the job so may as well cut you from the program.

No matter how hard you try as the employee, you become the poison or bad apple should you stay the two weeks. Even if you do not try, there will be a conversation with other workers that goes something like this, "your so lucky to get out of here, I need to think about doing similar...or...once you get there, try to bring me along with you." I accept the 2 weeks notice but do not require the person to come in. It's really better if they are not there.

Since you need to be there through the 1st. Tell them on the 1st (or 2nd). The worst thing that can happen is you become a crappy and unreliable employee for those two weeks and maybe not even show up (since there are really no fears of consequences.)

In reply to KyAllroad:

Long story short:

I bounced around a bit in and out of trained for profession and had a few businesses of my own. Wife is a workaholic with a staggering income. We worked our asses off, made some hard choices that worked out well for us and count our blessings everyday.

Relevent point: no one really has any idea where they will be in just a few years... Don't sweat the little details too much.

alfadriver wrote: Are you allowed to just go to a competitor? Around here, if you give two weeks, you get two weeks of paid vacation if you end up going to a competitor.

Yes, I am allowed to go to a competitor. I suspect the 2 weeks vacation would happen, but that is less money than the 4 days and the company match I would get. Especially since they give either 2 weeks, or through the date I give. So I could put in 4 weeks today, then on the 30th release me and they only have to pay me through the 9th. Which is about $600 less than I'd get with the match and vacation days.

So, you're a kept man? Cool.

Yeah, Jan 2 tell them the 9th is your last day. Every company's standard seems to be that if you tell them you got a job with a competitor, they escort you to the door, do not pass your desk, do not shut off your computer. So, regardless of who you are going to work for, clean out your desk and get your personal files off your laptop before you tell them on the 2nd.

Whenever I've given notice I've always assumed I'd be shown the door immediately with my personal items tossed at me in an old copy paper box in the driveway. If your state is an "at will employment" state, you don't owe them jack, and vice versa. Stay long enough to get your payout then give notice, but fully expect that your employment (and pay) will stop that second.

When I worked at a huge mega conglomerate I watched this happen once:

Quitter - "I'm giving my two week notice..."

Boss - "No your not, you're fired. Leave your badge on my desk, security will see you out. Your stuff will be mailed to you."

In reply to rotard:

Sorta; I have had that label applied...

Truthfully; I still do plenty of stuff but just don't have an actual external employer.

Going to be a full time parent in a couple months... I hear that is like a job...

On topic: get everything that you are deserved and do not hesitate for an instant to work 100% in your own interests. It is always just business and that is how you ensure success.

Thanks for confirming that what I'm doing isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially since the 2 weeks is a silly notion nowadays; it took 2 months to fill our last opening, and that was done internally.

So my plan prior to this was the following:

• Type up procedures for the stuff I'm the only one who knows how to do (Really, I don't want to leave them high and dry--this will take me about 4 hours)
• Email myself my personal files as well as the templates of tools that I have designed; obviously with all data removed
• Clean out my desk of everything that I am going to take with me before I give notice
• Schedule meeting with supervisor, send the electronic copy of notice (while in the meeting or just after) and hand supervisor the physical copy of notice.

I was under the impression that if you gave a two week notice and they said pack you're E36 M3 and leave now, they are obligated to pay you that two weeks.

I'm an engineer not an HR person though.

I have usually always put my two weeks’ notice in, I send an email to HR and my supervisor, clarifying that I am leaving. the amount of work I accomplish was typically completing all loose ends and handing my work and training to someone else (which only takes a couple of days and I usually use the rest of my sick time that they do not pay me for). Most recently, some of my co-workers one without notice (heard from another co-worker and was a no show) and the other 3 days’ notice. Both of them went to a competitor during the busiest time of the year. Since they were both worthless it did not bother me, but I could tell that my supervisor was upset. At the end of the day, life moves on for the organization, if there is something better, go for it, you can always make connections elsewhere.

ScreaminE wrote: I was under the impression that if you gave a two week notice and they said pack you're E36 M3 and leave now, they are obligated to pay you that two weeks. I'm an engineer not an HR person though.

That is true. But they can pay me the 2 weeks in one lump sum prior to the end of the year, and then I would not get my 401k match and 4 days of vacation that have accrued. And those are more than the 2 weeks of pay.

Unless you're management, you don't typically get walked out.

All 3 jobs I've left since college have allowed me to work out my 2 weeks notice. Claim rep for State Farm, and two Tech Writing jobs.

give notice … but make sure you're covered … I personally would wait 'til the 3rd or 4th … 1 week is plenty, since you expect them to show you the door as soon as you announce

I actually gave my 3 weeks notice last Monday. I'm even working until through Christmas. But, because of that, I'm getting my vacation pay, bonus etc and the boss told me whenever I wanted to come back come.

wbjones wrote: give notice … but make sure you're covered … I personally would wait 'til the 3rd or 4th … 1 week is plenty, since you expect them to show you the door as soon as you announce

I'm planning for it, but I don't expect it. Frankly, I'd like the time off but want to ensure I'm employed by this company on January 1st.