Planning on giving employer 2 weeks notice
chloe1
4 Posts
Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if someone could help me with this dilemma I'm currently in. I recently found another job and am currently working with their HR dept to get my paperwork in order. Although the offer letter hasn't been written up yet, I feel confidant there will be one next week. The problem is, my boss is going on vacation next week but I desparately want to give my two weeks notice during that time. I could give my notice this week, but without that offer letter signed and sealed, I don't feel too comfortable jumping the gun. I feel that out of respect for my boss and to make sure I leave on a good note, I should tell my boss in person that I'm quitting. My question is: is it okay to contact HR to give my two weeks notice and just send my boss an email letting her know I'm leaving and that we can sit down and discuss when she comes back? I will of course also reach out to my boss's boss to let him know as well.
If anyone can share their thoughts on whether they think I'm taking the appropriate steps, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for your help.
CD
Comments
CD, most employers are careful to avoid creating an implied contract with an offer letter and usually include a statement that the employment is "at-will" and can be ended at any time by the employer or employee for any reason. so an offer letter may give you more confidence to make the leap but typically is no guarantee that you will ever work in the new job. that said, you are in a difficult position. i would read your employee handbook to see what it says about giving notice. follow those guidelines and the company can't hold it against you. the tricky part is how you handle telling your boss, especially if you think you'll ever need your boss as a reference or return to the company again. you have several options: the one you mentioned (as long it follows company protocol), giving notice before you have the offer letter, negotiating a new start date with the new employer (telling the new company your difficult situation should help). the last two options would leave you in better standing with your former employer and boss. with the option you mentioned, a lot would depend on your relationship with your boss and how he/she would view it. without knowing your boss, i can't say for sure how he/she would react.
Please listen to what happened to me when I first started out. I received an offer letter from a well-known company and gave my two-weeks notice.
In the interim, the new company informed me that the position I had been offered was given instead to someone in-house, but there was another job available for me. Being young, I was too embarrassed to ask my current employer if I could keep my job and so I left.
The job at the new company turned out to be little more than clerical and certainly not a step up financially or in the learning process. Then when I got my first paycheck, I found out the company did not contribute to heathcare insurance. I had been too naive to ask about insurance at the interview.