Giving work notice

Lennyzip

Ok , well planning on leaving my current job in the new year . Have actively been seeking new employment for the last few months as I am deeply unhappy in my current job . I've checked my contract & it states I must give a months notice . Is this a long amount of time ?? I've never been in a job where I've had to give notice as I worked for a company for a particularly long time ( got the job straight out of college ) . Then I got a redundancy a couple of years ago and did some short stint jobs inbetween getting my latest job .
If I apply and get a new job they are hardly gonna be too impressed that I will have to give a months notice . Will this be a big deterrent . I'm itching to leave the job I'm in but only if I know I have job guaranteed . I'm thinking of just giving my current employers an ultimatum of roughly two weeks notice , take it or leave it . Will they have an recourse on this ?
To put things in perspective I feel aggrieved by this company . My father passed away in the summer & they refused to even approach the idea of paying me three days bereavement pay . I know it's totally at the discretion of the company to pay this but I felt very bitter about this . Also they have a policy of where you have to give 8 weeks notice to take a day off . To be honest I'm just fed up at this stage as it's affecting my personal life . Any advice would be much appreciated .

Eoin

A month is pretty standard, so it shouldn't be a massive deterrent for your next employer. It could depend on the industry you work in, and what level you're at.

I'm thinking of just giving my current employers an ultimatum of roughly two weeks notice , take it or leave it

Wait and see if a month is an issue for your next employer. If it's not, then it's a bit of a needless battle to fight.

Technically I believe that you're in breach of contract if you leave without serving your notice period (if they don't waive it obviously). Nobody here should advise you on whether they're likely to sue or not; but as I said above, see if it's an issue for your next employer or not.

Anyway, just concentrate on getting your next job; the rest is just logistics. If it comes up in the interview, say that you might be able to negotiate the notice period and take it from there.

pauliebdub

A months notice is pretty standard so shouldnt be an issue for any new employer, the purpose of which is to allow for a handover to handover to whoever will be taking on your job, either a new employee or existing employees. If you wish to leave sooner try and negotiate with your employer and see if they waive some of it, tell them you could arrange a handover quicker. It all depends on the company and how vital you are to the operations.

Id advise against walking out, they are unlikely to provide a reference and could withold your P45 which can make life a bit difficult for you in relation to your tax.