30 Working Days Notice

i_steal_sheep

Hi, looking for a bit of advice. I'm thinking of changing jobs and have been through first round of interviews and now called back for a second. I'm in my current job 3 years, and was issued with contract the week before I started, signed it, filed it away safely and now cannot resurrect it. When the Recruitment Agency contacted me originally about going for the job I'm in the running for, they asked what notice period I would have to serve and I told them 30 days. It transpires that my employer will actually make me work 30 working days notice + holidays I've already taken from this years annual leave calendar. Employer has already forced a a colleague of mine to work 6 weeks notice and he is not open to negotiation on this. The Agency was more than surprised by this and they have never heard of an employer taking the 30 days notice thing literally and like me, assumed this to mean 1 calendar month. Second Interview coming up on Friday and if I'm asked in the interview about notice period, I'm afraid the 6 weeks thing will frighten them off. I have been promoted since I joined current company but was never issues with a new contract. Salary paid monthly etc.

Is it a myth that I am currently 'out-of-contract' and that I only need to serve notice period equivalent to payment frequency i.e. 1 month or will I be bound by the 6 week / 30 working days that I signed up to 3 years ago.

Current employer is not a reasonable man and does not take it very well when people leave!

Stheno

You can giive less notice but it may mean no reference
I've had to give up to three months notice in the past and new employers waited for it to be completed

daheff

when asked about it, I'd say that your current contract has a 6 week notice period , but there could be some leeway. If they really want 4 weeks then you can get around it.

Then when you quit, I'd give the old boss the 4 weeks notice. See what he says. If he says you have to do 6 weeks and makes a big fuss about it say yeah sure, and then call in sick for the last 2 weeks.

But dont expect a reference afterwards.

bee06

For the right candidate a company will wait a couple of extra weeks. For a previous role I had to work 3 months notice and my new employer said they were OK to wait.

Mrs OBumble

i_steal_sheep wrote: »

Is it a myth that I am currently 'out-of-contract' and that I only need to serve notice period equivalent to payment frequency i.e. 1 month or will I be bound by the 6 week / 30 working days that I signed up to 3 years ago.

Yes, it's a myth.

Your contract provision is odd (effectively you're on 8 weeks notice at the end of the year, and 4 at the start), but not illegal.

i_steal_sheep

Thanks for taking time to reply all. Had second Interview today (went well) and they didn't ask about the notice period etc. I guess by virtue of having informed the Agency initially, they already know. The 30 day thing though is odd, or just awkward but it's part of the culture I've become used to. I love it when some one leaves in our place and the boss comes out with the line, 'I just have to decide now whether to accept his/her notice... I'll think about it for a few days'. He likes to flatter himself.

Manach

As other posters said, to leave early from a contractual period risks a poor reference from a formal employee but it is not a period of servitude.So while leaving earlier that the notice period term could in theory leave one open to a breach of contract clause these are very rarely persued by the employer.