Handing in notice prior to securing new job

LegacyUser

Hi all.

I am actively seeking a new job and am quite confident of securing something in the next couple of months.
My current contract states that I have a 3 month notice period. I've been here 8 years.
Former colleagues have negotiated that down to 6 weeks and 2 months respectively when leaving in recent years. I understand both of these are time periods are workable but 3 months is restrictive.
However, I am a very important cog in my current place.
I feel notifying my superior, the owner, that I am actively seeking work will a) assist me when notice period negotiations take place and b) assist the company in planning for my departure. I also feel that handing in my notice will give me a clear purpose and focus for the next chapter in my life.
I have been stuck in a job related rut for 18 months and really think I need to move on for my mental health if anything! I also don't want to burn bridges in my current spot and really want them to be in a position to prepare adequately for my departure. The company and it's people mean a lot to me.

I know handing in your notice without anything definitely lined up is a risk but would anyone go against that view based on the above information? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

antix80

Find a new job, then worry about notice periods.

drogon.

Honestly if people really want you, they will wait the 3 months.

Strumms

As an aside, 3 month notice periods should be illegal. Maximum should be 6 weeks, standard for skilled jobs 4-6 and 1-2 for everything else.

You are concerned about enabling your employer to be ready for your departure. Reminder, your employee seems to think it’s ok to limit your marketability in the jobs market by saying they need or want 3 months notice.

LegacyUser

The conventional wisdom is never leave a job without another, and you'll probably get a lot of posts in that vein.

However, I did exactly that almost two years ago and I have no regrets. I ended up going self employed and worked on some projects that really gave my CV a boost, and I recently got a new job which is a step up from my previous one.

You should make sure you have a decent savings pot in case you're out of work longer than expected (which is a real possibility right now). It can work out though.

bobbyy gee

ask for copy of contract
https://www.monster.ie/career-advice/article/what-can-i-do-about-my-long-notice-period

Strumms

drogon. wrote: »

Honestly if people really want you, they will wait the 3 months.

It’s more likely a case of NEEDING than wanting.... it could be with the situation as is re covid and stuff they are not busy but another scenario....

If I’m a hiring manager, I interview two candidates, the number one candidate scoring 93/100 in the interview is three months from being available and a further month of training awaits before they are ready for hitting the coal face...

That’s me loosing an employee in two weeks and about 17-18 weeks away from having a fully trained up replacement. 30% plus of the year and I’m a person down. Somebody else leaves, ends op long term sick, I’m in trouble.

I’m hiring the 90/100 person, ready in a couple of weeks.

drogon.

Strumms wrote: »

It’s more likely a case of NEEDING than wanting.... it could be with the situation as is re covid and stuff they are not busy but another scenario....

If I’m a hiring manager, I interview two candidates, the number one candidate scoring 93/100 in the interview is three months from being available and a further month of training awaits before they are ready for hitting the coal face...

That’s me loosing an employee in two weeks and about 17-18 weeks away from having a fully trained up replacement. 30% plus of the year and I’m a person down. Somebody else leaves, ends op long term sick, I’m in trouble.

I’m hiring the 90/100 person, ready in a couple of weeks.

Yup thinking about it, 3 months is excessive. OP must be working with a US multinational company, I know stuff like this happens very frequently down there - especially for critical staff.

But again, if the OP decides to walk out of the job without the proper 3 months notice, they will hardly bring him to court ? unless he is really critical to the organisation.

thefa

From my experience, short term issues can be created by people leaving but everyone is replaceable.

8 years is a good service and I wouldn’t being go above and beyond to facilitate your replacement. You can be respectful by serving as much of the notice as possible and being honest in interviews about it while stating it has been negotiated down by others.

The only beneficial circumstance I see is if they had an internal candidate that you could train up which could reduce the notice required and that Is if the candidate‘s role wouldn’t require a backfill until you would hand in your notice. Creates a less than ideal situation for you in my opinion, especially with unknowns in the job market.

antix80

I had an awful employer. I gave my notice after 2 months despite having nothing lined up (i was flying at the job thanks to technical skills but their incompetence meant the job would always be long hours for people who could do the work). They asked me to give them another chance but I didn't see change. i found a new job (it ended up being worse sadly)

Anyway the new job wanted an immediate start - start in 1 week. I went back to my employer and we had a difference of opinion - they felt i revoked my notice. I felt i was working my notice with a view to revoking it.

In the end i told them "I'm starting a new job next monday and I'm willing to negotiate a notice period"

The following day (tuesday) they called me aside and told me to finish the day. Then their systems went down and that was their handover- they cut off their nose to spite their face.

I still had a hr statement of employment and an informal manager reference.

drogon.

antix80 wrote: »

I still had a hr statement of employment and an informal manager reference.

In Ireland you can't give a bad reference, the worst they could give you is - X worked for us from Y to Z

_Brian

I wouldn’t be giving notice until you have accepted an offer.

And I wouldn’t be working a 3
Month notice period, it’s ridiculous.

6 Weeks max, and that’s for people whom the business would be crippled without.
People fall into the feeling they are an important cog in a business but if they died in the morning the business would have them replaced within a month and move in just fine.
I’d suggest if a person were that important and good they should be capable of implementing systems to aide a swifter departure.

Captain Flaps

antix80 wrote: »

I had an awful employer. I gave my notice after 2 months despite having nothing lined up (i was flying at the job thanks to technical skills but their incompetence meant the job would always be long hours for people who could do the work). They asked me to give them another chance but I didn't see change. i found a new job (it ended up being worse sadly)

Anyway the new job wanted an immediate start - start in 1 week. I went back to my employer and we had a difference of opinion - they felt i revoked my notice. I felt i was working my notice with a view to revoking it.

In the end i told them "I'm starting a new job next monday and I'm willing to negotiate a notice period"

The following day (tuesday) they called me aside and told me to finish the day. Then their systems went down and that was their handover- they cut off their nose to spite their face.

I still had a hr statement of employment and an informal manager reference.

After 2 months you were surely still on probation, and thus neither party was entitled to any leave period at all surely?

I handed in my notice recently, my contract says I need to give 3 months but I gave one and nobody batted an eye despite there not being anyone in the organisation who I can handover to and no current job advertised. I'm there 7+ years.

28064212

drogon. wrote: »

In Ireland you can't give a bad reference, the worst they could give you is - X worked for us from Y to Z

That's not true, and people should really stop repeating it. They can't say anything negative that they can't prove. Their is absolutely no problem saying that X was late to work 90% of the time, so long as they can show timesheets.

However, in practice, most companies won't bother giving bad references, simply because there is no benefit to them. Why would they want to protect another company from a bad employee, especially if it comes with a risk of a legal challenge? Even if they can 100% prove the veracity of their statements, there's still going to be money and time wasted defending themselves.

Of course, none of that really matters, since the most likely outcome of a reference involving a "bad" employee is a simple manager-to-manager phone call:
"We're considering hiring X, they previously worked for you. If you were hiring again, would you re-hire X?"
"No"
End of conversation

antix80

Captain Flaps wrote: »

After 2 months you were surely still on probation, and thus neither party was entitled to any leave period at all surely?

Depends on what it says in the contract.