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Two weeks notice
wallabeeX
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm moving to California with three friends in four weeks. It was always an idea floating around, and I wasn't sure if it was something I was serious about. So unsure, in fact, that I took a job in Boston and started renting a sublet for the summertime. I always figured "Well, if California actually happens, I'll need the money from this job anyway, and if not, I've got this job". There's a part of me that always hatches huge plans and then plays it safe - Boston was safe, and I was prepared to really like this job and settle in.
I allowed myself to play a part in this grand plan of California, and one of the three friends (actually living in LA) started to look for our place. Everyone understood I might back out, but as time went on, I realized this new position I started wasn't really my bag. I'm a computer graphics nerd by trade, with three years industry experience, and in a desperate move I took an IT position at a computer graphics firm. It had been advertised to me as being challenging and cutting edge, and that I'd play a very diverse role, with expectations of jumping into the end of projects to fill as the "jack of all trades" while also fixing the company's machines. As it turns out, this is not the case. I'm incredibly micromanaged, and my "challenging" days amount to calibrating monitors, running tape backups, and pulling machines to RMA because we pay other companies gobs of money to take care of our workstation support. I'm overqualified, bored, though well paid.
After about three weeks into this new position my friends found a place and asked if I was in, and in lieu of the above, I said "Yes, god yes.". LA is about the exact place someone needs to be if they're trying to get back into the CG industry, and I've got enough references and experience that I think I could probably make it just fine out there. That said, I've got just enough saved to get out to LA, put my money down on this new apartment, and have a little change to get through the month. I'd love a little more than that, and I'm selling what I can and doing what freelance I can before I get going.
That said, I'm giving my current employer two weeks notice next week, when the HR returns from vacation. I've only been there just over a month, they had to do very little training on me, and I've spent my free time at work writing documentation on the functions my position serves. Until they found a new IT person (which wouldn't be hard given that the position is so rudimentary), I'm assuming my manager would go back to filling the tasks I do. In other words, I'm not sure they'd be so keen on having me around for two weeks if they knew I was just leaving for California. Obviously, it'd be incredibly financially helpful if I can expect to work those two weeks, so I'm curious, what's the general policy on two weeks notice? Is the employer generally expected to honor two weeks? Can they just tell me to screw off and not come in Monday?
I allowed myself to play a part in this grand plan of California, and one of the three friends (actually living in LA) started to look for our place. Everyone understood I might back out, but as time went on, I realized this new position I started wasn't really my bag. I'm a computer graphics nerd by trade, with three years industry experience, and in a desperate move I took an IT position at a computer graphics firm. It had been advertised to me as being challenging and cutting edge, and that I'd play a very diverse role, with expectations of jumping into the end of projects to fill as the "jack of all trades" while also fixing the company's machines. As it turns out, this is not the case. I'm incredibly micromanaged, and my "challenging" days amount to calibrating monitors, running tape backups, and pulling machines to RMA because we pay other companies gobs of money to take care of our workstation support. I'm overqualified, bored, though well paid.
After about three weeks into this new position my friends found a place and asked if I was in, and in lieu of the above, I said "Yes, god yes.". LA is about the exact place someone needs to be if they're trying to get back into the CG industry, and I've got enough references and experience that I think I could probably make it just fine out there. That said, I've got just enough saved to get out to LA, put my money down on this new apartment, and have a little change to get through the month. I'd love a little more than that, and I'm selling what I can and doing what freelance I can before I get going.
That said, I'm giving my current employer two weeks notice next week, when the HR returns from vacation. I've only been there just over a month, they had to do very little training on me, and I've spent my free time at work writing documentation on the functions my position serves. Until they found a new IT person (which wouldn't be hard given that the position is so rudimentary), I'm assuming my manager would go back to filling the tasks I do. In other words, I'm not sure they'd be so keen on having me around for two weeks if they knew I was just leaving for California. Obviously, it'd be incredibly financially helpful if I can expect to work those two weeks, so I'm curious, what's the general policy on two weeks notice? Is the employer generally expected to honor two weeks? Can they just tell me to screw off and not come in Monday?
wallabeeX on
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they do like to gradually ease you out rather than a "fuck you get out" thing
I tell people to gtfo when they give me two weeks notice. But I pay them for the two weeks. However, you should not count on them to do this. They may expect you to work it.
They could screw you and fire you on the spot. But that is bad business and you could claim unemployment if you wanted and even report them to the BBB or similar groups and help to give them a bad rep in the industry.
Or you could just quit without notice, which means you can't really ever use this job as a reference, but I don't imagine you want to anyway. But I assume you want the two weeks pay.
My gut is that they'll keep me on for the two weeks. I even considered giving them the option of a month, so they could find a replacement that I could train, but I decided I needed to be out to Hollywood sooner than that, and I wrote the documentation in response. My manager will undoubtedly take this personally and may react pretty poorly to this given that, from what I understand, he's been lobbying for this position for a while, so I think I just need to make it clear to HR that this position should exist and I'm just overqualified for it.
Another question: My manager has been incredibly accomodating and nice, though he can be pretty moody. He's been very clear with me about his expectations, which I've exceeded, and he praises me regularly and even takes me out to lunch from time to time and/or gives me a ride home. Given that there's a small personal relationship there, I'm tempted to tell him first before HR. What's the standard practice on this? Should I just cover my ass and tell HR first? And should I do this all in writing, or can I just do it in person? Both?
Never had to quit any job. Always either let go, or it was a summer job with an obvious end and someone always asked "when are you leaving?". This is the first time someone's been like "Don't make plans for the second week in November, I'm getting married and need you here."
Yar and talios are right though that they may not pay you, especially if you'd been there such a short time.
THis.
I've never quit a job by just telling HR first. I always let my manager know what's going on, and then make the official notice. Obviously I can see that there could be situations where the former might be a good idea, but in this case you're friendly with your manager and you're moving, so it doesn't seem to be one of those situations. Tell your manager first.
You might not plan on using them as a reference, but if a company ever does a background check on them and finds them, or you decide to list them, it would be better to be a rehire status ex employee if they call said company.
I talked with an HR friend who works in MA, and he says that the company is most likely going to keep me on or pay me the two weeks given that it's more trouble to not for most companies. Also, I should add that I don't have a lot of access to sensitive data and I have shown no animosity towards the company, so I don't think it's going to be a "oh god let's save our asses and get him out of here" kind of attitude. It's probably going to be more like "Well, let's make him work his ass off for that last two weeks". Which might be kind of nice, and what I'm looking for out of the position.