I will be leaving my job at the end of the spring semester (it's at a school). I'm wondering what kind of resignation notice I should give. The minimum, according to etiquette, is 2 weeks I think. I wouldn't mind giving 4 weeks' notice instead, but my department is facing a big summertime transition period and I'm afraid they'll suck me into all this extra work before I go. Texas being one of those states where you're not required to give ANY notice at all -- unless of course you want a decent reference in the future -- it's kind of up to me. Any advice or thoughts?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Giving Notice of Resignation
- Thread starter GanChan
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
2 weeks would be the minimum in my books, regardless of the law, but 4 weeks would defintely be more courteous and professional. It all depends - do you like where you work? How they treat you should affect how you treat them in some respects. Could you care less? Are you expecting a good reference from them in the future?
Also, what would the timing be? You say you don't want to get loaded with extra work, however if your leaving coicidences with the end of the semester, then that would probably be a logical time to transtition the work to someone else regardless, would it not?
Also, what would the timing be? You say you don't want to get loaded with extra work, however if your leaving coicidences with the end of the semester, then that would probably be a logical time to transtition the work to someone else regardless, would it not?
If your company is going to need to replace you quickly (ie: you have lots of work and the company would get way behind if you left) then I'd give a 4 week conditional notice, that you will leave when they find a replacement for you, but that you're going to stay a minimum of 2 weeks and a max of 4 weeks. Basically you're giving them 4 weeks to find someone else.
A simple two weeks notice is enough. Putting it in writing giving the effective date and last day is also a good idea. Beyond that, you are not obligated to offer any other information as far as reason for leaving or other job opportunities.
jdechko said:
I agree. As I said above, it's the courteous professional thing to do in my mind, but it does depend on the job, the employer and the industry.
I definitely agree with the two weeks notice thing, and definitely put it in writing that you are leaving on XXX date. If you feel comfortable giving more notice than that then go for it. Professional courtesy is key. However, it all just depends on your job situation and the environment you're working in.
I resigned from my last job in December. I gave my reasons for leaving in my letter, but that was only because my boss asked me to do so. Part of the reason I left had to do with a lot of the benefits being taken from the employees and my boss hoped to be able to use the letter to help get them changed or reimplemented. In any case, your decision to state reasons is entirely up to you.
This site gives some examples of resignation letters in case you're looking for a template.
Good luck!
I resigned from my last job in December. I gave my reasons for leaving in my letter, but that was only because my boss asked me to do so. Part of the reason I left had to do with a lot of the benefits being taken from the employees and my boss hoped to be able to use the letter to help get them changed or reimplemented. In any case, your decision to state reasons is entirely up to you.
This site gives some examples of resignation letters in case you're looking for a template.
Good luck!
One thing about it is the fact that they aren't allowed to post the job opening until I'm gone. In which case, I might be doing them a favor by leaving sooner, thus allowing them to start the job search sooner. (In any case, they'll basically have all summer to get someone and train them, because summer semesters are very very light work-wise).
Something that makes a difference - are they expecting you to leave? Today is my last day at one of my jobs. I submitted my resignation only one week ago. While that would normally not be very polite, I have very particular reasons (which could apply to you):
-My employment requires me to be in school as a condition of employment. I graduate May 19, and my job would have ended then but for this. I assume they have already begun to think about my replacement.
-I recieved an offer that wanted me to start on this coming Monday. So, I got the offer with enough time to give about two weeks. Because that offer is longer term than this, I hold more loyalty to that one - which my current employer understands and expects.
-I come to this job on Monday and Thursdays only. Since I got the offer on a Tuesday, I elected to wait until Thursday to give notice in person. In speaking to my boss, he said that it wouldn't have been a problem to give oral notice at the beginning, but this wasn't a problem either.
Most of my advice is based on the idea that your work is based on being in school. But, you may just work for the educational system - in which case ignore what I just wrote.
good luck!
-My employment requires me to be in school as a condition of employment. I graduate May 19, and my job would have ended then but for this. I assume they have already begun to think about my replacement.
-I recieved an offer that wanted me to start on this coming Monday. So, I got the offer with enough time to give about two weeks. Because that offer is longer term than this, I hold more loyalty to that one - which my current employer understands and expects.
-I come to this job on Monday and Thursdays only. Since I got the offer on a Tuesday, I elected to wait until Thursday to give notice in person. In speaking to my boss, he said that it wouldn't have been a problem to give oral notice at the beginning, but this wasn't a problem either.
Most of my advice is based on the idea that your work is based on being in school. But, you may just work for the educational system - in which case ignore what I just wrote.
good luck!
My main advice is that you don't burn any bridges, either with your boss or your co-workers. Even if you can't stand your boss and would never work for her again, you need to wrap up your current project(s) as much as possible, so that you don't leave your colleagues hanging. You never know when you might run into them again and need their help getting a job at some point in the future. You should handle your resignation as professionally as you've handled any of your other job resposibilities.
Lyle said:
Well said Lyle. Burning bridges is never a good idea, you never know what will happen in the future and who you might run into or need a favor from. What goes around comes around...
Wow. The standard notice period here's 3months, and a teacher (if that's what you do) would be required to finish at the end of a term so it could work out longer still. Even maternity leave needs to be started at the end, or at least at the half term break.GanChan said:
GanChan said:
Well, do you need the job until a date certain? What's the harm in telling them 4 weeks in advance that you'll be leaving? Gives them plenty of time to plan a transition.
If you can afford to leave earlier, then tell them you'll leave in 4 weeks, but if they want to replace you sooner, then you'll leave in less time.
mpw said:
That sounds like a law that is not exactly in accordance with nature. What if the baby comes early? Do you have to stick it back in until the semester's over?