handing in notice at work

[leemond2008]

So after 18 years at y present company it looks like I have finally escaped...or very nearly anyway.

I've never actually handed in my notice before and I'm not sure exactly when to do it.

At present I've had the contract from the new company, I just need to sign it and return it, the only thing is that they haven't actually gave me a start date yet.

The thing that is concerning me is that if I jump in and hand in my notice now then I don't want to end up jumping the gun and being without work for 3 or 4 weeks, on the flipside, I don't want to wait for the start date to come through only to find that I don't have enough time to work my notice period.

My contract says that I have to give 12 weeks notice but I've been told that it is actually just 4 weeks that I need to give them.

Do I do it now, Do I wait for the start date or can I just kind of provisionally tell them that I'm giving them my notice and we can work out the actual notice period at a later date?

Also at what point is it acceptable to take a massive dump on my bosses desk?

[Davkaus]

There are two points to consider here, the first is your start date. This isn't dictated by the company, it's negotiated. I assume they know your notice period is 12 weeks? If they liked you enough to give you the job, they'll want a few weeks, and they'll have hired enough people to be aware most people won't quit until they have a start date.

In terms of the notice period, who's told you it's 4 weeks? If it's 12 weeks in the contract they can hold you to that. Again though, it can be negotiated.

If it were me, I'd wait for the start date to be confirmed, then hand in my notice, with wording like "as per my contract, my notice period is twelve weeks, however it wil be possible to have handed my duties over within 4 weeks, so I intend my last day to be <4 weeks from date of letter> if this is convenient, however I'm willing to be flexible to arrange a date which works for both of us".

Hiring is so tricky at the moment, they might want to hold you for 12 weeks just because they doin't want to be short staffed, and you won't have much choice.

Congrats on the new job!

[leemond2008]

2 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

There are two points to consider here, the first is your start date. This isn't dictated by the company, it's negotiated. I assume they know your notice period is 12 weeks? If they liked you enough to give you the job, they'll want a few weeks, and they'll have hired enough people to be aware most people won't quit until they have a start date.

In terms of the notice period, who's told you it's 4 weeks? If it's 12 weeks in the contract they can hold you to that. Again though, it can be negotiated.

If it were me, I'd wait for the start date to be confirmed, then hand in my notice, with wording like "as per my contract, my notice period is twelve weeks, however it wil be possible to have handed my duties over within 4 weeks, so I intend my last day to be <4 weeks from date of letter> if this is convenient, however I'm willing to be flexible to arrange a date which works for both of us".

Hiring is so tricky at the moment, they might want to hold you for 12 weeks just because they doin't want to be short staffed, and you won't have much choice.

Congrats on the new job!

Cheers

The job I'm doing at the moment isn't exactly high level lol, I'm just an injury claims handler so it isn't like I'm indispensable or anything, I was speaking with someone who I work with and he said that he is 95% certain that our notice period (despite the contract) is only 4 weeks and that this all came out about 6 months ago (first I've heard of it) 

All I know is that the new place is looking to get people starting "towards the end of January" 

I guess I'll just have to wait till I get the starting date and take it from there

[mjmooney]

17 minutes ago, leemond2008 said:

I'm just an injury claims handler

How much do they get for being volleyed in the jaw? 

[leemond2008]

9 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

How much do they get for being volleyed in the jaw? 

well, lets say that said volley to the jaw left the claimant with a simple fracture requiring immobilization but from which recovery would be complete, they would get between £6080 and £8200 for that alone,  if they lost their two front teeth from said volley then you can stick between £4080 and £7160 on top of that.

Me myself I'd tell them that they deserved and and yeet them straight out of the office with a serious threat of another volleying for wasting my time.

[The Fun Factory]

38 minutes ago, leemond2008 said:

So after 18 years at y present company it looks like I have finally escaped...or very nearly anyway.

I've never actually handed in my notice before and I'm not sure exactly when to do it.

At present I've had the contract from the new company, I just need to sign it and return it, the only thing is that they haven't actually gave me a start date yet.

The thing that is concerning me is that if I jump in and hand in my notice now then I don't want to end up jumping the gun and being without work for 3 or 4 weeks, on the flipside, I don't want to wait for the start date to come through only to find that I don't have enough time to work my notice period.

My contract says that I have to give 12 weeks notice but I've been told that it is actually just 4 weeks that I need to give them.

Do I do it now, Do I wait for the start date or can I just kind of provisionally tell them that I'm giving them my notice and we can work out the actual notice period at a later date?

Also at what point is it acceptable to take a massive dump on my bosses desk?

I would recommend first to raise this with your manager and then send them a notice in writing. Keep it short and polite.

Hopefully your current employers give you flexibility as you have given them 18 years of your life to them. I think you are entitled for a dump.

[Follyfoot]

3 hours ago, leemond2008 said:

So after 18 years at y present company it looks like I have finally escaped...or very nearly anyway.

I've never actually handed in my notice before and I'm not sure exactly when to do it.

At present I've had the contract from the new company, I just need to sign it and return it, the only thing is that they haven't actually gave me a start date yet.

The thing that is concerning me is that if I jump in and hand in my notice now then I don't want to end up jumping the gun and being without work for 3 or 4 weeks, on the flipside, I don't want to wait for the start date to come through only to find that I don't have enough time to work my notice period.

My contract says that I have to give 12 weeks notice but I've been told that it is actually just 4 weeks that I need to give them.

Do I do it now, Do I wait for the start date or can I just kind of provisionally tell them that I'm giving them my notice and we can work out the actual notice period at a later date?

Also at what point is it acceptable to take a massive dump on my bosses desk?

My mate who worked on the toll road chinned his gaffer, worked a treat 

[mjmooney]

3 hours ago, leemond2008 said:

well, lets say that said volley to the jaw left the claimant with a simple fracture requiring immobilization but from which recovery would be complete, they would get between £6080 and £8200 for that alone,  if they lost their two front teeth from said volley then you can stick between £4080 and £7160 on top of that.

Me myself I'd tell them that they deserved and and yeet them straight out of the office with a serious threat of another volleying for wasting my time.

I think I got about two grand for losing a couple of teeth in a street assault in 1982 (Criminal Injuries Compensation Board). 

[mjmooney]

Apart from my retirement notification (which I think I posted here on VT!) I haven't written a resignation letter since 1985, so I have zero recollection of how it played out! 

[bannedfromHandV]

Hi @leemond2008,

I deal with this stuff day in day out.

Firstly, it seems a little odd that you have a contract to sign but no confirmed start date, a date is usually a key aspect so I would get that in place ASAP and I personally would not hand in notice until that is fully confirmed and documented on the contract you sign.

Secondly, re your notice period - who has informed you it only needs to be 4 weeks? If it’s not someone in HR then it may not be true, once you have the start date confirmed for your new role I would then approach your HR department and confirm with them your notice period. 
 

Then, I would write up your notice to hand in to your line manager and copying in anyone else appropriate/required, if no-one else is required than just the Line Manager, then, dependent on what your HR dept confirmed as being your notice period, I would seek to reduce it (if it is 12 weeks for example and if desired) through discussion with the line manager, assuming there is some flex this will need to be confirmed and documented by HR.

Thirdly, I would personally wait until the last hour of your final day before unloading a dump on your Managers’ desk.

[leemond2008]

16 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Hi @leemond2008,

I deal with this stuff day in day out.

Firstly, it seems a little odd that you have a contract to sign but no confirmed start date, a date is usually a key aspect so I would get that in place ASAP and I personally would not hand in notice until that is fully confirmed and documented on the contract you sign.

Secondly, re your notice period - who has informed you it only needs to be 4 weeks? If it’s not someone in HR then it may not be true, once you have the start date confirmed for your new role I would then approach your HR department and confirm with them your notice period. 
 

Then, I would write up your notice to hand in to your line manager and copying in anyone else appropriate/required, if no-one else is required than just the Line Manager, then, dependent on what your HR dept confirmed as being your notice period, I would seek to reduce it (if it is 12 weeks for example and if desired) through discussion with the line manager, assuming there is some flex this will need to be confirmed and documented by HR.

Thirdly, I would personally wait until the last hour of your final day before unloading a dump on your Managers’ desk.

Cheers, I think that the lack of start date is down to the fact that they are taking on 10 new staff at the same time so I suppose they are having to work in quite a few variables for everyone. I'm not overly concerned they are a massive company so I'm not expecting them to mess me around.

After I made my first post on this they have been in touch with me asking when I can start and I have been honest with them and told them that my notice period is 12 weeks but I am confident that they would be fine with me giving just 8 weeks and probably even shorter than that if necessary.

I've decided that I'm going to wait until I've got the actual date nailed down before handing my notice in, as I said the place will hardly fall apart without me, its doubtful that they'll even bother to replace me, they've had 18 years service off me so the least they can do is give me a bit of leeway with regards to a notice period.

[bannedfromHandV]

42 minutes ago, leemond2008 said:

Cheers, I think that the lack of start date is down to the fact that they are taking on 10 new staff at the same time so I suppose they are having to work in quite a few variables for everyone. I'm not overly concerned they are a massive company so I'm not expecting them to mess me around.

After I made my first post on this they have been in touch with me asking when I can start and I have been honest with them and told them that my notice period is 12 weeks but I am confident that they would be fine with me giving just 8 weeks and probably even shorter than that if necessary.

I've decided that I'm going to wait until I've got the actual date nailed down before handing my notice in, as I said the place will hardly fall apart without me, its doubtful that they'll even bother to replace me, they've had 18 years service off me so the least they can do is give me a bit of leeway with regards to a notice period.

Well, if anyone deserves leeway surely it’s leemond.

[bickster]

I'm 56 and I've never written a resignation letter.

[villa4europe]

when i resigned from my first proper job i typed out the letter, had everything ready to go, walked in the office and they'd called an big important meeting at 9am, the whole company was there...they were moving the business from hartlebury to fareham and would offer paltry relocation fees to us all knowing that we'd quit

was a very weird feeling

i've done 3, i'd say the 3rd one was the only one i found difficult, i only left there due to relocating, i actually liked the company and the people i worked with, i went to my boss' stag do and wedding

[Seat68]

It's always a bit weird handing a notice in. The company I was with for 10 years I told them that my notice was going in as soon as I had a start date. Other times they get a single paragraph, when I am finishing and if I am to have to take accrued leave it will be on X date. Nothing more, it's not a love letter. 

My daughter is 33 and never written one, I wrote one for her instead, I guess if you have never written one you are unsure what to say. 

[bickster]

I'm Off, Seeya. My offness will begin on X

[theboyangel]

Only handed my notice in once, when I was 20 following the completion of an apprenticeship.

Walked into my bosses office, told him I had a month left and I was leaving but he wanted it in writing.

Quick trip to the secretary’s office and voila, a two line letter thanking the company for giving me the opportunity but I was moving on completed and submitted within 5 minutes. 

Had to work 28 days notice but that was that

 

[mottaloo]

Slightly OT but at my place 5 years ago a load were made redundant and were contracted till Dec 31st of that year.

However, they all got paid their packages 2 weeks prior to that date.

None of them bothered to show up for that last fortnight !

[sharkyvilla]

I handed my notice in recently, first I wrote an email saying 'I've been offered a job at another bakery, I said I'll give them an answer tomorrow, I was wondering how long my notice will have to be, Jack from day shift gave in 2 weeks, is it the same for me?', they replied 2 weeks is OK so then sent another the next day saying 'Just to confirm I've accepted the new job, my last day will be Friday 17th December, thank you to everyone for my time here and good luck for the future'.  They gave me a pay rise to stay in the end, giving them the heads up of my situation helped with that I think.  I don't think writing anything arsey to them does anyone any favours even if you hate the job or your boss.

12 weeks does seem an unreasonable period to me, why keep someone whose heart isn't in it any more for that long, especially when they've been loyal for 10 years?  No way I would do more than 4 weeks, can they really do anything if you leave earlier?

[mjmooney]