Feb

20

Two Weeks Notice – Why?

February 20, 2007 |

It is very common to think that when leaving a company you should give Two Weeks Notice. Some companies even make you sign papers expressing you will, although I have been fortunate not to face those types of contracts.I certainly think that a Two Weeks Notice gives the opportunity for the employer to ease some of the pain of loosing a valuable resource. That is a very nice thing to do that shows that you really care about the company you are leaving and about leaving a nice impression on those that have worked with you.

However, there are some things that we might want to consider. In most situations:

  • It does takes more than two weeks to hire a replacement.
  • Even if within the company, it takes more than two weeks to train someone and get that person up to speed.
  • During the two weeks, the employee can gather confidential information which he/she may use at their next endeavor. Risky for the employer.
  • The employer may decide against running the risk of loosing confidential information and fire the employee immediately. Risky for the employee.
  • Few people work with the same dedication when they know that they will soon be leaving. Many professional ones work with high level of respect and a good sense of duty, but usually not as if it would mean their source of income for years to come.

Consider other ways of leaving a nice impression and easing the pain:

  • Advise your manager and co-workers that you are looking for a different job. At a minimum, advice that you need to grow in your career and that if your current employment you don’t find ways of growing you may need to go elsewhere very soon.
  • Document your tasks, contacts, methodologies, and detailed status of your current projects.
  • Avoid taking new long term projects, if possible.
  • Schedule a vacation before leaving the company: forcing you and your employer to transfer your duties to someone else before you actually resign.
  • Mentor other people about the work you do.

Don’t take the Two Weeks Notice thing as a rule. Look at its principle of easing the pain and leaving a good impression and think about alternatives to the actual 10 days of sitting in the office waiting for the job to end.


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