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Ask HN: How does the two weeks notice work?

1 points by BadassFractal ↗ HN
After saving up for years, I'm thinking of quitting my big corporate job in a month or so to pursue working on independent projects on my own. I've never had to leave a job before, so I have no idea what I'm doing.

I hear that you're supposed to give your 2 weeks notice, but then I also read that sometimes you're treated as if you officially quit right away rather than in 2 weeks. Is this really up to the company to decide? Is this generally defined in the policy? I'd love to find out, as I'll need to know when exactly I'll be "officially out" for insurance purposes.

Any suggestions/experiences would be greatly appreciated!

2 comments

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ScottBurson
My recollection is that insurance tends to be on a monthly basis. Give notice at the beginning of the month, and you might be covered until the end of the month in any case. Double-check that, though.

I think that if you give two weeks' notice, you're doing the company the courtesy of offering to stick around for two weeks to help with the transition. They might not accept that offer, because they consider you to be a security risk or something, but even if they decline it they're still obliged to pay you for that time, AFAIK; they just won't let you come into the office.

While there might be things for which they could terminate you without owing you severance pay, I don't see how giving notice could be one of them.

But I'm no expert. If it matters that much, consult an attorney.

lchengify
For health insurance, there is this thing called COBRA that you get mailed to you and can sign up for. Basically it means that you can pay out-of-pocket for the same coverage your company gave you without a change in price.

For my last employer, health coverage ended on the last day of employment. However if something happens between your quitting and you filling out the form, COBRA still covers you because the law states that as long as you sign up, it's "retroactive back to the event", the event being you quitting. I don't know if this applies for non-citizens. I would check your employee agreement or handbook for the specific conditions.

These details are from my lawyer, however IANAL myself. For more details on this I would defiantly ask an expert; insurance law is very tricky and my explanation may not be complete.

In terms of what '2 weeks notice' actually means, it varies heavily by company. Some shops walk you out the door immediately or within 24 hours (finance). Others almost always wait the full 2 weeks to get everything in order. Many times it depends on other factors, such as whether or not you're leaving for a competitor (or in your case, starting a competitor).