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Why do we have to give 2 weeks notice? our boss fire us right on the spot?

4 points by michellejunlee ↗ HN
why do we have to give 2 weeks notice? but employer can fire us right on the spot?

i have been working as programmer in the valley forever (starting out as programmer for Digital Unix back in 95). Never quit a job, always got fired after few years of good works, and mostly due to company not doing well.

Recently trying to quit a job, but was told that if i quit then i am burning bridge with him. He is a well to do vc (rich guy $100m+). Then was told to give me 30 days, but feels like earlier talk a threat, so i just quit right away.

any idea what should i do differently?

23 comments

[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 60.9 ms ] thread
robdoherty2
you don't have to; giving 2 weeks notice is a professional courtesy that contributes to you getting a positive reference at some point in the future
michellejunlee
some big companies like cisco and sun micro doesnt even give out references except for information that you did work for them between this and that time.
grumps
Most don't as a liability.
OriginalAT
As was mentioned it is simply a courtesy that you extend to your employer so that they may have sufficient time to find a replacement for your position, or at least get the process started and in the mean time make arrangements for your duties to be handled.
dottrap
And some (paranoid?, hostile?) companies will escort you out the door the moment you offer two weeks (or whatever) notice.
dottrap
Oh, make sure you've gathered all your personal belongings beforehand or make them easy to grab as you are being led out the door.
caw
A company I know of just went to unassigned cubes. Cubes are first come first serve each day, and as a result of that you can't store things overnight in the cube. Besides real estate savings for the company, I suppose it makes the firing process quicker.
michellejunlee
that was the nature of tech company i guess. I have seen situation where the manager will bring the employee to a room and said the company not doing well etc, telling you that you are fire and by the time you are back in your cube, you cant even login to your system anymore.
johnmurch
Some places it's actually 4 weeks as they won't payout PTO and/or other contributions if you leave before.
joezydeco
You need to know your local/state laws when leaving a job.

In Illinois, for example, you must have your final paycheck (including all backpay in arrears and unused PTO/vacation pay) paid to you when you leave or, at the latest, the next scheduled pay period where your coworkers would have been paid.

Employers can't withhold unpaid PTO that you earned just because you don't give enough notice.

RougeFemme
And even though you may not think so at the time that you are giving notice, you may actually want to return to that company at some point. Not giving notice may be seen as burning at least 1 bridge and may land you on the "do not rehire" list.

And it allows time for any "knowledge transfer" that may need to occur.

michellejunlee
just wondering, why people are so afraid of "burning the bridge". It feels like there is a mentality that the world (or the valley) at the least is small and there will be good chances you meet the people you work with or your boss in future that will interview you?

i have been working in the valley since 96 as programmer and i never gotten interview or at the least needed help from people i work before.

owenmarshall
Most people try to maintain a good quality network of peers that they can tap later on. All situations are of course different, but I've almost always moved from job to job by reaching out to my network and seeing what kind of positions were open.

That being said, the kind of person that tries to browbeat you into working an extra month with threats isn't a person that will be helpful in the future. Some bosses burn bridges when their employees have the audacity to quit. So don't worry about those kinds of people.

stevekemp
I'm in Edinburgh, Scotland. There are a few games companies, a lot of banks, and a few random shops that hire sysadmins.

I've won places, and declined places, solely on the basis of small-city syndrome, where everybody knows each other.

People talk, so I've heard about conditions in a lot of shops I've never personally set foot inside. That's been enough to make me ignore their contacts, or adverts.

grumps
Six degrees of Kevin Bacon...
Mankhool
Where are you? In Canada you don't have to give ANY notice to leave. It is done out of consideration for your employer and their need to replace you before you leave.
kohanz
Don't be so sure. This appears to be a legal gray area [1]

[1] http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/04/when-two-weeks-...

dalke
"the 10 months the court considered appropriate"

That's .... that's ... gob-smacking!

According to http://www.mathewsdinsdale.com/departing-employees-ordered-t... :

> After 295 days of hearing, the trial judge found that the defendants had been integral in managing projects and designing the company’s core technology products which formed the backbone of the company. The Court found that these individuals were part of senior management and were crucial to the direction and guidance of the company and as such owed fiduciary duties to GasTOPS. The Court further held that the two weeks of notice of resignation provided by each of the defendants was wholly inadequate, and that each of the defendants were fully aware that their departures would leave GasTOPS unable to fulfill its existing contracts, or continue to pursue the business opportunities it had been cultivating. ...

> On appeal, the Court of Appeal held that the 10-year disgorgement period was reasonable, given the small and highly specialized market, the nature of the confidential and technical information that had been misappropriated and used, and the product that was created and marketed using this information. The Court of Appeal was also influenced by the fact that GasTOPS was an industry leader in a market that only contained a small number of very large customers. Accordingly, it was reasonable to conclude that it would take approximately 10 years for the damage caused to dissipate.

> Although the damage award in this case was extremely large, the Court noted that the breach of fiduciary duties owed in this case were particularly egregious.

Nope. Still doesn't seem justified to me.

dalke
Seems in Canada that it depends on one's position in the company.

http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/4132/notice-is-a-two-way-st... points out that

> In Aquafor v. Whyte, Dainty, and Calder, the court held the four and five weeks’ notice provided by two departing fiduciary employees was sufficient

But that wasn't a blanket decision. Had Aquafor been able to show the judge that that they needed "12-18 months" (!) notice, then it probably would have had a different result.

patmcc
If you live in a jurisdiction with good labour laws, your boss might be able to fire you "on the spot" but they'll still have to pay at least 2 weeks of severance.

Also, keep in mind that leaving immediately might seem like it hurts your boss and/or the company, but more likely it just stresses out your co-workers who have to pick up where you left off without any help. 2 weeks to hand off all your current stuff makes their lives a lot easier.

domaniac
You won't believe it but in India some software companies have a 3 month notice period :)