

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

why do we have to give 2 weeks notice? but employer can fire us right on the spot?<p>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.<p>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.<p>any idea what should i do differently?
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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.

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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.

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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-...](http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/04/when-two-weeks-notice-
wont-do/)

~~~
dalke
"the 10 months the court considered appropriate"

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

According to [http://www.mathewsdinsdale.com/departing-employees-
ordered-t...](http://www.mathewsdinsdale.com/departing-employees-ordered-to-
pay-nearly-20m-for-breach-of-fiduciary-duties/) :

> 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...](http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/4132/notice-is-a-two-way-street.html)
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

