Leaving for new job with no notice?

szam_

Morning all,

I just wanted to gauge some opinion.

My girlfriend went for a job interview on Monday, she said it went very well and they verbally offered her the job on the spot. They did ask about when she could start, when said her notice was the standard four weeks but she will see if her employer will let it slide for a couple of weeks as she isn't used to the capacity she used to be used (other colleagues had left, hence leaving her on a reception most of the time).

She received an email this morning, stating that she has not got the job, because they want someone who will start, and I quote, "the day after an accepted offer". She's obviously very disappointed she didn't get it, but more disappointed they gave her the hope of moving in to a better role and then telling her she hasn't.

Now, I know someone can perfectly well do the above and not break any rules, despite the fact that I hate types of people who give such false hope to something that was very important to someone.

What I'm hoping to get an opinion on, is it realistic, or expected, in times like these when jobs are quite scarce, that a potential employee should just not show up at her old job? Is it sometimes an expectation to just ditch your current employer just to get a new job? Is this a growing trend?

All my work experience has ended up mostly in redundancies, hence me asking, but the one time I did come from an old business, I was asked something similar about starting the next week despite needing to give two weeks notice.

I am asking as she has another interview lined up, and another possible one she needs to call about. Is this what she can expect as most of the employers she applies at will be small businesses? Are there any tactics to get around being expected to leave with no notice?

Opinions welcome, and thanks in advance for any advice with the notice problem

marybelle01

Every employer knows that notice is a legal requirement. And would be pretty hacked off if you failed to give them the required notice that they wanted. So one would have to wonder what kind of employer would be expecting you to break your legal commitments to your current employer simply for their own convenience, whilst presumably expecting you to comply with them where they are concerned.

szam_

marybelle01 wrote: »

Every employer knows that notice is a legal requirement. And would be pretty hacked off if you failed to give them the required notice that they wanted. So one would have to wonder what kind of employer would be expecting you to break your legal commitments to your current employer simply for their own convenience, whilst presumably expecting you to comply with them where they are concerned.

Exactly what I said to her this morning when she found out she hadn't got it. I have heard of people negotiating the notice given, even unpaid notice, when their role is pretty much redundant and they aren't doing what they were taken on for.

Given this employer has also had 5 employees leave in 6 weeks (and this is a small company), that also has to make you wonder.

CCFC_80

First opinion is that they must be a very bad employer. Every employer should realise that a lot of people in an employment must give 1 months notice. Why do they need someone to start staright away. If they did then they should have done interviews a month or so ago. An employer to avoid in my opinion :eek:

reehsetin

szam_ wrote: »

What I'm hoping to get an opinion on, is it realistic, or expected, in times like these when jobs are quite scarce, that a potential employee should just not show up at her old job? Is it sometimes an expectation to just ditch your current employer just to get a new job? Is this a growing trend?

Similar thing happened a couple of times when job hunting last year, said I could start in a couple of weeks but not immediately (not even a full notice period) including a massive public sector company where I was temping and applied for a perm role in another department. None of the jobs ever had immediate start required on the advert either!
I wouldn't in any conscious just walk away like that and why an employer would value someone who would. As you said, surely they'll just do the same to you one day.

libby3589

I've also noticed this issue in job seeking. When asked how much notice I need to give I often hear "oooh" when I've told them. Almost all jobs advertised require an "immediate start". I think the reason for this is there are so many people unemployed who can start immediately, they are the people getting preferential treatment. Even if you would be better at the job yourself. It almost leaves you wondering if you should take the risk and give your notice in at your current role in the hope that something will turn up in time! Not an option for 99% of us as we have bills to pay.

[Deleted User]

No it isn't all about being unemployed as your often the least attractive to an employer anyway being out of work, it is because so many employers now only work to the statutory notice periods which really worst case is a weeks notice - well that is what I found with the low level but highly sought work I go for, I last had an employers own contract a year ago - since then statutory all the way

It also scares me why the urgency! these jobs near enough always have a high turn over I've found....

It's a horrible market

bargainbetty

At interview, I always ask a person what their notice period is. Anyone who tells me that they are happy to walk out earlier or not honour it loses credit - if they won't honour their existing contract, why would they behave any differently to me when the time came?

The company she interviewed with have a high staff turnover for a reason. Stay clear and take the other interviews. The likelihood is that the right job with the right company will accept her notice period without thinking about it.

szam_

It depends.

I've been made redundant twice now (I'm only 25). The first time I found work in less than 6 months, the second time in 2. Both times, I think the reasoning was a) I have the expertise and b) I'm available for immediate start.

My girlfriend is actually a dental nurse, and she is looking around Greater Manchester for work, apparently these jobs are hard to come by, especially full time as she is especially finding out at the moment, and rarely finds a full time job to apply for, let alone gets to the next stage.

I appreciate that employers want to leave as little space between employees as possible, but this whole attitude to "can you start next week?" and if you say no because you have to work out your notice period, you don't get the job, it's a bit ridiculous. But given my experience of being out of work while trying to get back in to work, I usually state I am ready as soon as they want me to start, so I am generally unaware of employers 'requirements' for someone to start sooner than the potential employee can actually leave their current employer.

Personally, I would put it down to increasingly poor management. If someone is leaving you, you surely plan for the gap, and interview as soon as possible ready to fill the space in as short a gap as possible. It seems like employers wait to start interviewing after their employees have already left.

That being said, I guess the solution is for her to keep plugging away at interviews until she finds a reasonable practice which will value her as an asset to the company when joining and let her finish out her notice period without the pressure of the "leave them now or you don't get the job" mentality.

scooby088

If you are unemployed you can start a job the day after interview if offered a position. Maybe employer took up the person who was unemployed rather having to wait for your OH to work the notice period.

szam_

scooby088 wrote: »

If you are unemployed you can start a job the day after interview if offered a position. Maybe employer took up the person who was unemployed rather having to wait for your OH to work the notice period.

From what I was told, they weren't interviewing and selecting from a pool, they were interviewing a person every week or so. They'd invite you for an interview a day or two after applying. However, this is just what I've been told, so hey, you might be right.

I do find it a bit shocking however that they verbally told her she had the job and they would send the official offer the day after and then turn around and tell her she hasn't got it. She was perfect for the role as a lead dental nurse and they even told her that, as she practically runs the admin side of where she is at now, she just wants to be in surgery more often.

As I mentioned in my original post, they haven't done anything wrong, but from a moral standpoint (at least in my eyes), it is a bit out of order, luckily I advised her not to ring up the places she has other interviews at until she had a solid offer and they wouldn't go back on it, as she was ready to give up them once she thought it was sealed.