Handing in notice before Xmas break

missis_amber

Just need some advice really about when to hand my notice in.

I have been offered a job starting 5th of Jan 2015. In my current role I have to give 4 weeks notice.

I am on leave from 8-19th Dec agreed weeks ago because I have so much leave I need to take, so I've booked a holiday abroad. Our offices are then closed from 20th Dec - 4th Jan and everyone gets the two weeks as paid leave (this doesn't come out of my usual 24 days annual leave).

Now I want to hand in my notice with enough time to give me the first week of December to do any handover before I go on holiday. But I don't want to hand in my notice 'too early' that they say 'ok your last day is 19th Jan' and then I am out of pocket for the two weeks the office is closed and my new job hasn't even started.

What would others recommend? Thanks.

gettingtheresometime

Why not just hand your notice in on 1st December?

Southend1

Be careful they don't cancel your leave once you hand in your notice, if you do it too early. I would wait until 1st December myself

[Deleted User]

missis_amber wrote: »

Just need some advice really about when to hand my notice in.

I have been offered a job starting 5th of Jan 2015. In my current role I have to give 4 weeks notice.

What would others recommend? Thanks.

Congrats, now from real bitter experience, 4 weeks is that actual 4 weekly or monthly?

I'd hand notice in as soon as possible unless you have seen others leave trouble free? I guess it does come down to how other colleagues have been treated?

Always leave time to manovour if nothing else I have learnt-so if you need it esp when then the strength is in your corner - you'll be protected by your contract of employment so shouldn't lose out if they try and break it by asking you to leave early, unless by agreement...works both ways! or for some employers just one way of course and an awful lot of them exist can't deny that so I'd really find out their reputation first in such matters which only you would know

Southend1

Deleted%20User wrote: »

Congrats, now from real bitter experience, 4 weeks is that actual 4 weekly or monthly?

I'd hand notice in as soon as possible unless you have seen others leave trouble free? I guess it does come down to how other colleagues have been treated?

Always leave time to manovour if nothing else I have learnt-so if you need it esp when then the strength is in your corner - you'll be protected by your contract of employment so shouldn't lose out if they try and break it by asking you to leave early, unless by agreement...works both ways! or for some employers just one way of course and an awful lot of them exist can't deny that so I'd really find out their reputation first in such matters which only you would know

4 weeks means 4 weeks.

It's not good advice for the OP to hand in notice as early as possible as it may jeopardise the holiday she has booked and paid for if the employer cancels her leave. If she waits until it is too late for them to do this then she can still give 4 weeks notice (slightly over) and have a few days to hand over.

My personal view is that it's normally best to give contractual notice, no more no less. If the employer wanted a different notice period it should have been written into the contract. In this case though 1december seems sensible.

General_Grant

I agree with Southend1. In general don't give more notice than required by the employment contract.

Giving formal written notice on Friday 5 December (ie immediately before the holiday) would be OK but giving notice on 1 December would still not allow the employer to cancel the booked holiday (not enough notice).

OP should also make comprehensive notes for the handover in case there isn't enough time to have much 1:1 handover time. Or, if the contract requires written notice, that could be done on 5 December but they could have an informal meeting with their line manager on 1 December.

Whether they could bring forward a termination date in part depends on how long the OP has been employed. If more than 2 years, then they are fairly safe as long as the employer does not have to give less notice than the employee.

valten

Under the circumstances I can understand if the company doesn’t want to pay you for the Christmas Break. It’s not part of your holiday entitlement and is effectively a perk of the job. Many firms will ask you to hold back part of your annual leave to cover any Christmas office closures. Mine does.

As for the Holiday you’ve already booked most companies are quite happy for people to use up their holiday allowance in their notice period. After all if you don’t use it they will have to reimburse you for it when you leave. The only potential issue is that by resigning a few days before a holiday followed then by Christmas you’ve given them no real chance to find and train a replacement.

I would say hand in your notice on the 5th, but between then and now put together hand over documentation and try and wrap up whatever you are working on now, or at least bring it as close to conclusion as possible

LittleVoice

valten wrote: »

Under the circumstances I can understand if the company doesn’t want to pay you for the Christmas Break. It’s not part of your holiday entitlement and is effectively a perk of the job. Many firms will ask you to hold back part of your annual leave to cover any Christmas office closures. Mine does.

As for the Holiday you’ve already booked most companies are quite happy for people to use up their holiday allowance in their notice period. After all if you don’t use it they will have to reimburse you for it when you leave. The only potential issue is that by resigning a few days before a holiday followed then by Christmas you’ve given them no real chance to find and train a replacement.

I would say hand in your notice on the 5th, but between then and now put together hand over documentation and try and wrap up whatever you are working on now, or at least bring it as close to conclusion as possible

If the Christmas shutdown happens every year and workers are paid for the time, then it is part of their contract of employment in relation to holidays.


The OP mentioned 24 days as their leave entitlement. If they work at least 5 days a week then that would not meet the statutory minimum for leave entitlement. Perhaps bank holidays are also paid time off.


Like bank holidays, the Christmas break would be part of the entitlement.


Many firms do ask employees to use part of their holiday entitlement for specified periods but, I'm sure you would agree, that is still part of their entitlement. In the OP's case it appears the employer doesn't say "hold those days for the Christmas shutdown": it simply gives more contractual leave that it has to do by statute.