Notice period amendment

Loubietoubs

Hi. I have recently given my notice (Sunday) to leave my employment. I plan to go self employed. My boss has not acknowledged my email. Today I was with my boss at work. He again; did not acknowledge my email. I am a manager for him and my contract states I need to give 2 weeks notice. My email said that I would be happy to give one month (2 weeks doesn’t seem enough time to find a replacement). Today, after my shift I sent a text message to ask for confirmation of my last shift and the date. He did not reply within a few hours so I just sent another one saying can you please let me know as soon as possible. Considering I initially sent the email on Sunday I thought this was a reasonable amount of time for him to at least acknowledge my resignation. His reply was that I can’t expect him to say yes or no to a date when I have resigned on a Sunday night and that he needs to find out what’s good for the business before he can tell me if it’s two weeks or one month notice that he’ll except. 

This response has left me worried. My bus has had a past of delaying payment to members of staff that have left his employment. I didn’t think his reply to me and his behaviour today whereby he barely spoke to me was mature or professional and it’s left me wondering if I do stay for one month he will delay paying me and I will be out of pocket until he decides he wants to pay me. Would it be very unreasonable of me to retract my offer of giving one months notice and telling him that I will be leaving after two weeks instead as per my contract? 

Sandtree

Given more notice than you are required to may seem a reasonable thing to do but can backfire... having staff working their notice is often a mixed thing as they're rarely as fully productive, can effect team moral etc but at the same time the extra time can be helpful in making arrangements (though that should be thought about when setting the notice). If you've been there less than 2 years you can find they decide to let you go instead with the two weeks notice.

I've approached the situation before slightly differently, give my 1 weeks notice (or whatever it is) and state I am open to conversations to extend it if they want. That way there is a definite red line in the sand counting down and if they do nothing there is no ambiguity. 

Loosing a valued member of staff can be frustrating, which may explain their reaction. My last boss certainly let his views be known about the issue my departure would make but we also had a frank conversation about the drivers... I'm not expecting a christmas card lets leave it as.

You can certainly alter your notice, though to avoid debate I'd suggest the two weeks would commence from the new notice date rather than the original.

Marvel1

Personally I think you messed up offering a month, when if the contract states 2 weeks should have been left at that.  If no reply, then I would still consider my 2 weeks notice being started on Monday 1st November.

As Sandtrre mentioned a new notice being 2 weeks, would start from when it was sent and not original as Monday 1st November.

General_Grant

Notice starts from the day after it is received.  Unless Sunday is a normal working day, then your email will have been received on 1 November and therefore your notice period would have begun on 2 November.

As your intention is to be self-employed, a couple of days is neither here nor there unless you have a client you are working for and it appears that you don't have any self-employed work lined up for November.

The email you describe doesn't sound very clear: were you resigning or trying to negotiate a leaving date?

So I would make things clear.  Unless your manager does specify a date, don't bother to chase now but, 15 days before the day you actually want to have as your last day of employment, give in your two weeks' notice.

Loubietoubs

General_Grant said:

Notice starts from the day after it is received.  Unless Sunday is a normal working day, then your email will have been received on 1 November and therefore your notice period would have begun on 2 November.

As your intention is to be self-employed, a couple of days is neither here nor there unless you have a client you are working for and it appears that you don't have any self-employed work lined up for November.

The email you describe doesn't sound very clear: were you resigning or trying to negotiate a leaving date?

So I would make things clear.  Unless your manager does specify a date, don't bother to chase now but, 15 days before the day you actually want to have as your last day of employment, give in your two weeks' notice.

No, I didn’t want to negotiate anything. I was hoping he would see me offering longer as a gesture of goodwill, but I think it has backfired. Sunday is a normal working day for us. I’m trying to tread carefully as I don’t want to put his back up even more so he withholds money from me, which he has been known to do, but really, I don’t want to work in an environment where my boss is ignoring me for the next month. He said he will reply to me by Thursday evening to tell me if he will accept 2 weeks or 1 month. I think when he does that, I will tell him then, no it’s two weeks. 

TELLIT01

It has been said many times, but trying to give more than the required amount of notice backfires more often than not.  If the employer has stated the notice period it should be assumed that they have considered the consequences when somebody resigns, and believe they can recruit in time or cover the absence.  In the circumstances I would simply e-mail and confirm that you will be leaving on x date, after the 2 week notice period.

ALARA343

I work in the public sector and my contract requires one month notice on either side. To be helpful I verbally indicated my intention to leave sometime in the spring but even that has backfired: I am being pressurised to submit a resignation letter specifying an end of service date so that they can start recruiting for several vacancies. On top of that the interesting work has been taken away from me and replaced with some rather dull filler work. I am sticking to one month notice though with the uncertainties of the pandemic and how our house sale might go.

[Deleted User]

Your notice started last Monday, don't become involved in discussion around a different notice period from contract, none of the bosses issues is your concern. You are working notice as required and served of two weeks, this isn't up for negotiation.

Thrugelmir

ALARA343 said:

To be helpful I verbally indicated my intention to leave sometime in the spring but even that has backfired: 

All your employer needs to know is when you are leaving. They'll then deal with the consequences. That's what managers are paid to do. Any inconvenience will be temporary. You'll soon be forgotten. No one is indispensable. 

[Deleted User]

Jillanddy said:

Contrary to what @arctic_ghost said above, your notice has not started last Monday. "A verbal intention to leave sometime" is not notice.

Loubietoubs said:

Hi. I have recently given my notice (Sunday) to leave my employment.

My email said that I would be happy to give one month (2 weeks doesn’t seem enough time to find a replacement). 

 @Jillanddy That doesn't imply intent, that informs, notice served.

getmore4less

it was obvious that the post by artic was in response to the original thread starter as that was the context of the post.

Given the timings(10:17,10:28)  there is a good chance artic never saw the Alara post.