Quitting my job 8 March 2022 at 9:06AM in Employment, jobseeking & training 5 replies 464 views

Chucklechops

Hi

Please can someone explain to me the ramifications of quitting my financial services job (and not working my notice), as opposed to working the contractual notice period?

And is there any change to the answer if I have been signed off work due to stress?

Many thanks for any advice given.

Undervalued

You can remain signed off sick during your notice period (assuming your doctor is willing to provide a certificate). Nothing wrong with that.

Otherwise, if you fail to work your notice (or at least offer to work your notice) you are in breach of contract. If the employer suffers a loss as a result (e.g higher cost of hiring short term cover and / or loss of business) they can sue you for their losses. This doesn't happen all that often but it certainly does occasionally.

If you work in a regulated field your employer could complain to the regulator and they could put that you failed to honour your contract in any reference.

TELLIT01

Potential ramifications are the current employer refusing to provide references or to state that you left without working the required notice period.  As you are signed off your employer may be willing to accept a shorter notice period as long as you are willing to accept that you won't be entitled to pay for the entire original notice period.

SensibleSarah

Just a word of warning that although legal action from a former employer over costs to an employee that didnt work their full notice is rare - it absolutely does happen.

I left a role and managed to negotiate my notice period down from 4 months to 2 (subject to me completing specific projects before leaving) but a colleague at the same place just stopped going in with around 6 weeks of her notice still outstanding as she was finding it very stressful - they started legal action against her. She ended up paying them the 'costs' that they demanded to avoid going to court as it was hugely stressful for someone in her early 20s leaving her first 'proper' job and the threat of a legal case was very detrimental to her mental health. As other people had left before finishing their notice at that place and not had any consequences, we assumed that they wanted to make a point to dissuade others from trying it in the future and targeted someone they correctly assumed wouldn't fight them on it. 

Moral of the story IMO - is to try and negotiate a shorter notice if possible. If you are signed off with stress by your doctor for the entire notice period then that's absolutely fine - they can't force you to work your notice if you're ill. 

Marcon

Chucklechops said:

Hi

Please can someone explain to me the ramifications of quitting my financial services job (and not working my notice), as opposed to working the contractual notice period?

And is there any change to the answer if I have been signed off work due to stress?

Many thanks for any advice given.

Major issue is likely to be a detrimental impact on any reference your employer gives - and as you doubtless know, financial services is an area where a reference must be given if requested.

Being signed off due to stress doesn't change that answer, but if that's the case, talking to your employer about an earlier release date by agreement might well resolve the matter entirely amicably.

mcpitman

From an employers point of view, unless there were pretty strong reasons for not working a notice period this may be held against you.

Particularly in careers like Financial Services, where trust is key to a strong career, this could be quite damaging if you can't honour an employment contract.