Contract and Notice Period

Annietott

Can anyone advise please?

El_Torro

If you have nothing in writing telling you otherwise then your notice period is one week. Seeing as you have been there for 5 years you may want to give a longer notice, though you don't have to. 

Without knowing your circumstances I guess you will want to have a new job lined up before leaving your current employment.

TELLIT01

What does the initial contract say about notice period.  It will normally say 'x' weeks, so reducing hours will have no direct effect on that.

LeafGreen

Personally I would just contact HR and ask them.
Not sure what line of work you are in, but I would expect most new employers would understand/expect you to have a notice period to serve before you could start.

Undervalued

Annietott said:

El_Torro said:

If you have nothing in writing telling you otherwise then your notice period is one week. Seeing as you have been there for 5 years you may want to give a longer notice, though you don't have to. 

Without knowing your circumstances I guess you will want to have a new job lined up before leaving your current employment.

Thank you!
Am I working without a contract?

The issue is I’m paid monthly for a set number of hours. Therefore if a months notice is required, I will essentially be forgoing half a months salary and will be sat at home! IYSWIM. 

If it’s only a weeks notice.  Then I have a bit of wiggle room to find a job before handing my notice in.  

Also. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise having my holidays paid. 

Only if that is what has been contractually agreed. 

Otherwise the idea that the notice period is tied to the payment interval is a popular myth! 

Maybe it was true in the dim and distant past but the law is clear, an employee only has to give a week's notice, regardless of length of service or anything else, unless you have contractually agreed to more.

DullGreyGuy

What does your original contract state about notice period? The fact you reduced hours and weren't given a new contract isn't relevant, it's reasonable to assume all other terms remained the same in the absence of evidence to the opposite. 

Marcon

Annietott said:

El_Torro said:

If you have nothing in writing telling you otherwise then your notice period is one week. Seeing as you have been there for 5 years you may want to give a longer notice, though you don't have to. 

Without knowing your circumstances I guess you will want to have a new job lined up before leaving your current employment.

Thank you!
Am I working without a contract?

No - your original contract stands, albeit with a change in hours. Contracts don't always have to be in writing.

Useful reading: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/resigning/your-notice-period-when-resigning/#:~:text=If%20you've%20been%20in,at%20least%201%20week's%20notice.

Annietott

Contract states 4 weeks notice

LinLui

Annietott said:

Thanks for the replies everyone!

It is a low paid job, but essential, within a large global company, but there’s no HR on site and management make things up as they go along and now I find myself on the receiving end of the male-dominated management style. 

So I just wanted to get my facts straight first.  

From my POV it’s frustrating that they don’t have to honour the hours in the contract, but i have to honour the notice period within the same contract. Rant over!🙁

Contracts don't have to be renewed when there are changes,  and there are many aspects of contracts that aren't in the document most people think is the contract. You asked to vary your contract. They agreed and reduced your contractual hours. So they ARE honouring the hours in your contract - the ones you asked for. They didn't have to agree to further changes. It's unfortunate they won't / can't... but they are honouring the contract you agreed and asked for. It is reasonable of them to expect the same from you - 4 weeks notice. 

I'm not sure what is "male- dominated management" about that. I'm the first one to call out misogyny and sexism, but as a female senior manager I also expect people to honour their contract. What is male- dominated about that? 

saajan_12

Annietott said:

Thanks for the replies everyone!

It is a low paid job, but essential, within a large global company, but there’s no HR on site and management make things up as they go along and now I find myself on the receiving end of the male-dominated management style. 

So I just wanted to get my facts straight first.  

From my POV it’s frustrating that they don’t have to honour the hours in the contract, but i have to honour the notice period within the same contract. Rant over!🙁

They did honour the hours. Then the hours were mutually changed, so you have a new ageement (even if not all written down) with new hours, all else unchanged. Now both sides have to honour that new agreement in terms of notice and the new hours.

You wouldn't like it if they randomly forced you back to the original hours a few months after you asked for them to be reduced because that's what was last written down. 

TELLIT01

Annietott said:

Thanks for the replies everyone!

It is a low paid job, but essential, within a large global company, but there’s no HR on site and management make things up as they go along and now I find myself on the receiving end of the male-dominated management style. 

So I just wanted to get my facts straight first.  

From my POV it’s frustrating that they don’t have to honour the hours in the contract, but i have to honour the notice period within the same contract. Rant over!🙁

They have honoured the hours in the contract.  You requested reduced hours and they allowed that.  They do not have to permit you to return to full time hours.  Alternatively, they could have refused your reduced hours request or insisted on returning to full time hours earlier. 

As has been said, changing hours does not require any change in notice period.  Somebody could reduce to 1 day a week but still be required to give the original notice period.