Is It REALLY That Important To Give 2 Weeks Notice?

You want to leave. Maybe you feel like they want you to leave. Let’s not drag out the inevitable, right? I mean that other job is sitting there waiting and they wanted you to start yesterday. And you’d rather be over there anyway. What difference will two weeks make? You wouldn’t drag out a breakup with your girlfriend. Just make a clean break.

Don’t do it.

If the choice is yours, you owe it to yourself to at least offer the two weeks notice. It’s important. Even if they tell you “Let’s make today your last day,” you will be remembered for making the offer.

My kids didn’t care. They saw zero value in telling the really mean manager at Wendy’s that they would work for another two weeks. They had taken my advice and not quit their job before finding another job. The new job was wonderful (Just like the old job at been.) They were going to carpool with friends who also worked there. It was going to be awesome. And the old job was terrible. The people were rude.

Do I HAVE to give two weeks notice?

No, it’s up to you and there’s no law about it. But, you should.

But, why? I’m never going to work at Wendy’s again.

Do you remember Labor Day weekend?

Yeah.

Do you remember that you had to go in and work even though you’d requested the day off?

Yes. It sucked. That’s the kind of stuff I want to avoid!

Do you remember WHY you had to go in on your day off?

Yes, that loser Jason didn’t bother to show up and we were slammed with a rush. . .Oh. . .

Even if you never want to work at a particular company ever again, it’s still worth it to finish out your final two weeks. If you don’t do it for your bosses, do it for your coworkers.

But, what about when you get into corporate jobs? Still important?

Okay, it was a company layoff, not me attempting to quit, but it fit into the category. WordPerfect was downsizing. They were willing to take volunteers. Microsoft had just made me an offer. It was perfect timing. For people who took the severance package, we were allowed to pick our last day in a two week window. Most people naturally picked the last possible day. I mean, those last two weeks are not going to be very productive, and they didn’t already have a job, so why not keep pulling down a paycheck for a few more days?

Except, I had a job. I told my boss I was taking the layoff package.

Oh? We weren’t planning to lay off anyone in your department. . .I mean, everything is. . .um. . .potentially. . .on the list. When do you want your last day to be?

A week from Friday like everybody I guess.

Where are you headed?

Microsoft.

At the time, WordPerfect was bleeding like a losing gunfighter. And Microsoft was holding the smoking gun. I wasn’t anyone important. i was support operator, “Thank you for calling WordPerfect support, how may I assist you today?” I was not anyone strategic.

Here’s the other half of the two week notice. When you give your two weeks AND you announce you are going to a competitor, the gracious thing to do, the SAFE thing to do, is for a smart company to say, “Let’s make today your last day.”

They weren’t smart. Day after day I came in and sat around as WordPerfect tried to figure out how to lay me off knowing I was going to their biggest competitor. As it turned out, they wrote some mean-spirited letter threatening to sue me and the Evil Empire in Redmond if I went to work for them in less than the mandatory six month non-compete. This is probably only one indication of the problems that ultimately forced WordPerfect out of business.

If you’re the company and an employee wants to leave but offers to stay for two weeks, show them the door. Makes it easier for everyone.

This week I had someone leave abruptly. It nearly resulted in me having to cancel, or at least postpone a huge piece of my project. Nice guy, but a little warning next time.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. 

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