20 months to go and MegaCorp has big plans for me!

[rbmrtn]

If your company is big enough they surely have written policies for things like HR, find what the rules are for giving notice and do that. That should ensure you meet requirements for getting paid for unused vacation etc.

They should have a plan B, that it was they get paid for.

 

[Al in Ohio]

All good points. RIF's have never occurred in this century old firm so that possibility is moot. I have a set date and for numerous reasons I want to steadfastly stick to that day. They could offer me a lot and that still ain't gonna change my plans.


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[chris2008]

Stay silent till it is time to give notice.
Do not risk to lose anything the company might offer to you till you leave. Your job might get very boring if you speak too early.

Would your bosses tell you long time in advance if they are considering to sell your part of the business? Nope. They are protecting their plans, you must take care of yours.

Good luck!

 

[jollystomper]

Agree with all those who say to keep silent, and with the view that one tends to think of themselves more valuable to Megacorp than one actually is. At my job folks who speak up way in advance will tend to get their assignments immediately changed, even informally. My observation is that a month's notice is a good amount of time.

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Just remember it is only w*rk, not real life.
-BB

 

[MRG]

All good points. RIF's have never occurred in this century old firm so that possibility is moot. I have a set date and for numerous reasons I want to steadfastly stick to that day. They could offer me a lot and that still ain't gonna change my plans.


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RIF's never happened at Megacorp, part of their culture, and recruiting pitch, until they did.

Stick to your date, but don't ever think they have any loyalty to you. If they prove different it's a happy day.

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[jon-nyc]

DeGaulle once said "the graveyards are filled with indispensable men".

I'd give at most 3 months notice. 6 if my boss were my close friend.

 

[Milton]

I bump into a cluster of visiting VPs from some new regional offices we have started and after introductions from my regional VP it's stated "oh we were just discussing you and how we need to expand your responsibilities" (implications also to grow my small group).

I would put no stock in such a casual conversation. A throwaway remark in a chance hallway encounter is far from a serious discussion in a formal meeting (at which you were present). Maybe your boss was just trying to make you feel important, who knows?

In any case, they may well change their minds, or become distracted by other competing priorities, or have to deal with a 'hiring freeze' or some such: you know, the sort of things that all too often derail plans at most megacorps. There will be plenty of 'foot-dragging' on their side without you having to contribute to it (and perhaps develop a reputation for "not being a 'team player'").

Keep your secrets to yourself. They will have a succession plan although it may not be very good. Your situation may change in 20 months and you may be glad you are moving up career-wise. Finally, if Megacorp burps do you think they wouldn't hesitate cutting your butt from the payroll with a lot less than two months notice?

Agreed.

 

[Senator]

If you have a pension benefit, you should check what is required for another year of pension.

At my company, I need 1,000 hours in a calendar year. That brings me to 6/30. Just my .02.

It could be that working another week or so, until the end of June, increases your pension a bit.

 

[Tailgate]

I gave them 6 months notice as a division manager and immediately began becoming invisible.. I respected their right to move on, but was surprised at how little they cared. The machine is the machine.. people (don't care who you are) are expendable assets. Care, but not that much...is the advise I would offer.

 

[Focus]

I gave them 6 months notice as a division manager and immediately began becoming invisible.

The daily flood of emails goes down to a trickle pretty fast. Not that one minds this...

 

[cranberryjoe]

I took a package that was offered about the time I was ready to ER. The rules of the package allowed me to choose one of two off-roll dates, effectively either 3 or 6 months notice. I chose 6, thinking it would cause less jeopardy to the project and give the company more time to transition my valuable responsibilities to others, as well as pick up 3 months more salary.

In retrospect, I wish I had chosen the 3 month notice. Those 6 months were not particularly enjoyable, and I learned how little Megacorp really cared about me. Go short.

 

[youbet]

How have others handled similar situations?

it's really pretty easy. You go on with your plans for RE saying nothing. If/when expansion of your role happens, accept it and do your very best to excel and give your employer your best effort. When it's time to replace you due to your RE announcement, it simply means the job description they'll be filling is different that it would be now. It's no issue, no big deal. One way or the other, someone new will be filling your shoes.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Two weeks notice is all I plan to give. I've seen too many get let go with two minutes warning, sometimes with zero severance pay. Besides, six months is plenty of time for them to come up with a succession plan, even if you're Bill Gates.

 

[clifp]

I think 2 months is a good compromise, especially if you and your boss are on good terms.

I let various people know I was thinking about prolly 6 months before the fact which is retrospect was a mistake. The one thing I did which I am proud of as a favor to my boss, who hired me somewhat as a favor, was to volunteer to take a slightly below average review. The important thing was she was able to allocate my stock options to the rest of her staff who were at lower grade level. This was 2 months before I took my leave of absence.

As turns out in 1999 the stock was high, and the stock options would have been under water until this last year, so I didn't give up anything...

 

[Milton]

it's really pretty easy. You go on with your plans for RE saying nothing. If/when expansion of your role happens, accept it and do your very best to excel and give your employer your best effort. When it's time to replace you due to your RE announcement, it simply means the job description they'll be filling is different that it would be now. It's no issue, no big deal. One way or the other, someone new will be filling your shoes.

+1.

I let various people know I was thinking about [-]prolly[/-] probably 6 months before the fact which is retrospect was a mistake.

Fixed.

 

[Htown Harry]

Is the planned expansion of your group an opportunity to quietly "hire your replacement"?

 

[Trooper]

Seems like there is only downside to giving notice more than a month or two early.

Can anyone think of upside to a longer notice?

 

[harley]

Awkward Silence Cricket Sound - YouTube

 

[Milton]

Can anyone think of upside to a longer notice?

Providing more than two weeks would presumably be appreciated by your boss, and thus might - might! - translate into a slightly improved letter of reference or something similar … but to my way of thinking, that possible benefit is outweighed by the obvious downside.

As Francis Bacon said, knowledge is power. Why voluntarily give up some of that power and place yourself at the mercy of your employer?

 

[growing_older]

If you like the people you work with and want to allow for a longer transition, then a longer notice may be appropriate. But be prepared for them to do nothing useful about a transition until the day you leave, then ask you to stay longer. You providing advance notice may not compel them to use it effectively.

Also, having been a member of committees deciding bonuses and promotions/raises. There is no way I would ever give any kind of notice until I was also prepared to be walked out the door that very day. If there's a bonus to be paid or an eligibility for a pension, or other benefit, I will NEVER give notice until AFTER the day it is awarded and for bonuses, the day I actually have the cash. I have seen far too many people shortchanged when a departure date is known. The bonus/raise/benefit is redirected to reward people who are still employed in hopes of retaining them. It is rarely viewed as a reward for a job well done if you are leaving, and even then in most cases top management reallocated it to someone else over the managers objections.

 

[2B]

This thread is getting strange IMHO. The question is how long to give notice when leaving. Back when I thought I was important to an organization, I dealt with the sudden departure of what I thought of as a key person (two weeks or less notice). We always survived. I have led people that were key to operations or to a project to the door due to immediate terminiation for cause and never had a disaster because of it. When I was told how unimportant I really was when I was let go during a merger, I was walked to HR, given my exit interview/severance and put out the front door immediately. The comedy of this is that I was too important to have hanging around with them knowing I knew I was leaving.

An earlier post about putting your thumb into a bowl of water and pulling it out to see what difference it made is a great analogy.

Here's my compromise.....

Decide when the "best" date is for you to leave. Give two weeks notice in an upbeat, positive, "really enjoyed the opportunity here but it's time to retire" note. See what they would like you to do in the way of transition. They may ask for an extra few weeks or they may not. There's no way in God's green earth that they need more than 4 weeks.

Giving too much advance notice only works against your interests. If you have the mistaken belief you "owe" any more than two weeks notice, you can stay a week or two longer. Any more than that and you are just being played.

 

[Turn_the_Page]

I'll be in a similar situation at about the same time as you. I'll give them 4 weeks notice AFTER i get my annual bonus. I'll throw out a bone that I could stay longer, depending on circumstances (how fast does the house sell, is my replacement here and ready to be trained), but it'll be my decision.

The reality for many of us is that our ego tells us that we are so valuable, while the reality is that some tasks may not get done or may not be done to our standards, but they'll muddle through.

 

[2B]

The reality for many of us is that our ego tells us that we are so valuable, while the reality is that some tasks may not get done or may not be done to our standards, but they'll muddle through.

They won't "muddle." They won't even really know you're gone.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Is the planned expansion of your group an opportunity to quietly "hire your replacement"?

I had thought of that. In an ideal world getting my secret replacement on board about 4 months prior would be perfect, but actually getting that lucky?


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