How much time to give for notice?

[albireo13]

I am 1+ years away but, yearn to just .... go.

I think the organization and my manager will need to find a replacement for me and that is the only thing that keeps me from doing the standard 2 weeks notice. I am thinking 6 month notice of plans to retire would work.
What say everyone?

What's the worse they do ... let me go
LOL
That would be a relief actually.

 

[Newventurer]

I gave 1 month notice and was prepared to go then, they asked me to stay and offered 1 yr of insurance so I stayed 6 months.

 

[Clone]

I think you will find a common theme on this board-

It doesn't matter how much time you give them, they will wait until the last minute to identify a replacement, possibly wait until after you are gone.

- or -

How much notice would they give you if they decided to show you the door?

 

[racy]

I gave 2 months at megacorp, which was plenty; we had succession plans in place and updated them annually.

 

[Meadbh]

This question comes up at least once a month. You may want to look at other relevant threads.

Assuming a notice period is stipulated in your contract, I would use that. It’s there for a reason. Employers will often express shock and dismay that you are leaving. They are not grieving your loss, just worried about replacing you. It is frequent to be pleaded with to stay for a variable period of time, and this will give you some negotiating power. No matter how long you stay, many employers will procrastinate as long as possible before commencing the search for your successor. A wise employer will be constantly grooming new talent who can step up to the plate.

I had a contract that stipulated 90 days’ notice, and I gave a date 100 days out in my resignation letter, the date to coincide with the end of a schedule. I was persuaded to stay for one more month to deal with some staffing issues. But there was a part of my job to which I brought unique expertise, and it took my employer 14 months to replace me in that role (and my replacement didn’t work out very well).

I would also advise leaving the area, whether by moving or going on a trip, soon after your actual resignation date. Sticking around makes it tempting for them to call you back for consultations and emergencies.

 

[calico1597]

I gave a 90 day notice and they didn't hire my replacement until my last week. They asked me to stay longer for training, I said no. My replacement didn't last and they ended up farming out portions of my job to other folks.

 

[coveredbridge]

I was number two in my organization. I gave two weeks notice with offer to stay longer in exchange for certain "accomodations". They were fine with two weeks. I'm guessing your organization will be also.

 

[davhin]

I gave notice in November 2016. Told them I was ready to go then but would stay until fiscal year end at the latest (July 2017). Was told they would try and find a replacement ASAP and asked me to stay until then. They finally ended up splitting up my stuff between several existing co-workers in June. I should have just given 2 weeks notice and enjoyed 6 more months of FREEDOM.

 

[jjflyman]

IMO Retirement notice is far different than just quiting for another job. Changing jobs with 2 weeks notice is SOP, but more notice can (and should) be given for Retirement. If you've been treated fairly by the company, I would give at least 4-6 months notice of your plan to Retire.

 

[DrRoy]

I gave 9 months but they didn't do much until the last month or two. I thought they would want to have me do turnover calls with customers, but that only happened at the largest one.

 

[jollystomper]

I think the organization and my manager will need to find a replacement for me and that is the only thing that keeps me from doing the standard 2 weeks notice.

I would not concern myself with this assumption. Figuring out how to replace you is why they pay management the big bucks.

The only reason I see for giving 6 months notice would be to negotiate something, like reduced hours or future part time work. Otherwise, in my view anywhere from 2 weeks to 60 days is fine.

 

[Philliefan33]

I gave two weeks notice. It was great— my boss had to decide what was important for me to finish since I didn’t have time to finish all the work on my plate. If I had given more time, he would’ve added even more tasks to the list of “this must get done”

I still get my quarterly dividend checks so I guess the company is still operating without me, three glorious years later!

 

[albireo13]

My manager has always treated me fairly and well so, I don't feel good about 2 weeks notice. I am thinking of giving him a 5-6 month heads-up.
I have also been mulling over reduced working schedule for a bit ... maybe 3x10hrs or 4x8hrs.
My target retirement date (in my head) is June 1, 2019. I am working on a high profile new product design which is scheduled for release in Q1, 2020.

I am expecting that they'll want me to hang around through the end of the project at least. I could perhaps consider staying on at reduced schedule. TBD. I'll see where my head is at, next January.

 

[SumDay]

I gave notice a month ago and am leaving at the end of the summer. HR won't even start my paperwork because it's too far in advance. And I'm finding it kind of awkward. I just wish they'd find a parachute and open it.

 

[O2Bfree]

A woman at my workplace is retiring today. She gave 6 months' notice, and the request to find her replacement was approved just last week. Meanwhile, they've had her transfer her projects to someone else.

I'm planning to give 3-4 months' notice, depending on how many projects I have going. There's no backup for me at my company, and the work I do is necessary to make shipments, so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes them to start looking for a replacement.

 

[jjflyman]

My manager has always treated me fairly and well so, I don't feel good about 2 weeks notice. I am thinking of giving him a 5-6 month heads-up.
I have also been mulling over reduced working schedule for a bit ... maybe 3x10hrs or 4x8hrs.
My target retirement date (in my head) is June 1, 2019. I am working on a high profile new product design which is scheduled for release in Q1, 2020.

I am expecting that they'll want me to hang around through the end of the project at least. I could perhaps consider staying on at reduced schedule. TBD. I'll see where my head is at, next January.

IMO that sounds like an excellent plan. It is always best to go out with class.

 

[Bir48die]

I gave a year and a half. I was lucky enough to be considered "essential" in their hierarchy. However this wasn't due to prepping others for my position. It forced me to have a plan, stick to it and not waffle. It allowed me in those months to make strong moves and not get all wound up in the stress that I normally would carry. It was freeing to say the least

 

[FireFool]

As mentioned before, this topic comes up often in this forum. Recapping my thoughts and observations here:

Some of what drives different notice periods is the size of the organization, role in the organization, policy/contractual agreements, company culture/practices, and whether or not your personal relationships/friendships are intertwined with co-workers. I can see where working for a small company there may be more of a sense of obligation to give longer notice periods. I worked for a mega-corp and can share that perspective.

C-Level people at my company had generous/accelerated restricted stock vesting provisions contingent on 1 year retirement notice periods - those were SEC disclosure type people, where management turnover could effect stock valuations. While I was a senior leader I was not C-Level so my stock vesting agreement did not have those provisions. My company also did not have any defined pension benefits or other retiree benefits of any type for that matter - so there were no provisions/considerations in that regard.

Culturally my company had established patterns of "showing no love" towards its older (i.e. > age 50) workers. Youthful enthusiasm and optimism mattered more for promotional opportunities than knowledgeable experience. Competent co-workers with decades of experience caught up in forced organizational moves were cast aside when subsequent reorganizations occurred. As I've drilled into my adult children, corporate loyalty is NOT a two-way street. When you consider how long of notice to provide think through how much notice your former co-workers were provided by the company.

If a significant portion of your job, like mine was, is effecting/making longer term corporate decisions/strategy, recognize the practicalities of you no longer carrying weight in those matters. During the period between when I decided on my retirement date and when I announced I was able to still perform my job with the authority of my position - my decisions weren't dismissed on the basis that I wouldn't be around to see them through. It would have been very painful for me to be showing up to work but not being able to fully function - the short time between my notice and departure was painful enough.

As to the interpersonal relationships with co-workers, while my boss and I had a decent professional relationship we were not true friends. I guess at this point I should state I gave one weeks notice when I retired. Yes work probably sucked for awhile for my boss due to my departure, but no worse than covering for when a peer was let go without warning. My short notice had little effect on my direct reports. Their annual performance and salary reviews had occurred recently and I had progressively given them more responsibility and autonomy. Being older many of my peer work friends had attrited, died or were looking forward to the day they to could give notice. The ones that were true friends are still in touch 2 years later, others said their good-bye and I haven't heard from them since.

My final advice is to understand most corporate employment arrangements are "at-will". Be prepared that the day you give notice could potentially be the day you are asked to leave, well ahead of any date you might desire. Make certain any age or date related economic events you are counting on have already passed. If you are an older worker you've certainly learned corporate HR is not to be trusted in regards to your interests - they are there to protect/optimize the company's interests.

I had decided beforehand that if there were any requests for continuing advice/work due to how "invaluable" I was that I would charge high-end consulting fees - they never asked and the company has somehow survived these past two years. My only regret at this point is not retiring earlier, but my notice would still be as abrupt as it was.

 

[Rustward]

I think you will find a common theme on this board-

It doesn't matter how much time you give them, they will wait until the last minute to identify a replacement, possibly wait until after you are gone.

- or -

How much notice would they give you if they decided to show you the door?

Yes.

If this is at will employment and you are on good terms, two weeks notice is customary. If you have a contract then the contract must be fulfilled.

Either way, consider what would happen if one day you were unable to perform your job. I have seen this several times. What would the employer do? A well run business has contingency plans for what to do when a key person leaves.

As for overlap between the outgoing and the incoming, few places have the budget for having two people in one position.

 

[Music Lover]

There is no one set answer...are you a cog in the wheel in a large corporation where someone else will be in your chair the next day or are you someone hard to replace in a small company where you have specialized knowledge? Those and many other factors come into play.

 

[ShahtER]

I'm leaving after 20 years with megacorp later this year and plan to give 2 weeks notice. If they beg for me it will come with some 'strings attached' to benefit me (but don't expect them to follow through).

 

[MRG]

I think you will find a common theme on this board-

It doesn't matter how much time you give them, they will wait until the last minute to identify a replacement, possibly wait until after you are gone.

- or -

How much notice would they give you if they decided to show you the door?

Third is they shaft you. Megacorp paid out profit sharing on 12/31. I'd seen a number of people shown the door the week prior.

 

[Aerides]

So my usual answer on this is that no matter how long you give, do so with the ability to accept that they just might ask you to pack up and leave this afternoon. "oh not me I'm too valuable we don't do that here" - doesn't always apply.

That said, I would say read this thread, especially the last page where the OP comes back 3 months later and explains what happened when she gave 3 months notice:

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ried-about-my-type-a-personality-90084-3.html

And +1 to what Clone said.

 

[JoeWras]

I plan to give 1 month. I was going to give 2 weeks, but realized that when Megacorp lays off, they give 1 month. So, I guess fair is fair.

I'm trying not to lose my soul. The contract I signed says I can say, "I'm gone at the end of this day." I'm tempted, but that wouldn't be my style, or serve my soul well.

We have a web site to enter the end date. It even says you can put any date, including today, but it would be best to give us at least 3 days so we can process your check better.

But my manager doesn't deserve that, legal or not.

Anyway, 1 month for me (a common theme). DW is giving 3. She is freaked out over that thinking she should have given 6. I handed her the "Bucket of water" poem to help. Then gave her "Desiderata" to balance it off.

 

[youbet]

I am 1+ years away but, yearn to just .... go.

I think the organization and my manager will need to find a replacement for me and that is the only thing that keeps me from doing the standard 2 weeks notice. I am thinking 6 month notice of plans to retire would work.
What say everyone?

What's the worse they do ... let me go
LOL
That would be a relief actually.

Are you retiring or quitting? That is, have you vested any retirement benefits you expect to collect post departure?

If you're just quitting, 2 weeks should be fine unless you think that will piss them off and you have a slim possibility of using them as a reference sometime in the future.

If you're retiring, check with HR or look at the HR manual to see if there are any strings attached to receiving retirement benefits. One of the strings might be giving adequate notice and getting approval of a separation date from management.

While it's true that if you violate their requirements for retirement (and the associated benefits) and you have benefits vested, you can likely litigate and win them. But, who wants to start FIRE with a nasty litigation and hard feelings? Work with them for a smooth transition and leave with everyone smiling.