When to give notice?

[LadyMoreta]

Hi! Well, Match Day came, and fortunately, it was good news! But now, I'm finding myself facing a really tough ethical decision - when to give notice to my employer, since we will be moving to another state for my husband's residency.

They have been really great to me, and I want to give them plenty of time to replace me, and even let me train my replacement. We are planning on staying here until June. BUT... I am afraid that they will tell me I have to leave right after I give notice, which will put us in some real financial trouble until May (when our apartment lease is up). We depend solely on my income, and if I lose my job, we'll have to eat into our savings that we are planning on putting into a down payment on a house. (And it isn't much at all)

Any advice from spouses/partners who have been in this position? Do employers usually let you work out an extended notice (more than 2 weeks), or is it common for managers/employers to make people leave immediately?

Just to provide a little extra information about my job - I do not work with live customer data, but I do have access to a (software) testing environment, so I see account numbers and customer data.

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[bjolly]

it depends on the job - a lot of times employers appreciate having the extra time to find someone and wrap up your work, let you help train the person etc. Especially in a case like this where you're leaving for reasons that have nothing to do with them. It's not like you decided you didn't like them, or are leaving to go to their competitor or something.

If your employer has been really good to you, why do you think they would boot you out for giving your notice? Some employers do crappy things like that but usually you know which kind of employer you have.

When I left my job to start med school, my employer was very understanding and appreciated having a good amount of notice.

 

[MD Helper]

I have had to do this A LOT (split campus med school, separate internship, transfer residency...) and have always given more than 2 weeks and have never had a problem. That said, it depends on your industry/position. I'm a CPA (not tax, so don't ASK! ) and therefore had a lot more leverage than some working retail or other non-profession positions.

 

[mshheaddoc]

it depends on the job - a lot of times employers appreciate having the extra time to find someone and wrap up your work, let you help train the person etc. Especially in a case like this where you're leaving for reasons that have nothing to do with them. It's not like you decided you didn't like them, or are leaving to go to their competitor or something.

If your employer has been really good to you, why do you think they would boot you out for giving your notice? Some employers do crappy things like that but usually you know which kind of employer you have.

When I left my job to start med school, my employer was very understanding and appreciated having a good amount of notice.

I agree with this advice.

 

[exPCM]

I have seen this situation many times and strongly recommend that you give no more than 2 weeks notice. You need to be looking out at this time for you and your husband and not take a chance on being prematurely terminated (which I have seen happen on at least a dozen occasions in analogous situations). If any one asks you later why you didn't give more notice you can tell them that you and your husband had considered a long distance marriage for a while but finally decided against it . GOOD LUCK

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I gave 6 weeks of notice....but I did so knowing my employer couldn't fire me, as we were already down 1.5 people (1 left, 1 pt. time). I knew my boss was in a tough position so I tried to help him transition, though his boss' boss really wanted to fire me, because she knew I wouldn't be around to pick up the slack of the other people. I don't miss that job. My boss was very appreciative, and my dept. thanked me for not leaving them high and dry.

 

[DallasMedic]

I agree not to give more than 2 weeks notice, as great as your employer has been to you... your primary concern is you & your family having your bills covered.

 

[Danbo1957]

Been there, done that: two weeks notice.

 

[xanthines]

bjolly gave some good advice, but what I want to add is that you should find out what the proper procedures are to resign from your company. Giving two weeks is a good rule of thumb, but your company might have something else explicitly stated.

-X

it depends on the job - a lot of times employers appreciate having the extra time to find someone and wrap up your work, let you help train the person etc. Especially in a case like this where you're leaving for reasons that have nothing to do with them. It's not like you decided you didn't like them, or are leaving to go to their competitor or something.

If your employer has been really good to you, why do you think they would boot you out for giving your notice? Some employers do crappy things like that but usually you know which kind of employer you have.

When I left my job to start med school, my employer was very understanding and appreciated having a good amount of notice.

 

[LadyMoreta]

Thank you all for your replies. Based on that, I had decided to wait until at least the first of May, but then my manager asked me about my husband's residency placement. (She had taken her father to the hospital over the weekend, and she talked to some fourth-years while she was there.) I went ahead and gave my notice yesterday, and everything turned out fine. They would like to keep me on to train my replacement, so all is well!