|
True story: One summer when it was extremely hot, one of my colleagues recevied a written note from our department head, declaring (quoted from memory, this is 20+ years ago, but the meaning is preserved):
"It is marginally acceptable to come to work wearing nothing but swimming trunks and a T-shirt.
It is NOT acceptable to come to work in a T-shirt so long that there can be doubts whether you are actually wearing swimming trunks or not."
(My colleague didn't even wear his wristwatch that day, and he walked barefoot. He did wear swimming trunks under his T-shirt, but nothing else. It was his way to protest against the poor office ventilation - his office was at the sunny side of the building (mine was opposite, so I could wear 'normal' clothes.)
|
|
|
|
|
OriginalGriff wrote: However, in the UK there is a minimum notice period with nearly all full-time jobs (and it's often related to the frequency of pay: monthly wage equals 4 weeks notice) and it applies to both sides. They can't bin you without paying you up to the end of the notice period except for gross offences
It works exactly the same way back here in Brazil, I wonder if there are regulations that protect the employee in US.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
|
|
|
|
|
Reading your post made me laugh out loud.
|
|
|
|
|
That's what I thought.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
|
|
|
|
|
I don't need my government to protect me. I'm doing that just fine all on my own.
|
|
|
|
|
Good for you. As a private consultant I can't have the government to back me up either, but it's good to have government to back up employees and prevent mass lay-offs and for many other reasons.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
|
|
|
|
|
When there are they're at the state level; but in general even the most worker friendly jurisdictions in the US are more business friendly than most of the rest of the rich world.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
|
|
|
|
|
There are no such laws in the U.S. in right-to-work states. However, a union contract or other employment contract may specify that the employee be paid for notice pay whether they work it or not. Note that in I.T. in the U.S., employee contracts and union contracts are rare.
|
|
|
|
|
Interesting, here pretty much every full time job is bound to a union. And employers do not risk violate union agreements as in a law suit there's 99.9% chance the employer will lose.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
|
|
|
|
|
I did that (except that I didn't have a company car), worked with pay from two companies for two weeks. And, what's more, they both knew about it and accepted it and the new and old managers met for a cordial cup of coffee in the interim to discuss my employment.
|
|
|
|
|
I wonder what the other people who work there think?
If I worked there and I was going to leave, I would give them ZERO weeks notice. And tell them why as I walked out the door.
Steve Wellens
|
|
|
|
|
That strategy would give you good satisfaction, but word spreads quickly in this industry, so you might find your reputation somewhat tarnished after a while...
|
|
|
|
|
First, I would already have a new job lined up.
Second, I wouldn't be the bad guy, the company would for treating people so poorly. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with it.
Third, it's seller's market if you have good tech skills.
Steve Wellens
|
|
|
|
|
Wow - I've never had that happen. I generally have moved to jobs that would take me tomorrow if they could, that's about the only useful 'out' I can see.
Christian Graus
My new article series is all about SQL !!!
|
|
|
|
|
Just to be clear...
Excluding an actual contract, in the US, most employment is "at will".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment[^]
Which means, excluding certain protected conditions, you can quit when you want and they can fire you when they want.
The Jiving Anchovie wrote: How does one protect one's self yet also do the right thing with the notice?
Been quite some time since I wouldn't have appreciated the extra time off. But if you expect your company to behave badly towards you then quit just before you start your next job.
Other than that giving notice is considered a courtesy. If it makes you feel better giving you severance pay if they lay you off is a courtesy on their part as well. So if they are not willing to guarantee the latter no reason to feel bad if you don't do the former.
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds like a lousy job.
So often there is antagonism and emnity.
But when I lost a job with an engineering company due to the downturn in 2009, they paid me five months salary and still sent me home the same day.
It was in Weymouth.
I spent the next few months in seaside pubs eating lunches, drinking bitter and doing telephone interviews.
Thing is, they were contracted to give me 3 months anyway, plus redundancy, plus they awarded a 'cooperation bonus' when I didn't complain.
If you have no contract stating two weeks notice, then put it down to experience. And ask up-front next time.
|
|
|
|
|
That's an unusual and unpleasant parting. In the cases I've seen, a company will tell an employee who's given his two-week notice to "get out today" only if:
- There's bad blood between management and the employee, or:
- Management fears some sort of wrongdoing, whether the departing employee is motivated by profit or by vindictiveness.
Defense contractors will sometimes decree "get out today" for security reasons, but in such cases they usually pay the employee the two weeks' salary he would have earned.
If none of the above applies, then it's likely to be pique on the part of some higher-up -- basically "hurt feelings" over the employee's decision to move on. Managers are human and can be as petty as anyone else.
(This message is programming you in ways you cannot detect. Be afraid.)
|
|
|
|
|
Fran Porretto wrote: Defense contractors will sometimes decree "get out today" for security reasons, but in such cases they usually pay the employee the two weeks' salary he would have earned.
Even there it depends on the company. At my current (defense contractor) employer I've had several co-workers work a multi-month transition period between when they gave their notice and worked their last day. They either worked until the wrapup of their current projects, or part time (burning down paid leave instead of taking it as a big final payout check) while gradually handing off the ongoing tasks they were working on.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
|
|
|
|
|
They can ask you not to come in, but they're still contractually and legally (there are minimum notice periods enforced in law for employment contracts) obliged to pay you for that time unless you explicitly agree to early termination. That's what 'gardening leave' is all about. The only time this isn't true is if you get fired for breach of contract.
You should have taken them to court, it would have been an open and shut case and it sounds like you didn't have many bridges left to burn anyway.
Edit: assuming you have a contract, or live in a country where full time jobs have a level of minimum protection. But you're doing professional office based work, surely you have an employment contract ...
|
|
|
|
|
A lot depends on your local labor laws. However… I’d ignore all that & protect yourself the same way you protect yourself from getting hit while driving. You can’t! We live in a world where the ability to hurt others far outstrips the ability to protect ourselves, or be protected. Basically: you can’t stop somebody else from being a jerk.
However all isn’t lost. This problem has already been solved by smart business practices, namely savings. Get enough cash in the bank to pay one month’s worth of bills, then two, then six, etc… You’ll sleep much better at night knowing you/your family’s will be ok if you lose your job (for any reason), get sick, get put in jail, or get kidnapped by aliens.
- great coders make code look easy
- When humans are doing things computers could be doing instead, the computers get together late at night and laugh at us. - ¿Neal Ford?
|
|
|
|
|
As someone else pointed out, if you are in the U.S. and you've given your two week notice, with some kind of "my last day will be ...", and then they let you go early, they are firing you, i.e. terminating you involuntarily. Thus, you rate unemployment.
It might be hard to get, especially if you're scheduled to start work, and they will likely appeal, which will draw the process out futher, but you rate it.
Currently reading: "The Prince", by Nicolo Machiavelli
|
|
|
|
|
In a right to work state there is nothing you can do to guarantee that you will be paid for your two weeks notice unless the state you live in has a law requiring payment.
I was once in a situation similar to yours. I gave my two week notice, finished up my current project two days later, and the next day I was told to leave and I was only paid for the two days I worked after giving my notice.
Some companies have a policy of walking people to the door the day they give notice, but will still pay people the two weeks notice. The theory behind this is once you decide to leave, you may no longer have the company's best interest in your actions, so they minimize their potential losses by walking you out the door. This ignores the fact that if someone wants to take company secrets or customer lists, they will generally take them before they give notice.
-- modified 15-Jan-14 10:46am.
|
|
|
|
|
This is VERY typical in my experience.
Regardless, you SHOULD have been paid for the 2 weeks. No questions asked in my book. My basic rule is that you never do the wrong thing to someone who did the right thing.
|
|
|
|
|
Most IT positions are let go as they turn in notice, but I have (rarely) seen an employee kept on for the full notice period due to staffing shortages.
If you work in an "at-will" state, there's nothing you can do about being let go early after giving notice except file for unemployment. However, let your current employer know your intentions up front. If you plan on working for the full two weeks, then let them know that you won't start at the new company and intend to either work or collect unemployment for the notice period. Most companies don't want to take the hit on their unemployment insurance and will opt to keep you on at that point or pay you severance.
Also, everyone else is correct that the new employer probably needs someone sooner rather than later and will let you start early. (Training with the outgoing person is usually a good thing.)
|
|
|
|
|
that sucks. Been there. AS someone else has already mentioned this bridge goes two ways. There are websites where you can rate employers. I highly suggest you do so. And tell all your buddies about how you were treated as you were walked out the door.
I had this same experience. I had a long discussion with the worthless(aren't they all) HR person. She told me they left it up to the manager and let them decide. I even talked to a lawyer. Long story short. I had a case. But I would only have been able to collect 5 days of pay and it would have taken 6+ months. Lawyers advice was what I gave you. Post it online as a review of the company and talk to all the other Devs in you can. Word got around about that manager and he is no longer with that company(not sure that was the reason but it didn't hurt).
Most places in the US will pay you for the notice time. Whether you work or they want you to work it or not. Usually they have it stated in their HR policies. Go check.
To err is human to really mess up you need a computer
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
