Workplace Culture

» a171070 - Resignation notice

Hi,

Situation:
Just wanted to clarify something. If an employee works (is deputed) in the US, but primary employment contract is outside of the US.

Local HR in the US refuses to accept the resignation - reason cited is that the employee can resign only from the source country location. Is it legal not to accept someone's resignation provided the employee agrees to discharge all responsibilities before leaving.

Regards,
A

-- posted by a171070

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» ekimyam - how long do you give an employer before resigning

I have worked for a small business (less than 20 employees) for 10 months now. There was no contractual agreement as to how long I would stay. In my mind, I thought it best that I give them at least a year. I have a job offer that would start after my 1 year is up. Now my boss is saying that I should have to give them 2 years...this was never agreed, just his desire. What is a reasonable expectation of a small business owner as to how long an employee should give them before moving to another job? I really do not want to burn bridges here, but also do not feel obligated to give them 2 years. Thanks!

-- posted by ekimyam

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» Melissa Dylan - how long do you give an employer before resigning

In response to how long do you give an employer before resigning posted by ekimyam:
This is a difficult situation to give a blanket answer for. If the two of you never discussed your expectations up front, and there is no contract, then you're definitely under no obligation to stay. But it seems as if you already know that, and simply want verification that leaving is A-OK so you don't have to feel guilty. Unfortunately, I can't necessarily give you that, because it sounds as if you never intended to give this company a full commitment. If the situation were such that you simply find it isn't a fit (which may well be the case) and something too good to turn down has come along in its place, that's different. But you decided right off the bat to only try it for a year, so it seems your heart was never really in the job. This is unfair to your employer.

As for the second part of your question, "what is a reasonable expectation of a small business owner as to how long an employee should give them before moving to another job?" It's the same for any business owner, big or small: they generally expect (or at least hope for) their employees to be committed to the job long-term. This is largely assumed and unspoken. The prospective employee should say so if that isn't their plan. Unfortunately, losing a worker has a much higher impact on a small business, which is why this is much more difficult.

If you are a good employee and make every effort to lessen the impact of your leaving, the bridge will not be burned. No (reasonable) employer will fault someone who accepts a better opportunity as long as an effort has been made on both parts. They may not like it, but at least they'll understand, and from a business standpoint you're covered.

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» Andrea_Coutu - Resignation notice

In response to Resignation notice posted by a171070:
Give the notice specified in your contract. If nothing is noted, two weeks is reasonable, but you can quit with no notice if you don't care about burning bridges.

I doubt the company can force you to return to a specific location to quit. Written notice should be fine. There is no indentured servitude in the US.

Andrea
Get a second job

-- posted by Andrea_Coutu

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» NOLA54 - Is resignation through company email unethical?

I recently resigned from my job and I sent a letter of resignation to all my superiors, through company email. The letter was extremely professional,positive and tastefully done. Is this truly ethical or not? I just figured I would kill 4 birds with one stone and this is not an uncommon way to resign, from what I have understood. However, ethically speaking, I still wonder if it's ok to resign this way. Any comments would be appreciated..thanks

-- posted by NOLA54

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» Melissa Dylan - Is resignation through company email unethical?

In response to Is resignation through company email unethical? posted by NOLA54:

Resignation via hard copy is still preferred. It's not "unethical," per se, to resign via e-mail, but it is unprofessional. It doesn't take that much time from your day to print out 4 copies of a letter and pop them into interoffice mail. Oftentimes a hard copy is needed for a file, and if you need the employer as a reference in the future, they will come across your file, see a nicely-written-and-printed resignation, and have a good impression.

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