A guy I know… cough just resigned from a sr. level TA position. In doing so, he gave the “standard” two weeks notice. He was told that this was an unreasonably short time frame and then asked to stay on for an additional quarter. This individual has a strong opinion on what constitutes a resonable time frame in this case, but I (errr… I mean he) would love to hear additional feedback on the matter. :): So, what do you think? How much notice is an employer entitled to?
When I left BioWare I gave basically 3 months notice (I told them in March and left in May). Granted some of that time was spent negotiating. It wasn’t skin off of my back and they rewarded for me for staying by not screwing me over. That said, I was on the Tools Team and had switched off of Tech Art because I knew my days were numbered, so you could say I have 8 months notice 
In your case, I’m pretty sure they’ve treated you like shit, so fuck em. Negotiate for better pay if they want to keep you on. The fact is, if you have a foot out the door you won’t be any good anyway.
Thanks, Rob. I appreciate your weighing in on the situation (and for not pulling any punches in the process). :D:
I gave a month to SCEA, but they treated me well and I was managing a lot of people at the time. I even helped find my eventual replacement. What Rob said… Consider how you’ve been treated.
I’m pretty sure in the UK 1 month/4 weeks is standard.
Depending on how many other senior TAs (or even regular TAs) they have I’d probably expect a company to want you to give longer.
If there are no bridges left to burn though not giving them the full notice shouldn’t really cause any issues though.
I’d probably give 4 weeks out of politeness anyway, since they’ve got no chance in hell of replacing you in less than that time (unless there are an abundance of TAs in your area) and it’s not such a long time to just ‘stick it out’.
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your input and your sharing your experiences with me. Just needed a sanity check. :):
i’ve always treated it as a very case-by-case type thing. i have seen people give a month or more’s notice and then be treated very badly for the remainder of their time. i have also seen people give standard 2 weeks notice and been immediately asked to pack their things and leave. you could argue that those were probably not very supportive work environments to start with, but i guess the point is that there is no standard and each case requires a lot of analyzing and guesswork as to how your employer will react.
relatively recently i gave 2 weeks (it was the end of my production schedule too so it was a good time to make the change), i knew i was leaving ahead of that 2 weeks but i wanted to make sure nothing questionable happened so i sat on it until 2 weeks before my last day… part of me felt bad but in the end it’s a personal decision and you need to remind yourself that no one cares more about your well being than you, heh.
ps rob, hope everything is ok at ccp
I’m on a 3month notice period, kind of double edged sword but it’s in the contract.
[QUOTE=Mark-J;12752]I’m on a 3month notice period, kind of double edged sword but it’s in the contract.[/QUOTE]
Interesting… That is a double-edged sword. : 0 Is that sort of arrangement common?
[QUOTE=eevans;12755]Interesting… That is a double-edged sword. : 0 Is that sort of arrangement common?[/QUOTE]
In Sweden it is extremely common. (between 1 and 3 months mutual)
Are these things normally not mentioned in your contract?
My contract had no such clause (in the US in Georgia, you can be let go or quit at any time, and it isn’t necessary for either party to provide a reason for having done so), but I assume there would need to be a written agreement of some sort to give such an arrangement any degree of enforceability.
I would definitelytry and arrange a written agreement for this next time. It would save a lot of furstrating moments.
I would advise giving any company you are working for at least 2-3 months notice. That ought to be plenty of time to find a suitable replacement.
Here in Portugal you have to give a 2 month notice, it is mandatory by law and also the company can’t fire you when they want. Although now they are trying to do something like the US…
In my last job I gave the 2 month notice and everything went OK, they kept me treating me normally and I even helped out filling my replacement also, they also payed me everything by the book, so that helped 
So if they are treating you well, fine, if not, send them to catch some nuts
Wow! I’m surprised, but there definitely seems to be a consensus that a multi-month notice is often appropriate (at least in parts of Europe). I’ll have to keep that in mind if I’m ever working abroad. :): Thanks again for all of the input.
[QUOTE=jorgea;12793]I would advise giving any company you are working for at least 2-3 months notice. That ought to be plenty of time to find a suitable replacement.[/QUOTE]
That’s very much in the interest of the company you’re leaving. Sure you don’t want to leave your soon to be ex-co-workers in the lurch, but you shouldn’t have to worry about the company finding your replacement.
If the company value your skills that much then they should have it in a contractual agreement how much notice you need to give, so that if and when you leave they have the time to replace you. If you’re not bound by anything to give more than a month I’d probably say that was good enough notice time.
If they’re expecting you to give multiple months’ notice then there should be something in it for you too (like not being able to be fired without notice).
It’s a two way thing so you shouldn’t be expected to give something for nothing.
Common practice (in Sweden at least) is 1 month for junior positions and 3 months for senior/lead positions (sometimes based on how long you been at the company and not the title). Both are mutual, which also a good thing as you can feel more secure in a senior position.
We also have a law about last in first out here that the company have to think about when laying people off. There are ways to get around that to a certain degree… but it’s not super easy depending on how the company is structured.
Either way, it’s always been black on white in all contracts I’ve signed. Any company that have any interest in their own survival should include their terms to avoid problems.
It is personal and circumstantial. You should consider your level of responsibility, your current production goals and the state of your work, and the expectations of your future employer.
Employers have a responsibility to plan for staffing. Managers have a responsibility to guard against information silos and ‘indispensable’ employees. That does not always happen. The world is not perfect.
I would say your reputation should be your first priority. You next employer may want you right away, but they wont feel good knowing that their new hotshot TA left their previous project in the lurch. Give your current employer as much time as you can afford to and leave them in as good a position as you can to continue. But there is no standard, not in length of time, or specific responsibilities.
If they expect your to train your back-fill, that person should already be on staff. If they expect you to complete a specific scope, that should match the established sprint\release schedule you are already in progress on. Otherwise, they should only need the time you require to bring your tasks to fit stopping point with appropriate documentation to resume when staffing permits.
Negotiate, as always, in good faith.