Giving Notice

Trinity

This is a question I have that stems from the Discrimination/Harrassment post by anaconstr. In it, many of you told her that 6 months was too long to give notice for someone planning on leaving. In fact many said they would get rid of the former employee and make way for the new one..I have a dilemma then and would like to see if you have any input or advice for me.
I am pregnant with my husband and mine's first child and due to some extraordinary circumstances, find that we will be blessed to make ends meet to where I won't have to work when the baby is born until he/she is in school. I am due in December though and we could really use the money til then to save for expenses and such. However, my HR Director is going on maternity leave in August(must be something in the water)and will not be back til November, leaving her less than a month to find a replacement and have me train them to take my place. So I was going to be nice and let the company know next week that I would not be coming back after the baby is born..but now I am having second thoughts..I really need this job as long as possible. any thoughts?

Parabeagle

I think discretion is the better part of valor, Trinity, and this is is a hand you should play close to the vest. Although I have seen instances in which long-term, key employees give substantial notice and the transition has been smooth, some employers mentally "write off" the departing employee as no longer effective or a part of the team and you begin to see behavior such as that complained about by anaconstr. I think I would hold off on telling them your plans for now. You're under no obligation.

Besides, I thought you were going to hire me to fill in for you. x;-)

Leslie

Congratulations and how wonderful for you!

I would wait. Tell them in October. Certainly you (I assume you're next in line to do this sort of thing) can start the search for your replacement, make a short list, then wait until the director returns to hire. If you are not next in line, whoever is will do so - enough time to hire and train with some left over for you to be a bit early!

Margaret Morford

What has your employer done in the past about women who are not returning after having a baby? We made sure that every woman knew that if she told us she was not coming back eight months in advance, she would still have her job as well as any FMLA she was entitled to. This enabled us to plan ahead and not just receive two weeks notice. Is you company like that? If so, go ahead and tell them. If not, or you aren't sure, then I agree with everyone above.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

mbeam

Congratulations!

Would agree that it will be more dependent upon what your company has done in the past when people have given notice. We've slowly gravitated towards encouraging people to be more open especially in cases such as yours and relocations (spouse, etc.). When one of our team members left after giving us a couple month's notice, I sure appreciated it as it gave us a chance to hire her replacement and train.

We in turn allowed for more flexibility (to get ready for the out of state move). We remain in touch with her and she continues to refer friends and family to work for our organization.

Don D

I agree that there are two considerations. Not necessarily in order; first, what is your company's practice for similar or same circumstances and what is your gut feeling about how an early announcement will fare for you and your family personally? There's always that need by a company to ease the departing aside and get the new guy in gear and quickly up to speed. So, be sure you KNOW how it will roll out for you IF you do decide to announce your departure early.

Secondly, consider the FMLA implications of not returning to work. FMLA is, afterall, only a job protection statute, nothing else. It saves ones job for them while they are out on qualified leave. Bone up on your company's insurance coverage policy and who pays for that while you're out and consider that you'll maybe be reimbursing them for all of that when you do not return.

Judging from your previous posts, I am almost certain that you are a person of extremely high credibility and integrity and valued there, so I assume you have really good feelings about the company. I'm sure you want to do all you can to benefit them with a protracted notice period. But, carefully consider and weigh all the factors, pro and con, such a notice might bring. Plan for the best but expect something less. Bottom line, do what is best for you and your family. Tell the other women there to start bringing bottled water! And, congratulations. x:-)

Rockie

Congrats on your good news!

As with the other posts, I agree a lot has to do with company policy. On hard to fill positions, the search will start right away. If the company is lucky enough to find someone fairly quickly, then your time may be cut short as they probably will not want to pay for two individuals in the same job.

If you are secure in your position, I would have a frank talk with your supervisor and just aprise them of the situation and what your plans are. From my perspective, I would appreciate an employee telling me two-three months in advance in order to find and train a replacement. But, again, the chance you are taking is that a replacement will be found quickly and from a business decision standpoint, you would probably get an early release.

ritaanz

Let's see, your boss is going out on maternity leave in August and will probably return in October? November? Your baby is due in December. What kind of a relationship do you have with the HR Director? If I were in your shoes x:o I would CONFIDE in her about my plans. She should respect you for your honesty and your concern about the HR function. Once she has the information, she can plan on when and how to start the recruitment process. I'll bet a dozen donuts, that when and if you decide to go back to work, the HR Director will make every effort to find a spot for you.

Trinity

Thanks everyone for the advice..there was much wisdom to be heard. I DO have good feelings about this company and they have always treated me well. Unfortunately, I really have no basis for how other women have been treated in this instance, because since I have been here (2 1/2 yrs.), all the women have returned to work. So while I would like to think they would allow me to stay on, I can't be sure of it. Because I plan on not returning, I am switching to my husband's insurance, which will cover me, in September, so the FMLA situation shouldn't be an issue. We have 12 sick days a year and I am allowed to make up any time I use within the same week, so I hopefully wouldn't have to use any FMLA during the year unless there were complications. The HR director and I are old friends, so maybe I will confide in her and see her take. Thanks again everyone, and I am very glad to get all the wonderful advice I read every day from you all. I will miss you when I leave at the end of the year!!

Margaret Morford

Don't leave without telling us good-bye. And be sure you post whether you had a boy or girl and let us know that you and the baby are fine.

You might also want to check back periodically if for no other reason than to read the Har-De-Har section. Remember HR is more of a cult than a profession. You never really escape!

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]