ALT-22 Deciding whether to Give two Weeks Notice or not
When you plan on leaving a job, it's usually best to give at least two weeks notice. This leaves your employer sufficient time to find a replacement, leaves a good impression, and you are not "burning your bridges". However, there are certain situations that quitting with less than two weeks notice is justified.
For example: You get a job offer that is much better in pay and your prospective employer cannot accommodate giving you a start date that is two weeks or more in the future. It is best to explain to your future employer that you would prefer to give two weeks notice. However, due to business needs, they may need you to start sooner. Lets examine this scenario: You are currently working at Walmart making minimum wage. Another company offers you a good job that pays three times what you are currently making, but says they need you to start next week. The right choice is to take the better paying job!
If a job is making you totally miserable, or the company you work for disregards safety issues of employees, sometimes waiting two weeks is not the right thing to do. In these situations, not quitting right away may put your mental or physical health at risk. If you are afraid of your company giving you a "bad reference", you shouldn't lose any sleep over that. Companies are limited as far as what information they can release to other employers. If you quit a job on short notice, you of course run the risk of not being rehired. The question is, would you really WANT to work there again?
