Giving two Weeks Notice
Many people who have made the decision to leave their jobs have not made the decision lightly; time was probably spent pondering whether or not leaving the job was a good choice to make and if so, how it should be done. From my own experience, when it was time for me to leave a job, I knew that it was the right time. Your intuition should be a guide to help you map out the next course for your career path and for your life. You should know in your mind and in your heart when it is time to leave your job and pursue a different career path, whether that new path will be in a similar industry, a different industry, or to retire from work altogether. Giving an employer two weeks notice that you are quitting your job is the polite thing to do, but it is not necessary to do so.
Two weeks may not seem like a long time, but when you are anxious to leave your job, two weeks feels like an eternity. After you have already handed in your letter of resignation, sticking around your workplace can feel uncomfortable. Your manager and co-workers know that you plan to leave soon and they may feel awkward doing business with you when you will soon no longer be a part of the team. Even worse, you might feel uncomfortable continuing to work at a place that you no longer want to be at. There is very little point to working for two more weeks just to be polite, especially if your mind is elsewhere. It is especially hard to stay focused on continuing to work at your current job when you have received a job offer from another company that you will soon need to start.
If you are quitting your job because you will soon be starting a new job, giving two weeks notice to your soon-to-be former employer will definitely seem undesirable. If you receive word from a prospective employer that your job interview was a hit and the company has decided to hire you to start working for them on the next business day, giving two weeks notice to your current employer could cost you a newer and possibly better job. Once you have put in your resignation at the company you no longer want to work for you are not obligated to stay, especially if you have a new job to focus on. Sometimes in life you need to make unpopular decisions. Deciding not to give your employer two weeks notice may not be a well-liked decision but it is your decision to make.
Once you feel emotionally disconnected to your job and you have already submitted your letter of resignation, there is little reason to stay on for two more weeks-unless you really need the money. A lot can happen in two weeks. Do you really want to spending the next two weeks at a job that you are planning to leave doing work for a company that you don’t plan to work at again? If you are working at a company that has union representation you might be required to give your employer two weeks notice. If there is no union representation at your workplace and you don’t feel like waiting two weeks to leave your place of work, there is nothing legally or morally preventing you from quitting and leaving your job right away. How will the company cope and find someone else to replace you if you give less than two weeks notice? That is not your problem to worry about. Your responsibility is to take care of yourself and your own career. Let your intuition be your guide and when you are ready to quit your job, do it on your own terms.
