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Been offered a job on condition....

33 replies

Blush12 · 02/02/2016 15:25

That I can start in two weeks when they know I have to give a month's notice.

The job is ideal for me as in my current role with the threat of redundancy hanging over it has caused me to suffer from stress and anxiety as I am the sole provider in the home. Plus in my current role I have working extremely long hours.

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Blush12 · 02/02/2016 15:28

So what can I do.. Do I say no and risk the chance of losing the role. As I really do think there is no chance of my boss letting me leave early.

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ReggaeShark · 02/02/2016 15:30

Sounds a bit unreasonable. If you take the job how much notice would they want you to give them? Not sure I'd want to work for this firm tbh.

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mamapants · 02/02/2016 15:30

Do you have any holiday leave left? You could take it at the end so you could start working in new job. You'd need two weeks worth. Or see if current boss would let you give less notice. Normally they would as they can't make you come in to work.

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maybebabybee · 02/02/2016 15:30

You don't have to work your notice period. They can't 'make' you stay. In theory yes they could sue you for breach of contract but in practice that hardly ever happens as it's so much more trouble than it's worth.

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kimlo · 02/02/2016 15:31

I would say you are willing to talk to your current employer about the possibility they will let you go early or see if you have enough holiday to cut your notice short but if not you will have to work your contractual notice.

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LIZS · 02/02/2016 15:32

Ask your employer if they will let you go early. It might save them some money in longer term.

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PouletDePrintemps · 02/02/2016 15:37

This would be a bit of a red flag for me.

Your potential new employer has no respect for your current employer. I assume that the new firm would not be happy for you to leave them without notice or to blatantly ignore terms in your contract with them but they are quite happy to force you to mess your old employers about or lose the job.

But then I am always interested in how companies handle the recruitment process. They can reveal quite a lot about themselves.

I actually wondered if it was a test to see if you would refuse. But I am probably way off.

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LadyIsabellaWrotham · 02/02/2016 15:39

If they want you as their first choice but need someone to start in 2 weeks, even if that means taking their second best candidate then they're within their rights to do this. If you're being made redundant anyway then you have nothing to lose by asking to leave early.

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Twitterqueen · 02/02/2016 15:40

If you feel you're under threat of redundancy why don't you just ask your current employer if you can leave earlier? IME this is very common - I've done it myself. They would have to be pretty mean to make you work all the notice period out - just ask!

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CountryLovingGirl · 02/02/2016 18:13

Plenty of people that have left us didn't work their notice. Your boss may let you go earlier anyway x

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ChalkHearts · 02/02/2016 18:18

Take it!

Tell your current employer your last day will be 2 weeks.

In reality there's nothing they can do about it.

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OzzieFem · 02/02/2016 19:03

Make sure you have the offer in writing before handing in your notice. In Australia if you have a contract stating four weeks notice then you can resign only giving two, however you can lose two weeks from any holidays you have accrued in lieu of the breech of contact.

I don't know many people who have had this actually done to them but if the company decides to be bitchy they can. If redundancy was in the wind they might be happy to let you go.

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OzzieFem · 02/02/2016 19:03

*contract not contact

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Blush12 · 03/02/2016 06:50

I have gone back to the company and said that it would be very unprofessional of me to just give them 2 weeks notice. So I will await to hear if they come back to the agency this morning.

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FishWithABicycle · 03/02/2016 07:20

A company that would seriously take a second-best candidate for a job just because the first choice candidate couldn't start till 2 weeks later is going to be badly run and a nightmare to work for. Job appointments should be made thinking about long term benefits not short term inconvenience. I was once recruiting a new staff member desperately hoping to find someone who could start immediately as we were 5 weeks away from the busiest time of the year. The best candidate was on 3 months notice. of course I gave her the job and I faced the busy time with the position vacant. Anything else would have been idiocy. You don't want to work for an idiot do you?

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Blush12 · 03/02/2016 07:28

No most definitely not I want to work for a proffessional company and even though I felt this was my forever job if they don't agree I am sure another will come along.

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LadyIsabellaWrotham · 03/02/2016 07:48

Depends how close the difference between candidate 1 and 2 is though. Sometimes it's really really close - you know they could both do the job but you have a slight preference for A over B. In that case a relatively trivial thing like a more convenient start could sway the balance. But yes, they could be playing nasty power-crazed games of course.

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InsertUsernameHere · 03/02/2016 08:04

Difficult situation OP.
A few thoughts - your immediate boss at current place will want you to work your notice as they have no chance of filling it when you go (if redundancy looms). Higher up they might be much more interested - no redundancy liability.
Given you know the area of work - you have a better idea of how much they need you - some jobs with minimum staffing requirements legally need bodies - other jobs just desperately want someone but can wait.
Will the paperwork be done in time for you to start in 2 weeks (in my line of work this would be miraculous).
You mentioned it would be "unprofessional" could there be any come back to your reputation or professional body? I presume not as getting a new job when under threat of redundancy is completely reasonable - this is no flounce.
Finally negotiate - 3 weeks - both sides feel like they have won. Current place doesn't feel like a walk over, new place get you early, you feel like you have been reasonable.
Hope it works out. Be careful about letting a job slip away if you face redundancy.

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PouletDePrintemps · 03/02/2016 10:36

Blush12 Fingers crossed it all works out for you.

Let us know what they say.

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JemimaMuddleDuck · 03/02/2016 11:24

It would be a red flag for me and a possible warning sign of things to come?

Have you received the contract? Are you happy with it? You need to get that sorted first then talk about a start date.

If you are keen then ask your current employer if you could finish earlier. Never leave people in the lurch and never burn your bridges. It's just not worth it even if you face redundancy.

In my yoof, I didn't receive an employment contract until the day I started a new job. Was then pleasantly surprised to find out that the notice period was 3 months from me and 1 month from my employer. I questioned it and was told by the HR Manager (while laughing) that it did work in the company's favour. When i asked if they could meet halfway (i.e. 6 weeks notice from me) I was told no. Needless to say, I left on my second day.

There are plenty of muppet employers out there. Just be careful!

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Blush12 · 03/02/2016 11:27

They have now come back and said they will let me know tomorrow so I feel like saying don't bother as I appreciate they require someone urgently but I am also required to work my notice.

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LeaLeander · 03/02/2016 11:35

I think you are being unnecessarily negative about it. Your current employer might not even care.

Leaving with zero notice is unprofessional. Negotiating a compromise that serves the needs of all parties is professional and mature. Giving up without even trying is not.

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TPel · 03/02/2016 11:35

Don't respond with a don't bother. They have made a request based upon their business need. They are now looking at how they can work around your position. Give it until tomorrow and we'll done on the offer.

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Sallyingforth · 03/02/2016 11:49

Don't say that! It would be a mistake and you have acted very properly until now.

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PouletDePrintemps · 03/02/2016 11:59

I don't blame you for feeling like that.

If it was me I would not have had any issue with being asked if my notice period was flexible and would have been happy to approach my current employer if I thought it was negotiable, though you don't think this would be possible in your case.

I would not be happy to feel that I was being pressured to leave and screw over my current employer while potentially damaging my reputation. I would be concerned that such behaviour would play out in other ways later.

If the start date is such an important factor in finding a suitable candidate then it should have been discussed with you prior to interview.

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