To leave job with little notice

[Destinedforfakeness]

I think I'm going to quit my job. I'm having a really hard time at work in a job I started early in the year. There's been various stuff, which I won't bore everyone with in detail...

But it's a small non profit and it's just about functioning. My job is almost impossible to do as it relies on others doing things like recording their work etc. I've tried so many approaches but it's a constant battle.

I've now discovered I'm paid fractionally more than a lot of the staff. Yet I have way more responsibly and line manage people.

I'm supposed to have a notice period of 2 months but I really don't want to work it. I feel like in the short time I've been with the org I've become very stressed and it's effected my mental health. While they've tried to make changes to the disfunction a bit it's so hard that I do feel unsupported in a sense.

How unreasonable would it be to say they've caused me significant stress so I want to leave ASAP?

I also feel so offended by the pay thing I just feel like telling them to fuck off! But obviously will not be this unprofessional!

If you can afford to lose the reference and possibly some salary (if you owe annual leave), then of course you can leave early. Sometimes you have to put yourself first.

Having said that, work can feel much less stressful when you're working your notice period so personally, I wouldn't throw them in the shit, I'd work through it, it's only 8 Mondays.

Hand your notice in personally. Tell them F2F that you find the stress to reward ratio unsatisfactory and will be leaving. They can't make you stay but they could get arsey and 'sue' you if you don't work the notice you were supposed to.
I'd be warey of leaving without a job yo go to but you know if you can take the financial hit. Its doubtful you'll get state support as you've made yourself jobless.
If you take the sickness route which I've no doubt will be suggested, this will not reflect well for future employment.
Are you sure you want to leave? If eg you were paid more or employees were given consequences for 'non compliance' could you be enticed to stay?

This was me 4 months ago. Working in a nonprofit with horrendous pressure, terrible micro-management and an utterly unpleasant environment being responsible for other people's (mainly mate-hires) work. They have had 120% turnover in the past two years, mainly because of the toxic SMT. I was on the verge of just quitting but found a job where I'm valued and I can't tell you how my life has improved. If you can't wait, get out and start living again.

One possibility is explaining to them how you feel and asking for a compromise on the notice period. Most employers want the working relationship to end on a good note too, so you never know, they might meet you in the middle?

Good advice from @Lasttraintolondon

Do you have holiday to use? This can shorten your working period quite a lot sometimes. Talk to them about wanting to finish early - they may be happy for you to leave as they can make a small saving, or they may want to do this if they feel morale would be better in the team if it's short and sweet.

You might find once your notice is in your stress will change - the decision is done, you don't need to work to the bone, just turn up, keep a happy face and let the non-essential stuff go.

I quit a non-profit job a couple of years ago for exactly your reason - I just got to the end of what I could give. When they advertised they put 5k on the salary, I was kind of livid as they'd made a load of redundancies which impacted on my workload, so I would never have dreamed of asking for a raise in light of friends having lost their jobs. But I guess they realised they needed to reward the job more, so in some senses it was as a positive thing they were addressing it.

But my lesson learned was loyalty doesn't always pay, which is a hard one to stomach isn't it, because, it should really I think.

Good luck xx

Some good advice here and it's talked me down a bit to a more measured position!

I'm thinking I'll go with the approach of saying its effecting me a lot.

Ideally you should get another job before jacking in this one, for lots of good reasons. However, the chances of them suing you for breach of contract if you do leave early are remote. It costs an absolute fortune to take any kind of legal action so it’s just not worth it in most cases. I’ve worked in a few places where people have left with little or no notice, and zero action has ever been taken.

I did this over twenty years ago. Was massively stressed in a government job dealing with unemployment. It wasn't so much the people using it as being in a job set up to be punitive. I saw my doc, he said he'd write a mental health certificate (can't remember the exact term) so when I quit I'd have three months before I needed to look for work. I went in the next day and said I was quitting. My poor manager spluttered that I needed to give notice. I said I was, it was effective immediately, cleared my stuff and said goodbye. I ended up out of work for a couple of years but it was better than staying in that job.

Do it - you'll find it really hard to jobhunt while in the current stressy role and be positive about it.
Most NFP orgs (I think the same as many others) only give references that confirm your Job Title and dates of employment (if that's the policy you can probably check in your staff handbook)

talk to them about how stressful your finding it, and that's why you want to move on ASAP - if you're that new, it's not as if you've got years of organisational knowledge, they could well be amenable to compromise.

It horrible to be in a job that you don’t like, I know OP. The only advice I would give, is the employment market has changed, and sometimes it’s easier to get another job while you have one. Someone I know, left a job as she was so unhappy she has been applying and attending interviews for the last 3mths, and not got another job as yet. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd just be a bit careful. You may need to use them as a reference. Always good to leave a job on good terms.

Unless you are in the army resigning with immediate effect is always an option in any job. It may cause issues with references but not always.

@Teateaandmoretea why would you think that? There are notice periods in job contracts.

Unless you have the explicit agreement of the company - which would usually only be given if they're accepting your resignation instead of you admitting gross misconduct, for example, the only way you can go without notice is if you claim constructive dismissal, which is patently not the case here or in the majority of resignation circumstances

I ‘think’ it because your employer can’t stop you. Unless you are in the army where you can be arrested. They can sue for breach of contract but they stop your wages so there is the compensation. It never happens.

Did you honestly not know that in practice you can leave a job whenever you want?

@Teateaandmoretea
Well it's true they're v unlikely to bother to sue so yes, technically you 'can'. But it's the same as saying you can do anything where the cost of litigation for a company outstrips the benefit of rectifying your wrong.

You 'can', but you really shouldn't, and one day your comeuppance may come!

I did this a few years ago, although I'd already found a new job so didn't need the reference. The manager was a complete vile bully and after one particularly hellish shift I came home and emailed them that same evening to say I wouldn't be returning. The manager tried to ring several times and left nasty voicemails but I simply ignored it.

Years later it hasn't impacted my career at all and I simply leave it off of my CV and don't use them as a reference (only worked there for a couple of months).

Technically yes, if it states in your contract to work a notice period they could sue for breach of contract. In reality though they very very rarely do. It's usually not worth the expense and hassle.

It isn’t always true you shouldn’t. What if your employer told you that you had to do something that was morally wrong or against your principles? Staying would be cowardly. It also if you really can’t face a job because of stress of some kind doesn’t help them in any way if you are signed off sick for your notice period - it is you that helps.

But in most cases yes you would give notice as it’s the decent thing to do or at least agree a leaving date with them but you don’t absolutely have to is the point.

I’ve worked for my current employer for 16 years for what it’s worth, I’m not known for flouncing over nothing. It’s a FTSE 100 company and interestingly this situation is covered in our employment contracts. It says quite simple if you leave without giving notice your pay and benefits stop with immediate effect. Seems fair enough.

@Teateaandmoretea happy to agree with your comments here :)