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Original poster

Has anyone here successfully negotiated down a three month notice period?

18 replies

thisismyradox · 18/04/2024 17:48

I'm in a fairly senior role but one which is easy to fill. Am awaiting my contract for a new, better job and have just checked my contract to see what my notice period is. Because I have been here longer than two years, it has increased from one to three months. I stupidly didn't read this part when I joined and have told new company my notice period is one month. I have a team that can take on my work, there is nothing strategically significant happening during this time that I'd need to manage. Has anyone in a similar position managed to negotiate it down, and if so, any tips??

OP posts:
PickledPurplePickle · 18/04/2024 17:50

You can try but it’s not guaranteed

EveryoneJapan · 18/04/2024 17:51

I managed to get 3 days knocked off
it so I could leave on Friday rather than the following Wednesday 😂

I don’t really have any tips to be honest. My profession tends to hold you to your notice period. It’s very difficult to replace people in my role within 3-4 months, so they like to eke as much as they can out of you before you head off.

shoppingshamed · 18/04/2024 18:03

It's such a specific to the situation thing that I don't think there's any kind of universal approach but what's the harm in asking?

SpringOfContentment · 18/04/2024 18:03

I was sneaky.
I already had a weeks leave booked in near the end of what would be my 3 months, so added in as many days as I'd got left to that block, and then pointed out to them that did they really want me on leave for 2 weeks, then back for 2 weeks, and would it make sense for my last day to be the day before my leave started....

MrsPinkCock · 18/04/2024 18:04

I have (lawyer).

I got it down by about six weeks, as we were closed for nearly 2 weeks over Christmas, and January was pretty quiet in my department. I just had a sensible conversation with HR after explaining in my resignation email that I would like to discuss the possibility of varying my leaving date.

I also left one job by resigning on the spot when I was asked by my employer to commit a contempt of court, but admittedly that scenario was a little different 😂

WillJeSuis · 18/04/2024 18:10

You could ask, but I would maybe try to compromise a bit e.g. Could you leave 1 month earlier (so 2 month notice period) and ask the new place to wait an extra month? Are you worried they won't hold the job for you?
I sympathise as I made a bit of a mess of my notice period by giving a starting date for new workplace that ended up overlapping with my notice period.

Ghostgirl77 · 18/04/2024 18:11

Yes, I just asked if I could halve it to six weeks and they agreed.

CreativCarly · 18/04/2024 18:13

I've seen this done. The person basically just said "my new company needs me to start on X date so my last day here will be Z". Incredibly cheeky but what can they do? Not give a good reference I suppose?

mynameiscalypso · 18/04/2024 18:14

I did. I went down from 3 months to 2 months but that included 2 weeks of already arranged holiday. Wasn't a big deal because I wasn't going to a competitor or client or anything and I was a 'good leaver'

ooooohnoooooo · 18/04/2024 18:44

Tell them that you are going to a competitor and would have to go on immediate paid garden leave owing to a conflict of interest. Or offer that they could save money and just let you go now ?

Whattodowithit88 · 18/04/2024 18:53

Say you are jointing a competitor and they will put you on garden leave immediately (paid)

BIossomtoes · 18/04/2024 18:55

CreativCarly · 18/04/2024 18:13

I've seen this done. The person basically just said "my new company needs me to start on X date so my last day here will be Z". Incredibly cheeky but what can they do? Not give a good reference I suppose?

I did that. The reference had already been supplied. What are they going to do? Tie you to the chair?

mynameiscalypso · 18/04/2024 19:24

If you're on paid gardening leave, you can't take another job which would, presumably, defeat the point.

ItsVeryHyacinthBucket · 18/04/2024 19:25

Yes, I got a couple of weeks off. I just said the date I wanted to leave, used me remaining holiday allowance etc.

Ive just interviewed someone who was on six months notice!!!

DreadPirateRobots · 18/04/2024 19:26

Yup. I'd just wrapped up a fairly significant project, and so I positioned it as "there's not much point me taking on a significant amount of new stuff and then having to hand it off again". I had to write a clear transition plan, but my boss then approved a 6 week notice.

BIossomtoes · 18/04/2024 19:26

mynameiscalypso · 18/04/2024 19:24

If you're on paid gardening leave, you can't take another job which would, presumably, defeat the point.

You can. It’s perfectly legal as long as it’s not in breach of a competitor clause in your employment contract, according to my HR director friend.

PastorCarrBonarra · 18/04/2024 19:33

CreativCarly · 18/04/2024 18:13

I've seen this done. The person basically just said "my new company needs me to start on X date so my last day here will be Z". Incredibly cheeky but what can they do? Not give a good reference I suppose?

I did this many years ago by mistake. I genuinely didn’t realise that my notice period had increased. My boss hadn’t either.

HR brought it up a few days later when they were sorting out the paperwork but it was not an issue.

Nobody wants to manage someone who is there under duress.

heathspeedwell · 18/04/2024 19:38

I got three months down to one, it's definitely worth a try.

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