Company offering wants a quicker start date

[votentia]

Was offered a good job today that is close to home. Glad I got it - but now under pressure to give notice to current job quickly - they want me ASAP. My current role is a maternity cover - but no word on renewal though hinted there is a possibility. However, despite being on a 12 month FTC, I have an 8 week notice period. WWYD?

Just ask your manager and have a conversation about earliest leaving date .

Do you have any annual leave owing that you could use to bring in your Leave date sooner?

Unfortunately used up my leave. Think best to speak to line manager and see I guessm

I don't wish to throw a spanner in the works, but if you have used up all your leave, does that potentially mean you owe your current employer some days back/£ if you leave before the fixed term?

Or have you only used what you have accrued to date?
(e.g. I mean if you have a Jan-Dec holiday year, but take a 3 week trip in Jan, you re technically borrowing from an allowance you haven't' yet earned)

That aside, if I had employed you as a fixed term maternity cover, I would be extremely unimpressed at your lack of professionalism by bailing out mid way. Certainly I'd be unlikely to accommodate any earlier leave date and I would almost want you to ask me for a reference so I could lay out the terms on which you were employed and then what you actually worked/how you wanted to give notice... (nothing non factual there)

How far into the 12 month contract are you?

"if I had employed you as a fixed term maternity cover, I would be extremely unimpressed at your lack of professionalism by bailing out mid way"

Fortunately most employers are much more realistic. Most employers understand that employees with the insecurity of a fixed term contract will obviously need to start looking for their next job with a reasonable amount of time left on the contract, to avoid being unemployed as soon as the contract finishes.

Yes, sometimes the new employer is able to wait for the FTC to finish, and sometimes the new job happens to be offered with exactly the right start date to coincide with the end of the FTC.

But it's extremely naive not to realise that there is a reasonable risk of losing FTC employees towards the end of their contract, and it's not unreasonable of temporary staff to be looking for the next thing.

Fortunately most employers are much more realistic. Most employers understand that employees with the insecurity of a fixed term contract will obviously need to start looking for their next job with a reasonable amount of time left on the contract, to avoid being unemployed as soon as the contract finishes.

I accept I am probably biased because I had this exact thing happen to me and it shafted us (I have also been a contractor and NOT done it!). I am perfectly realistic and of course contractors should be lining up roles to start straight after, but if you take on a FTC role knowing it is 3, 6 or 12 months upfront, then you should have the professionalism to stay as agreed, and agree new contracts to start after it.

The next employer should also look at someone who does this with care too - if they'll drop their current employer in it without worrying, who's to say they won't do the same with the new one.

(Sorry that OP is bearing the brunt of my aspersions!)

That aside, if I had employed you as a fixed term maternity cover, I would be extremely unimpressed at your lack of professionalism by bailing out mid way

If I had a fixed term contract I would be looking for a new role all the way through. Most maternity leave cover roles start with 6 months and then get extended to 12. You can't expect someone to wait to become unemployed at the end of it - other roles don't drop into your lap just as a fixed term contract ends unless you are very lucky. You're expecting loyalty from an employee that you would never show as an employer. Glad you're not my boss (but I often think that on here, some very ruthless and harsh employers).

@Mulledwine1 If I had a fixed term contract I would be looking for a new role all the way through. Most maternity leave cover roles start with 6 months and then get extended to 12. You can't expect someone to wait to become unemployed at the end of it - other roles don't drop into your lap just as a fixed term contract ends unless you are very lucky.

I think you are misunderstanding me. If I employed you for 6 months, I would expect you to stay 6 months - that is why I am paying a premium for you. What you do on 6 months + 1 day is none of my business. But yes, I would expect you to stay the initial term as contracted, barring genuinely exceptional circs (not just "a better offer").

If I decided some way through that 6 months that I wanted to extend the contract to 12 months, I would have to take the significant risk that you might already have other commitments in place for 6 months + 1 day (or I would have considered the risk by employing you for 8/12/break clause/whatever to start with).

How is that waiting for you to become unemployed, or unfair, or harsh? It's not loyalty I am after, it is sticking to the contract terms we mutually agreed.

Very unrealistic to think a contractor with 2 or 3 months left on a 12 month contract who gets a perfect job offer starting in a month should decline it if the new employer can't wait that long, and then end up unemployed as a result.

Especially if it's maternity cover they're doing, and the woman could announce she's coming back early with 8 weeks' notice, doing the contractor out of a job.

@flowery Very unrealistic to think a contractor with 2 or 3 months left on a 12 month contract who gets a perfect job offer starting in a month should decline it if the new employer can't wait that long, and then end up unemployed as a result.

Happy to agree to disagree on that You choose to contract, you have to take the rough with the smooth (I have been there), and you shouldn't just cut and run with a quarter or more of it left to run. As I said, I would not look warmly on employing someone who was more than happy to do that to their existing employer and I am a little surprised so many people think it is fine. But I guess we're all different

Especially if it's maternity cover they're doing, and the woman could announce she's coming back early with 8 weeks' notice, doing the contractor out of a job.
Well that is shit, yes, and it is not something that helps the overall reputation of women returning to work in my opinion. My one maternity cover was kept on for her full contract. Other covers have not been maternities so they just ran to term anyway/as well. I stuck my my side of the deal, and they stuck to theirs. Everyone was happy and nobody got shafted.

Just to clarify- I was advised by my present line manager to seek a new position - I was happy to stay the whole term (only 2 months left). Would have loved to stay in the company in the same role as the lady I was covering resigned - but a hiring freeze has been put in place - and they are not rehiring internally or externally for the role and there are no other suitable jobs in the entire firm. And I was told there is only a slim chance of an extension.

soumds like everything will fall into plan for all parties then

Phrases that only someone in the position of hiring could use.

You choose to contract
I'm paying a premium for you.

The problem I think is it all depends on industry.

So I come from an admin background. I have the good sense to know most contractors do not 'choose' to do so and are not paid a premium. In fact they are paid less than the employed rate with no benefits (other than poor holiday pay).

Now an IT contractor or such like, may be able to negotiate something better but not a secretary or receptionist.

@Bucket, I have been on all sides of this (as I have said in my posts). So please don't tar me with the brush you have in your own head. I am honestly not some mean ogre like you think I am.

By way of explanation, I consider technical or specialist roles that cost a lot of money and require certain people/qualifications/skills as "contractors" (on which my comments above are based).

These are quite different from those more general, easily available resources like admin staff which generally do not need specific qualifications which we/I classify as "temp" roles and are much easier to fill and swap in and out.

I get involved in contractor recruitment for my team as I need to get the right person. For temp staff, HR sort it out - it's nothing to do with me.

(I spent a long time after uni being a temp, so I am not saying that as a bad thing, btw. I had some great experiences!)

Thanks for clarifying @votentia, and it seems like everyone is happy with a equitable outcome. Best of luck with the new role!