Would you hand your notice in ahead of requirements in these circumstances?

[cronevibes]

I am in a huge dilemma about this and any advice appreciated:

I work for a small business (12 people), very specialist, been there about 8 years. I know I am leaving at the end of December, not to a competitor, but for a complete lifestyle change.

We are currently recruiting because 1 person leaving, 1 on maternity and we need a new team member too due to growth. This is already highly destabilizing for a small team!

I am one of the most experienced people here, and there is a reliance on me for a lot of knowledge about what we do. Obviously for that, I am also one of the highest paid members of staff.

I am looking at the recruitment process that is happening at the moment and we are obviously recruiting based on me still being there, by that I mean the levels of experience - we are looking at recruiting less experienced people and literally turning away more experienced people (who would be on my type of wage) but really, if I told them I was leaving in 6 months, they would probably come to the conclusion that it would be worth paying a bit more for a more experienced person to come in now when I am also still here for a smoother transition?

I feel that The Right Thing to do would be to tell them about my plans, but I am unsure as to whether that will ultimately be to my detriment. My notice period is 3 months anyway, and, I feel things inevitably change when you say you are leaving and the next 6 months could be awful? No one likes working their notice period, and this could basically be 6 months of it and 3 of them unnecessarily.

I know their decision making on this current recruitment drive would be different if they do know my plans, and I feel like I owe it to them to have all the information while they are making these big decisions on recruitment - these are big, and potentially costly, decisions for a small company!

So should I tell them now or just wait for the 3 month timing?

You don't owe them anything. They are your employer.

hand in your notice end of september and work your notice. Where did you get six months from?

I would think like you too, OP. I disagree with PP saying 'you don't owe them anything'. For good employers, you do, actually - eg your career advancement, professional satisfaction.

That said, it's very dependent on a) the culture and b) your own relationship with your managers / owners.

In my organisation, it would be completely fine to disclose this, and indeed to discuss potential moves - we actively encourage employees to go for roles outside our organisation.

It may not be the same for you, and you correctly don't want to have a difficult 6 months.

Again, leaving for a lifestyle change may make it an easier choice to tell.

In short, if you can, I would. If you fear unfair treatment or being forced out, then don't.

Do whatever is best for you. They shouldn't be making hiring decisions based on the assumption that one member of staff will still be there, what if you became unexpectedly ill or got run over by a bus? It's surely in their best interests to have more than one experienced person on the team regardless of what happens

I get where you're coming from. I wouldn't tell them early to my own detriment. I would make noises about making the business resilient skills wise and an inexperienced team costing more to the business in the end. I'd also prepare them in an abstract way by being a little more open about your future hopes and dreams so they know you might not be there forever. You don't have to tell them your plans for the end of the year though, they should be making plans with the knowledge that some staff might leave at some point in mind anyway.

I think the mixed advice you’ve got suggests this boils down very much to how you feel about the next few months. When you say most folk don’t enjoy working their notice period, that’s usually because they’re switching off and thinking towards their move, which will often be to a competition / supplier / customer so inevitably some conflict of interest so you get sidelined at bit.

if you’re prepared to share with your employer your intent that that’s not why you’re leaving - and they in turn trust you, then the next 6 months could be quite good, in that you help shape the future by influencing who they recruit & how they’ll work. That would interest me, if I was leaving “industry” to become “professional surfer” or whatever, because that shows a whole other skill set & attitude that’d I’d see as a positive. Regardless of whether I planned to be a “surfer” the rest of my life or not.

or you take the mid-point option of dropping heavy hints about future resilience / knocked down by bus situations etc

Do whatever suits you best.
If they were going to get rid of you in 6 months do you think they would tell you now?
They will have 3 months to replace you, it will be fine

Don't do it. Six months is a long time at work. Until you hand your notice in it's all hot air anyway, what if they changed their decision based on that, and then you changed your mind and didn't leave after all?

I'd say nothing. Your notice period is 3 months, and given the business is expanding, presumably they will recruit a replacement for you. The replacement will be one of the slightly-more-expensive, experienced applicants they are currently turning down. The current newbies will also have 6 months experience by the time you plan to leave, so won't be as green either.

Thank you all

I have taken it all in.

I am not going to mention it until it is necessary for the 3 months notice but I will be encouraging more experienced people in the recruitment process!

I would only give the 3 months notice. I get that you don’t want to leave them in the lurch but it’s not really your problem! That’s what people at the top get paid the big bucks for.

I'd give them the extra notice. The "pain" of working your notice is the struggle to stay motivated when you know you're leaving, but you already know that.

This. You seem interested in the business still to the point of noticing this is going to be an issue and feeling you could help address it.

Why not go out on a really good basis supporting the business as a long standing Senior member of staff? Looks great on you. You never know what's round the corner, you might be grateful you left a good impression at some point...

I have done exactly this. My notice period is only 1 month, but I have given 3 months notice precisely to make it easier for my employer to recruit my replacement. I work in quite a specialist field. Not only is it difficult to find the right person, but, if I gave 1m notice it would fall at exactly the worst time for recruitment and just before the most challenging time for new starters.

Yes, I am invested in this job, even though I will not be working here very soon.

The atmosphere here is fine around my leaving. There is, in fact, a lot of appreciation for my engagement with the handover process.

If yours is a small industry, giving early notice and supporting the handover could give you a good name.