No employment contract(?) and notice period

[wearemorethanourboots]

Hoping someone with HR knowledge can shed some light! I have worked for my (large, UK based, reputable) employer for 5 years. I am about to resign, and my new employer has obviously asked for my notice period / when I could start. When I joined, I was never sent an actual contract to sign, I queried it at the time and was told that they don't issue one, it was just the offer letter which had the basics of salary, location, title, hours of work etc (no mention of notice period) and that I would be able to access all other info via the intranet after I joined . The HR intranet page says that notice for all staff is 3 months unless you joined pre-2015 (which obvs I didn't).

Just wondering if the fact I have no actual contract impacts the 3 months requirement in any way, as I didn't sign anything on joining that refers to the notice period. Or am I implied to have accepted that as a condition of employment by virtue of the information being on the intranet and me not challenging it? I'd like to leave earlier if I can, if you hadn't guessed that!!

Have a read of this.

www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars#:~:text=to%20agency%20workers.-,The%20principal%20statement,paid%20for%20by%20the%20employer

Yes, you'll be implied to have accepted the published contract terms by virtue of turning up to work and accepting the salary.

You haven’t signed any contract therefore you can leave when you like!

That's just not correct.

Thanks @FatLarrysBanned and @Topplace looks like I'm here for another 3 months! I didn't think my employer would be daft enough to have missed a trick but its the first time I've worked anywhere without signing a full contract, so I was vaguely hopeful 😂

You have nothing to lose by asking if there is any way the notice period can be reduced. 3 months is a long time unless you are in a senior post. Offer to use annual leave if they'll let you do that.

There is no way they will let me go with shorter notice unfortunately, I am quite senior and critical to couple of big projects on the go. I was just hoping I could argue it wasn't in my contract and therefore not enforceable. Sadly not!

Normally you agree to abide by the general t and cs and policies on the intranet. So it is 3 months by default.