[delbel]

You know, in this day in age you really need to give more then a two weeks notice. Maybe 6 weeks or more. I've had to fire clients before by giving notice and I always try to work out the best possible scenario where the least amount of damage is done. I even had to deal with yelling, screaming, threats of lawsuits. I always keep my cool and do everything I can to de-escalate the situation, stay professional, etc and try to minimize damage. Every single time this has happened I get some kind of contact or letter of appreciation thanking me for keeping things professional no matter how bad things got. It just makes me feel better as a person to know that I did everything I could to minimize potential damages and to seek the best possible scenario.

[wil421]

Why would you give companies this kind of consideration? Most will not certainly hesitate to walk you out the door when times are bad.

I have some friends who have told bosses they and leaving. By the end of the day they are told to pack their personal belongings and leave.

Two weeks is the law for an employee giving notice. There aren’t many laws protecting employees especially in Work at will states.

[joezydeco]

Where are you located where two weeks' notice is law?

If you are in an "at will" state, the law applies in both directions. Two weeks is a professional courtesy. An employer that is neither deserves nothing.

[phyzome]

I've seen contracts that say both "at will" and "14 days notice required". Not sure if those are in conflict.

It doesn't really matter, though. Always give 2 weeks notice, as professional courtesy, but also take any of your fragile or expensive stuff home first. Depending on your employer, you may not even get a chance to revisit your desk, and instead may be escorted to the door and met with a box of your belongings.

(Most employers don't pull that shit, of course, and instead are very happy to have you tie up loose ends and commit any relevant documentation before you go.)

[joezydeco]

If you are under a contract, then you are under the terms of the contract.

The "at will" we are talking about here are typically employees in US states that were not offered an employment contract.

You are free to go when you please, just as the employer is free to fire you at any time (not counting certain protected classes and etc)

[SubuSS]

It is not usually about the employer, more about your management chain.

Yeah the company might have laid you off / have made bad moves, but the question is do you want to leave a bunch of your co-workers in shit without enough knowledge transfer etc. because you are pissed at some part of it. And yeah, these things come back around as well sometimes.

Tit for tat works between true equals, may be. In any case, You are not equal to a company. So yeah, they might not give a second thought about firing you, but as long as you want to be employed by someone in the same industry, burn less bridges :)

[stories2tell]

That's quite generous of your time. In the US in an at-will employment state it's often two weeks. For senior or executive positions you'll often offer a month or so but it's rarely longer.

My personal and recent experience is that an employer can lay you off with no to little grace period. It's an asymmetry exploited by bad employers. Unfortunately, it's too late by the time you figure out if they're a bad employer.

[lovich]

Really? Cause every place I've worked blacklists anyone who quits, two weeks notice or not.

The taboo of not giving two weeks notice is something that benefits the company only, the same as not discussing salary with other employees.

You can even put a number on it if your new position is getting a raise. Whatever your yearly rate/26 is, is how much money you are losing by being nice to an entity who will walk you out the door the moment they are done with you

[phyzome]

No, 2 weeks is pretty standard and entirely appropriate for managed employees. If you're in a contracting situation it might be different.

[chrisper]

In Europe 4 - 12 weeks are normal. But that goes both ways.