Boss Asks Employee To Work A Mandatory 3-Month Notice Period After She Quits So She Can 'Find And Train' Her Replacement
She was quick to consult legal support.
Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels / Canva Pro Quitting a job isn't always as easy as it seems, especially if you have an unreasonable boss.
Work culture guru Chris Donnelly recently shared an employee quitting horror story that gives bad boss a whole new definition.
After giving a month’s notice upon resigning, a woman's boss told her she was mandated to work two additional months to help train her replacement.
With a formal resignation email, a full conversation with HR, and an end date to look forward to, the employee, Sally, was met with unpredicted hostility by her boss of two years.
Donnelly shared Sally's email thread with her boss and it’s clear that her resignation was not only professional but also compassionate. So what went wrong?
In a formal email, she laid out her overall thanks for the job experience, a generous one-month end date, and plans for assisting with onboarding a new employee.
“I will do everything I can to ensure that the handover is as smooth as possible,” Sally explained in her resignation letter. “I have already begun preparing multiple handover documents.”
Not only did she clearly lay out her intention of helping the company transition someone new into her role, but she also thanked the company for her time there. “I have learned a huge amount and I will remember you all fondly.”
She even offered future support in assisting with onboarding someone new into her role.
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Furious about ‘wasting time’ training her for the past two years, her boss also expressed his ‘disappointment.’
It’s not uncommon for employers to request advanced resignation notices from their employees to allow time to find replacements. Not only that, but new hires can then benefit from being trained by the person leaving that position.
However, this boss, Alex, didn't think the proposed one-month resignation period is sufficient. In fact, he was clearly angry with her decision to quit in the first place, saying, “I have spent the best part of two years training you for this job… just when you’re good enough to do it independently, you choose to quit?!”
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If the email wasn’t unprofessional enough, he said her behavior in choosing to leave was “absolutely appalling.” Then, Alex insisted she must work a “3-month notice period” instead of her proposed one-month, adding that the extended term was one “they’ve spoken about many times before”.
Feeling upset, gaslit, and disappointed in her boss of two years, she was quickly validated by both legal and professional counsel about her resignation email, both confirming that her boss was completely out of line.
Although suggested as mandatory in his email, her boss cannot force her to work a 3-month notice period.
Being that her employment contract clearly stated a one-month notice period, supported by her HR representative, there is no verbal agreement that could put her in legal trouble for refusing to give more time. In fact, outside of the contract, no UK law would enforce a resignation period of anywhere close to three months. The law suggests that you give 2-weeks notice before quitting, with an additional week for each year you’ve worked.
Following her contract and clearly communicating with her HR representatives, Sally decided to contact a lawyer to ensure she was not in breach of any laws or employment regulations.
Photo: MilanMarkovic from Getty Images / Canva Pro
After she looped in her HR representative, the video ends, but we can only hope Alex was put in his place for his reaction.
Unfortunately, this is the reality of many employees who decide to leave their positions. There’s often unpredictable shame and judgment from companies and bosses that makes quitting anxiety-inducing.
For some, it can lead to situations where there are consequences for quitting: bosses making their work environment more toxic, taking punitive fiscal action, or even refusing to give support in a transition.
It’s important to know your employment rights and stick up for yourself to anyone who might take advantage. In a society dominated by an unhealthy work culture, the only person who can empower you is you.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.