Ask HN: How far in advance to notify employer that you'll be leaving?

[my_username_is_]

I'm a young engineer and I've been working at my first job for the last 18 months. In about 7 months, my significant other will be forced to relocated to a different part of the country with her job. As a result, I am starting to look for jobs outside of my company. Should I tell my boss that I am doing so? On one hand they might want to recruit from nearby colleges this spring, but on the other hand it might make an awkward situation for the next several months (especially because I haven't been at the company for very long).

How would you handle the situation?

[xpto123]

Just wait for confirmation of the relocation, because those things get cancelled / delayed often. When its confirmed then look for jobs and give standard notice as per law. Explain you immediate superior the personal reason once the resignation is sent, so he hears it from you.

These things happen all the time, so just the standard notice in your country is sufficient. Remember that to lay you off they would not give more than the legal notice either.

Your feeling of torn loyalty is normal and experienced by everybody thinking of quitting a job. It sucks its true, but try to focus on work even more to leave a professional impression of someone they would recommend and hire back.

By talking too early you risk having to cancel the resignation if the relocation gets cancelled, or be there a very long time in 'exit' mode, which would be even more awkward.

This is one of the reasons why changing jobs sucks, but 15 days on the new job and you wont give it a second thought.

[cheriot]

1. Tell no one until the move is set in stone.

2. Be loyal to people more than companies. You can give an informal heads up to a senior person you work with or your manager without making it official with HR. Talk to someone you have a good relationship first and ask around about other people that have left. Some places will walk you out the door immediately.

3. Make sure your work will be as easy to transition as possible. This may require extra documentation, extra work on your part to keep quality up, etc.

4. Remember that employers don't give notice when laying people off.

[philwelch]

> 4. Remember that employers don't give notice when laying people off.

But they do pay severance sometimes--paying a little bit of extra money for 0 extra work. People who quit never throw in extra work for 0 extra money.

[rudolfosman]

I am a manager myself and I would consider letting me know ahead a very professional thing to do. So I would recommend letting your employer know about your relocation as soon as it is 100% sure. You never know, maybe your current employer might consider offering you a job in your new hometown or even write a letter of recommendation for possible new employers. Think about how your boss would refer to you when somebody asks a reference from him/her. I think you could gain a lot by working together with your current employer knowing that you are leaving

[zhte415]

7 months is a long time. If I were in that situation, it would seem like one of many potential options of which some may yet to materialise.

Closer to the date, when your significant other is sure they will relocate, absolutely sure, I would request a 1-1 chat, face to face, to explain the situation.

Keep the discussion open ended. Not phrased like "I'm sorry I'm leaving" but "This is the situation, I'd really appreciate your advice and feedback". By keeping the conversation open ended you can seek win-win options with your boss that are good for you both. Stay in that mindset. If they try to close it by saying something like "you should have told me X months earlier" deflect them "this was a potential problem, but neither of us knew for sure and I am interested in what I do here and now". Keep the positive flow and offer something back, from negotiating remote work to staying with the company in a different location.

Stay dedicated at what you do, and when you're absolutely, positively sure nothing can derail the potential move for your significant other, have the conversation, and make it a conversation, not a notice.

[MalcolmDiggs]

When I was in your position (leaving my first real job) I gave them 90 days notice (twice the time I estimated it would take them to find a suitable replacement for me); and I volunteered to do the technical screening of the new candidates and transition the workload over gradually. I ended up working side-by-side my replacement for the last month (training them); which was ideal for everybody.

That ex-employer ended up being an invaluable professional reference, and we're still good friends.

Protect yourself of course (maybe don't mention it until your plan B is solid) but treat them as you'd want to be treated...it'll pay off in the end.

[nanoscopic]

10 minutes before so that you have enough time to put the stuff from your desk in a box before you walk out the door. :)

All joking aside it depends on what projects you are working on and how friendly your superiors are.

If you are leading projects that cannot be easily picked up, and your superiors are friendly, you might want to give them a month notice so that your last month can be spent passing on crucial knowledge and shifting you out of projects that depend on you.

Generally giving 2 weeks notice is all you need as that is required to get vacation and stuff paid out. ( in the USA at any rate )

[entreprenewb]

The best case scenario is that you tell them ahead of time and they are agreeable and supportive. The worst case scenario, if it's at-will employment, is that they terminate you immediately. If other employees in your company have given notice far in advance and they've been treated well then you're probably fine, but it's always a possibility that your employer may use this knowledge to their advantage.

[frostmatthew]

I think it's a bit too early to say anything seven months out. If you have a good relationship with your manager it might be nice to let them know a couple months before - that gives them plenty of time (or at least much longer than the typical two weeks) to find a replacement.

[patmcc]

Give two or three weeks once the move is set in stone (so ~6 months from now). Explain your reasoning, and be open to the possibility that they will offer you the option to work remotely if you're good.

[ja27]

Two to three weeks. That's all the company would give you if they laid you off. It's also not unheard of for companies to terminate someone immediately when they give notice.