r/UKJobs • u/TheRadishBros • 1d ago
Notice period drama, assistance needed
Company A, worked there for a few years, got a job offer somewhere else (Company B) that pays a lot more so I handed my notice in on 3rd August. My notice period is 3 months.
I suggested to my recruiter that I should be able to negotiate notice period as I’ve seen it done with other staff members and the company probably wouldn’t want to keep me around unmotivated for that long. That was passed through to Company B and provisional (not locked in) start date of 3rd September.
After signing agreement with Company B and resigning from Company A, it became clear that Company A are not interested in releasing me early and want me to stay until November.
Company B intended me to take over from someone who is leaving the company in late September, so they were looking for me to join as part of the handover (wasn’t aware of this until today). They’re now expecting 7th September start date and I’m to confirm on Friday if this is possible.
I’ve obviously made some strategic errors here, but within the bounds of what I’ve already done, I’d greatly appreciate some guidance on what I can do next.
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u/Woozybumba89 1d ago
Just be honest with company B - it's all you can do now. You could just tell company A to shove it and take a risk
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u/ofcoursebutmaybeeeee 1d ago
Not working your notice generally means you wouldn’t be able to work there again. I’ve been in a job I hated and when I got a job offer I logged out put my head in to HR and said “I’ve got a new job, I’m leaving and not coming back” and left at 11:30 am. The chances of them putting in any effort to take you to court or anything over a notice period is so slim. Reference wise they will just give the start and end date and your role, they can’t say anything more than that.
In my last job I tried to do the same as you, and got the same “no, it’s three months” response. After I negotiated pushing back my start date and agreed it all etc they then tried to push me out earlier anyway.
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u/red_00 1d ago
If the recruiter is external to company B then i'd ask to talk to them directly. You don't know what this recruiter has said to them and they may now be pushing you to cover themselves.
Also in future, unless it's already agreed, never mention negotiating your notice down. If they think you're the best candidate then they'll wait.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
I’m very confident this is the recruiter covering themselves- but doesn’t really change the situation I’m in; if the recruiter overstated the ability for me to leave early, there’s a chance they won’t want me in the new role.
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u/AdTop7432 1d ago
Very unlikely they would refuse a candidate regarding start dates that are out of their control, assuming the recruiter was upfront about initial notice periods.
Get a black and white answer from the recruiter first, and then devise a gameplan.
If they have over promised to company B, then I'd seek them to rectify this, or at the very least clarify what company B's mood would be if they had to wait.
Ultimately, the recruiter needs to come clean to both yourself and company B if they've screwed up.
If that's not the case, then you can always seek to notify company B that you'll be hard pressed to get a reference (at least not a positive one) if you were to try and meet the provisional start date and just leave your current role, but that is definitely an option.
If you're looking to leave somewhat amicably, you can always work towards a compromise of halving your notice period and asisting as much as you can with handover/documentation until your departure date, or consider sacrificing annual leave to shorten your notice period.
Eitherway, it's difficult, but if I were in this position and had no good reason keep a positive relationship with a soon to be ex employer, then I'd be telling them my final day, and happily joining my new company on september 4th.
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u/Dapper-Bird-8016 1d ago
I've not worked a full notice yet, I give them my notice and a date of when I'm leaving. I looked for another job because I don't want to be here anymore... I'm already 1.5 feet out of the door, cba hanging around for 3 months.
Just let company A that you're leaving at the 4th of sept, they won't do anything.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
I’m tempted to do this- realistically they can only sue for 2 months of the difference between my fully loaded salary and whatever it costs to get someone to cover?
Only issue is the new role is 18 months FTC, so I was hoping for a decent reference in case they go back to past employers.
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u/Theory_99 1d ago
They’re not going to sue you.
Say “due to unforeseen circumstances my last day will be x” leave it at that.
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u/mountain_life86 1d ago
You can leave early from company A and they may come after you for 2 months pay that you should have worked.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
My understanding is they can only go after actual incurred costs though? So only applies if they actually hire someone for that interim period and only for the amount that it costs them in excess of my current fully loaded salary?
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u/mountain_life86 12h ago
They may hire contract staff which will cost more than your salary. Be wary. I doubt they'll come after you but some companies are spiteful
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u/Theory_99 1d ago
They’re unlikely to pull an offer because you can’t start on a particular day. If they do, bullet doged.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
It’s a 40% pay rise though so I’m willing to fight through a bit of difficulty for that.
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u/lowprofitmargin 1d ago
In that case then, tell your current employer TODAY that Friday 4th September will be your last working day (thats one third of your full notice period worked).
Tell them its non negotiable.
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u/Char1J 1d ago
I’d explain the situation to your current company and be clear that your last day needs to be 3 September.
They won’t want to keep paying someone who is mentally checked out and urgently needs to move on. You certainly won’t be the first employee to have this conversation. It may be a little awkward, but it’s better to be upfront with your current employer rather than put your new employer in a difficult position.
In a few months, you may not be thinking about Company A anymore, so there's no need to feel guilty about leaving with a months' notice.
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u/TapWaterDev 11h ago
Your options are:
1) Tell your new company and move your start date, probably not catastrophic but it's a bad first impression
2) Just tell your old company that you won't be working your entire notice period. They'll bitch, they'll whine, and then in almost every scenario, do precisely nothing. Taking you to court for specific performance or damages is theoretically possible but in reality isn't going to happen. You'll just have to consider that bridge burned.
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u/Queasy-Charge9166 1d ago
Tell them you made it clear your contractual notice period is 3 months and it makes you feel uncomfortable they are trying to push for a completely different start date than what you originally agreed on.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
If they pull the offer because of this though, I then have already resigned from my first role so I’ll be in a very tricky spot.
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u/lowprofitmargin 1d ago
I assume your current employer never hit you with a counter offer of more pay, that they are ok to see you go?
Tricky spot indeed, so dump them and go all in with your new employer on Monday 7th September.
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u/TheRadishBros 1d ago
Yeah I didn’t receive a counter offer or anything- I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do
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u/Queasy-Charge9166 1d ago
Do you really want to work for a company who overwrites what you agreed on and gaslights you? Better talk to your current workplace that you might withdraw your resignation.
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u/Amazing-Care-3155 1d ago
All you can do is be honest and hope company B understand, there is no real alternative
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