Providing two weeks’ notice before quitting a job has become a common practice in many industries. Employees will simply say that they are going to be leaving, but they’ll give the employer the next 10 work days before they actually put in their last shift. This way, the employer can begin seeking out a replacement employee, helping the transition go smoothly.
But what if you’re not interested in giving two weeks’ notice? Maybe you just want to quit your job immediately. Perhaps you found another job and they are telling you that you have to start next Monday. You just don’t have two weeks to keep working at your current position. Do you still have to give two weeks’ notice?
Notice is almost never required
You do not have to give two weeks’ notice, and you don’t even have to give any notice at all if you’re an at-will employee. There’s no legal requirement for you to tell your employer when you’re leaving. You could simply clock out on your last day and inform them that you are never coming back.
The employer wouldn’t be happy about this, but there wouldn’t be anything they could do from a legal standpoint. Even if the company has a policy saying that you have to give two weeks’ notice, you’re not legally bound to follow company policies.
When this changes as if you have an employment contract. If you signed the contract, it can alter your obligations by stating how much notice you have to provide. This could even be more than two weeks; you must follow the stipulations you agreed to in the contract.
Legal disputes sometimes happen between employees and employers over these types of issues. If you’re in that position, be sure you know what options you have.