I notice you're leaving

April 14, 2009 7:40 AM

I recently gave an extended notice period to my employer (ie, notice that I'd be giving notice) to the tune of 7 weeks. I now feel I acted rashly, and am mulling over staying. Is it feasible to rescind notice, if its actually pre-notice?

I handed in notice saying that as of later this month, I'll be working my notice period out (4 weeks). Mainly due to a problem with an individual in the company. That person is now leaving, and change is afoot in the company (hopefully for the good). I'm tempted to stick around for another 6 months to `give it a chance` but am unsure of what ground I now stand on, and what repurcussions my actions may lead to.

I formally handed in a resignation letter stating the date I'd start and end my 4 weeks notice period; this letter was entirely professional and courteous, and gave no indication as to my problems and reasons for leaving.

Since we're all signing new contracts shortly anyway, the current proposal is for myself to be on a fixed-length contract which coincides with the dates I provided. This is acceptable to me, as I recognise it may be all I can get, even should I wish to stay.

You're not my lawyers, but a bit of level-headed thinking from those more objective to the situation may help. This little story takes place in the UK, should employment differ enough for that to be of use.

posted by anonymous to work & money (15 comments total)

If your employer still wants you, I can't imagine why they wouldn't let you rescind your resignation. It's almost always better to have an employee stay on than try to hire and train someone new.

Just talk to your boss, and no need to be so formal about it.
posted by musofire at 7:47 AM on April 14, 2009

I'd be willing to bet there'd be no problem at all rescinding your notice. Unless you've been a horrible employee or something, chances are they would rather you stay. I've seen people do this a couple times at previous jobs, and the employers didn't think it was a big deal and they were happy to have them back. I even saw one person get re-hired a week after they left just because things didn't work out for them wherever they were going.

It'll depend on you and your boss, but really, just ask him. Chances are it's a much smaller deal than you think it is.
posted by Nattie at 8:00 AM on April 14, 2009

"Hi Boss, do you have a few minutes free to talk? Great. I know I put in my advance notice, and the proposed new contract takes that into account for its dates, which I really appreciate. But the circumstances around my giving notice in the first place have changed, and I really do enjoy what I do here. If it's possible, I'd like to rescind my notice and stay on. Let me know what we need to do to get the proposed new contract revised accordingly."
posted by Drastic at 8:18 AM on April 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

This *could* work to your advantage; if your current work values you then the opportunity to retain you could mean that you can negotiate more pay or better conditions etc.

Like Natie said; just be cool and keep things straightforward.
posted by BadMiker at 8:22 AM on April 14, 2009

I wonder if I am the lone holdout. My opinion is that you'd be marked as the one ready to bolt if things again turn sour. You made the decision and I recommend you stick with it.

Just my 2 cents.
posted by toastchee at 8:40 AM on April 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Easier to try to stay on now than to attempt to return later. Drastic's suggested dialog seems fair. Give it a whirl. What's the worst that could happen? "Actually, part of our change in organization factors in your departure from the company, and we've already committed to going that direction." Oh well, you leave as scheduled.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 9:00 AM on April 14, 2009

I'm with toastchee; while in the short term your employer will likely be happier to keep you rather than go to the trouble and expense of hiring and training a replacement, in the medium term you may well find yourself at the front of the list should the company start laying people off. It depends on the organization; if your boss (or more likely, your boss' bosses) value loyalty over all else, your days are likely numbered. That said, as long as you're prepared to go job hunting again in six months, it's not unreasonable to ask if your employer will let you withdraw your resignation.
posted by metaquarry at 10:20 AM on April 14, 2009

You may be seen as more likely to bolt and have a harder time getting promoted, etc, in the future, so be aware of that if you stay.

I wouldn't go into specific details about who was pissing you off until that person is well and truly gone -- if they do an about face on their resignation, you don't want to be working with someone who may find out you quit to not have to work with them, after all. Until they're gone, I'd stay with the organizational changes have made you change your mind, and maybe after they've definitely left, a quiet conversation mentioning that they were the organizational change in question, just to let the company know that your loyalty is with them and they don't need to continue to worry that you'll leave at the drop of a hat.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:23 AM on April 14, 2009

There's no harm in asking. (What, they'll fire you?) But for what it's worth, I've often found that after I've quit a job but am still working out my last few weeks, I get all nostalgic for the place I'm yet to leave. The people seem nicer, the work seems more interesting, perhaps there was room for advancement after all, etc. etc. So I think that's also a natural part of the process, and probably a sign that you're leaving on good terms, which is not at all a bad way to leave.
posted by janet lynn at 10:57 AM on April 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I don't think I can state my opinion better than Metaquarry already did. It'll work in the short term, but it's a bad idea in the long run. Of course this is only my experience, but I've never seen anyone last very long after deciding to quit and changing their minds.
posted by Caravantea at 11:10 AM on April 14, 2009

As someone who has been a manager, I'd be really leery of you, unless I understood the reasons why you had been wanting to leave and they were all resolved (except for really minor things).

Also, this also reinforces my belief that you should give as little notice as possible. I gave three weeks when I quit my last job and it was really painful. It's like you enter purgatory. :)
posted by reddot at 11:29 AM on April 14, 2009

What Drastic said, but you might want to provide more specific details about why you wanted to leave in the first place so your manager doesn't have any suspicions that you'd want to leave at the drop of a hat again.
posted by joshrholloway at 12:23 PM on April 14, 2009

I'm a manager now. Since I've put so much energy into training my current staff, I'd much rather delay having to recruit and train new ones as long as possible because that's some hard work, and expensive too. I'd probably jump for joy to have the resignation rescinded, and the fact that I was given so much notice in the first place is enough of a sign of my employee's loyalty (or ethics or professionalism) that I'd be willing to give another chance. And as others have said, you really have very little, if anything, to lose giving it a try.

However, I might never mention the other employee as being the reason. When people tell me they can't work with so-and-so and need to escape them, what I hear is people who are missing some adult skills, particularly if there is no evidence of an attempt at conflict resolution.
posted by ViolaGrinder at 2:35 PM on April 14, 2009

I would stick with your original plan to leave. It's easy to panic after making a risky decision but you did it for a reason.
posted by banglespark at 6:05 PM on April 14, 2009

I think employment culture in the UK is somewhat less likely to tag you as someone who might potentially bolt in the future than it would be in the US.

At least in my experience, UK employers tend to be less skittish about such things.

Rescind away.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 9:02 PM on April 14, 2009