Quitting Nicely
November 14, 2024 2:53 PM Subscribe
This was me and I accepted a job offer for something far more suitable. I've got 3 weeks of earned sick time; what's the best way to give notice for a new position I will start in 5 weeks?
My supervisors will not likely be surprised, but I want to do this as nicely as possible, knowing they are understaffed. My doctor will write me a note for sick leave next week; what's the best way to get the sick days?
My supervisors will not likely be surprised, but I want to do this as nicely as possible, knowing they are understaffed. My doctor will write me a note for sick leave next week; what's the best way to get the sick days?
No advice but glad to hear that you have found another position!
posted by Thella at 4:05 PM on November 14 [3 favorites]
posted by Thella at 4:05 PM on November 14 [3 favorites]
Make sure there are not rules that preclude taking paid sick time after giving your notice. I got caught by this when leaving one job, where I had far more than 3 weeks accrued. I never got paid for any of it. You might want to consider that before you submit your notice of resignation.
This was at a job where PTO was not lumped in with sick time, and was calculated separately, sick time and vacation time. I was paid for all unused vacation time, but not the sick time. Good luck in your future job!
posted by citygirl at 5:23 PM on November 14
This was at a job where PTO was not lumped in with sick time, and was calculated separately, sick time and vacation time. I was paid for all unused vacation time, but not the sick time. Good luck in your future job!
posted by citygirl at 5:23 PM on November 14
I read your old post. I would suggest taking the three weeks off starting three weeks before the new job, then calling on the morning of your first day and quitting. No support from administration equals no concern for administration required.
This probably doesn’t meet your definition of “nice” but they’ve modeled the behavior that they believe is appropriate. Good luck with the new job in any event.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:45 PM on November 14 [9 favorites]
This probably doesn’t meet your definition of “nice” but they’ve modeled the behavior that they believe is appropriate. Good luck with the new job in any event.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:45 PM on November 14 [9 favorites]
As an aside, Gilgamesh is correct — if they wanted a different outcome they would have behaved differently.
That they haven’t, and won’t, means this is what they want. They desire it.
…so, give it to them.
(Also, they can’t sabotage you with bad reviews when asked about prior employment; in most states this is illegal and there are many bottom-feeding law firms that will be happy to call them and record their answers for future litigation).
posted by aramaic at 9:23 PM on November 14 [1 favorite]
That they haven’t, and won’t, means this is what they want. They desire it.
…so, give it to them.
(Also, they can’t sabotage you with bad reviews when asked about prior employment; in most states this is illegal and there are many bottom-feeding law firms that will be happy to call them and record their answers for future litigation).
posted by aramaic at 9:23 PM on November 14 [1 favorite]
Not sure about your location, but in some places, earned PTO can't be taken away without compensation.
You can check here to see what you're owed. Very few states pay out unused sick time.
(Also, they can’t sabotage you with bad reviews when asked about prior employment; in most states this is illegal and there are many bottom-feeding law firms that will be happy to call them and record their answers for future litigation).
I have no doubt that bottom feeding law firms will try and convince people that it's illegal to give a negative reference and that they should be paid to record such references, but it's not illegal to give a bad reference so long as it's honest, accurate, not made in bad faith, etc.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:22 AM on November 15 [1 favorite]
You can check here to see what you're owed. Very few states pay out unused sick time.
(Also, they can’t sabotage you with bad reviews when asked about prior employment; in most states this is illegal and there are many bottom-feeding law firms that will be happy to call them and record their answers for future litigation).
I have no doubt that bottom feeding law firms will try and convince people that it's illegal to give a negative reference and that they should be paid to record such references, but it's not illegal to give a bad reference so long as it's honest, accurate, not made in bad faith, etc.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:22 AM on November 15 [1 favorite]
Not sure what the law is in your area, but generally speaking vacation days and sick days are not treated the same.
For vacation days you can get paid out for accrued days you were entitled to take but haven’t yet taken, although whether of not the employer is required or inclined to pay them out likely depends on multiple factors such as the terms of an employment contract, the employee handbook, union rules, local/state laws and the nature of the separation. Or, of course, you can just take them all before officially quitting.
Depending on how your employer characterizes PTO, sick days are not the same as vacation days. You’re allowed to use them when you’re sick, but if you’re not sick you’re not supposed to use them and it is not usual to pay out accrued sick days at separation. Just like with vacation days, sure, you can just take them all before quitting. But if you’re not actually sick in a way that would necessitate recuperating at home, you could be deemed as taking them fraudulently. Then it really depends on how hardcore the employer wants to be about it. I have definitely known employers who have either withheld or tried to claw back money in circumstances in which they feel the sick leave was taken fraudulently by an employee prior to quitting. From the employer’s perspective there is no “nicely as possible” way of doing this if they think you weren’t genuinely sick enough to require leave. I have to say that if I were an employer and an employee took all their accrued sick leave in a single chunk and then quit, my bullshit sense would be tingling and I’d know exactly what had happened. Moreover, if you’re not genuinely sick enough to require leave your doctor is taking on some amount of legal/professional risk by writing you a note saying that you are—especially if the doctor knows about your plan.
posted by slkinsey at 5:56 AM on November 15
For vacation days you can get paid out for accrued days you were entitled to take but haven’t yet taken, although whether of not the employer is required or inclined to pay them out likely depends on multiple factors such as the terms of an employment contract, the employee handbook, union rules, local/state laws and the nature of the separation. Or, of course, you can just take them all before officially quitting.
Depending on how your employer characterizes PTO, sick days are not the same as vacation days. You’re allowed to use them when you’re sick, but if you’re not sick you’re not supposed to use them and it is not usual to pay out accrued sick days at separation. Just like with vacation days, sure, you can just take them all before quitting. But if you’re not actually sick in a way that would necessitate recuperating at home, you could be deemed as taking them fraudulently. Then it really depends on how hardcore the employer wants to be about it. I have definitely known employers who have either withheld or tried to claw back money in circumstances in which they feel the sick leave was taken fraudulently by an employee prior to quitting. From the employer’s perspective there is no “nicely as possible” way of doing this if they think you weren’t genuinely sick enough to require leave. I have to say that if I were an employer and an employee took all their accrued sick leave in a single chunk and then quit, my bullshit sense would be tingling and I’d know exactly what had happened. Moreover, if you’re not genuinely sick enough to require leave your doctor is taking on some amount of legal/professional risk by writing you a note saying that you are—especially if the doctor knows about your plan.
posted by slkinsey at 5:56 AM on November 15
Nthing the suggestion to just call in sick for three weeks, and then quit without notice on the first day of your new job. DO NOT GIVE NOTICE. If you do they will fire you on the spot and you will lose whatever accrued sick leave you were planning to take.
This is what has happened in two of my last three jobs: I gave my two weeks notice and I was let go on the spot without any pay for the next two weeks. They fired me for quitting. This is apparently 100% legal. Since I had another job lined up before I gave notice, I was not qualified to apply for unemployment due to the waiting period before unemployment payments kick in, so they had literally no downside to fire me on the spot. So that happened in two of my last three jobs, and the third of my last three jobs I was laid off - without notice and without severance, after a year of working there.
The norms of the workplace have definitively changed. Do not give notice.
posted by MiraK at 8:48 AM on November 15 [1 favorite]
This is what has happened in two of my last three jobs: I gave my two weeks notice and I was let go on the spot without any pay for the next two weeks. They fired me for quitting. This is apparently 100% legal. Since I had another job lined up before I gave notice, I was not qualified to apply for unemployment due to the waiting period before unemployment payments kick in, so they had literally no downside to fire me on the spot. So that happened in two of my last three jobs, and the third of my last three jobs I was laid off - without notice and without severance, after a year of working there.
The norms of the workplace have definitively changed. Do not give notice.
posted by MiraK at 8:48 AM on November 15 [1 favorite]
I gave my two weeks notice and I was let go on the spot without any pay for the next two weeks. They fired me for quitting. This is apparently 100% legal.
You weren't fired. You quit when you gave your notice. The company simply didn't accept your offer of a two week delay before your last day. And yes, this is very common.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:04 AM on November 15
You weren't fired. You quit when you gave your notice. The company simply didn't accept your offer of a two week delay before your last day. And yes, this is very common.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:04 AM on November 15
Definitely check your specific workplace's policies. Having just done this for my own workplace, it was helpful to realize I was just a bit over the maximum cap for PTO that they'll pay out; I got a couple of additional PTO days requested/approved before resigning, to get myself down under that cap and not lose anything. I will lose the sick days, and I think that's pretty standard. So if you're actually sick and need those sick days, go ahead and take them, but otherwise those may well just have to be something you lose if you're not actually three weeks' worth of sick. But know your workplace's policy and any applicable local laws to be sure.
Do expect that you may be let go immediately when you give notice, and make sure you've gotten anything important that you need out of your workspace/laptop/etc. before you do. It may not be super likely if they're that shortstaffed, but you don't want to get bitten badly by misjudging that.
posted by Stacey at 9:16 AM on November 15
Do expect that you may be let go immediately when you give notice, and make sure you've gotten anything important that you need out of your workspace/laptop/etc. before you do. It may not be super likely if they're that shortstaffed, but you don't want to get bitten badly by misjudging that.
posted by Stacey at 9:16 AM on November 15
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posted by LionIndex at 3:25 PM on November 14