Does Working Notice Work? Not Usually.
The downturn in the economy has pushed many of my clients away from paying severance and toward working notice. Employers are choosing to ask employees to work their notice rather than paying severance and letting them go immediately. One client asked me if I had an opinion on working notice. I do. It often doesn't work. Once you have decided to let someone go, you have mentally moved on. They have not. They can be bitter and demotivated and you can't really blame them. They were let go. It is tough for both parties to go to work each day and face one another.
When does working notice actually work?
- When it is short -- a few weeks for more junior positions and no more than three months for very senior positions.
- When the employee is reliable and professional. You can tell if they will be professional and reliable in the first few days after giving notice. If it doesn't go well, revert to severance and do it quickly.
- When the employee needs a place of work to help them look for another job.
When should you never use working notice?
- When the employee has a history of poor interpersonal skills. Bad behaviour is likely to get worse during working notice.
- When the employee can potentially hurt a client relationship or impact the security of others or of your organization.
As an employer, termination is a very difficult decision to make, even if it is the right decision. If you decide to use working notice try and park any guilt, anger or frustration and be pleasant and professional yourself. As much as possible, treat the employee the same as if you had not given notice. Continue to expect them to do their job while giving them plenty of time for job search and interviews. Keep the working notice short.
Filed under:
leadership,
leading in a downturn
Sandra Oliver - April 14, 2009
