How Much Time to Leave on Good Terms?

For Some Positions, Two Weeks' Notice Just Isn't Enough

When Bryan Jones resigned in October, he gave his employer the common courtesy of two weeks' notice but ended up staying only half that long.

"Once I said I was leaving, all the medium- and long-term project tasks I was working on were shifted to someone else," said Jones, 31, a database administrator from Gaithersburg.

Bored beyond belief, he surfed the Web aimlessly for a week before calling it quits. His boss didn't bemoan the early departure, but in the exit interview, human resources personnel harped on his short-circuiting of the two-week norm.

As Jones found out, people within an organization may have different ideas about how an employee's departure should be handled. But from the employee's perspective, there are ways to make those last days go smoothly -- and to make them pay off in the long run, because little nuances can leave a lasting impression.

Two weeks' notice is still considered standard, even though so much else about the workplace has changed over the years. To err on the safe side, never assume what the policy is. Consult the employee handbook, which "usually spells out the amount of notice required by that company," said Sharon Armstrong, a human resources consultant in the District. "It can vary."

Once you have familiarized yourself with any rules, talk to your supervisor to inform him or her and then hand in a brief and professional-sounding letter of resignation.

"You should simply state that you are voluntarily resigning and indicate your last day," Armstrong said. "If it's authentic, say something positive about your experience at the job." Never bad-mouth anyone.

"In most situations, the employer is very happy to have an employee work out their last two weeks to tie up any loose ends and to transition the work, especially if they are in an industry that is having a hard time finding qualified candidates," said Patricia J. Trudeau, vice president of administration and human resources at Kiplinger Washington Editors.

However, that may not be the case when the employee deals with sensitive information. Management could opt to pay for two weeks and ask the worker to leave that day, she said.

But unless the employer calls for an immediate departure, an employee should never resign and walk away without warning. "This employer will be a reference and will also remember how they parted company, this being the most recent event in their minds," Trudeau said.

The length of notice also should reflect rank and responsibility. "You've had months to plan your departure, but your employer has not. If you are a key employee or are in the middle of a big deal or project, it is not appropriate to leave with two weeks or less notice," said Connie Stewart, a human resources manager for a Northern Virginia information technology company.

Even though most employees aren't bound by legal requirements to give notice, "think about the message you are sending when you leave abruptly or without completing your assignments," she said. "Your co-workers, subordinates and peers will not think highly of you for leaving them in the lurch."

You may not finish everything in time, but at least you tried. In such instances, volunteer to remain accessible via phone or e-mail if questions arise. "You may never receive another call or e-mail," Stewart said. That isn't the point. "By offering assistance beyond your departure, you will be leaving your employer with a positive and professional impression."

Giving as much notice as possible can't hurt, said Theresa Waters, director of human resources and administration at the District-based American Immigration Lawyers Association. In her experience, two weeks' notice is usually acceptable for clerical and support roles. Professional positions take longer to fill, so three to four weeks would be more reasonable.

"Your current employer will appreciate it, and for your new employer, it sometimes speaks volumes about your character," Waters said. "Most employers will understand if you say, 'I can start in X weeks because there are a couple of projects that I'd like to wrap up, and I don't want to leave my current employer in a jam.' "