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"Required" is the same as "Our Policy" it doesn't amount for a hill of beans, weight the consequences and do what you need to do.
Lately since everyone seems to want my email, phone and social I usually just give them the "my finance guy tells me that it's not "Our Policy" to disclose that info"...it works nicely.
No company in their right mind will give a "bad reference". In fact, every company I've ever dealt with will give NO reference, good or bad - only HR is allowed to interact with inquiries and even then they simply note that the person did indeed work for them.
However, companies can threaten to do all sorts of things - it's not clear to ME, however, what benefit that brings them.
Most companies will not disparage former employees but some sadistic mangers will ignore company policy and do so and some smaller companies don't have formal policies about not giving out bad references. Usually a cease and desist letter will scare them into backing off if they do but it is worth checking if you have any doubt by hiring a reference checker or having a friend/family member do it.
Two week notice isn't required, it's just a courtesy. Your employer won't give you two weeks notice when you're fired or laid off. Actually, if they did, it would be detrimental to you obtaining unemployment benefits.
Unless you absolutely positively need a glowing review from your HR department, just put a few good references on your resume and leave your job only when you're ready to go. Not when your employer is ready.
I had a job a decade or so ago. I had to move a few hundred miles away. I gave an entire month notice. I used them as a reference. I couldn't get a job after that. I decided to call my old reference and found out they were giving me a horrible reference. I guess they were mad I left.
Assuming you're not under some kind of contract, a company can't "require" you to give two week notice beyond whatever internal punishment they can dole out -- refusal to pay accrued vacation, for example.
However, it's definitely good practice to give that two week notice. In my relatively short professional working career, I've encountered some of the same faces in many unexpected places. Put simply, you never know who you'll run into again, and when you might need them. Burning a bridge is never a good idea, especially if you work your career in the same industry across jobs -- but even if you don't.
When my husband got relocated and we knew we were moving, I told my boss as soon as the offer was signed and accepted. I wound up giving about a three week notice, but it was a small(ish) company and I was the only person doing my job, so I knew they'd need time to find a replacement.
Now, of course, this can backfire in that you do run the risk of the company letting you go as soon as you resign, or before your two weeks are up. In my case, I had a strong educated guess that this wouldn't happen, but we were financially prepared to handle it if it did -- which it didn't.
The result is that everyone parted on good terms, and I've been told clearly that should the time ever come, there is a job with my name on it.
No company in their right mind will give a "bad reference". In fact, every company I've ever dealt with will give NO reference, good or bad - only HR is allowed to interact with inquiries and even then they simply note that the person did indeed work for them.
I think you'd be quite surprised how many companies will in fact give a "bad reference." Not everyone acts in good faith, whether it's the employee or the employer. I've received numerous "bad references" when simply verifying the previous employment of applicants over the years. These things have ranged from silly opinions regarding fashion sense to outright dishonesty & character assassination.
I had a job a decade or so ago. I had to move a few hundred miles away. I gave an entire month notice. I used them as a reference. I couldn't get a job after that. I decided to call my old reference and found out they were giving me a horrible reference. I guess they were mad I left.
This is dishonest and unprofessional what they did. We can not always know how a boss will react when we give notice. Some states have laws due to this situation where they verify dates and titles only. What happened after yiu discovered this bad reference? Did you confront them? How long before you found work after learning of this?
No company in their right mind will give a "bad reference". In fact, every company I've ever dealt with will give NO reference, good or bad - only HR is allowed to interact with inquiries and even then they simply note that the person did indeed work for them.
However, companies can threaten to do all sorts of things - it's not clear to ME, however, what benefit that brings them.
True, there are too many liability issues so HR remains very neutral in what they say.
Is that 2 week notice stipulated in a written contract? If not, then I would say it is more of a courtesy.
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