Continuing with Thursday’s post …
OK, so how does “On payday, everybody’s even” fit in with a career move? Hang with me a little while long and it will all make sense.
I took the following excerpt from a client email I received recently. It’s a good question. And this client is wise in planning an exit strategy.
My company’s unwritten policy is to escort you out the door as soon as you turn in a notice. Do they have to pay me for the notice I give? In the past, I have paid my employees for their two-weeks, but followed policy and make them leave as soon as they gave notice. Being a higher-level manager, I would give two months notice. If they let me go, do they have to pay me for the two months?
This is the gist of what I told him:
You may stay on the high road with two months notice, but they may not. If they walk you to the door, in my eyes, that’s pretty much it. You’re done. Unless you’re protected by a “pre-nuptial” contract guaranteeing severance pay, regardless the circumstance, I wouldn’t count on anything. By not counting on them for severance pay, anything you get will pleasantly surprise you, and if you don’t get it, you’re not devastated financially.
You being magnanimous with your managers doesn’t mean you’ll get the same treatment.
This isn’t a family where dad slips you twenty bucks before you leave for the big city. This is business. Basically, don’t expect anything out of a business relationship, other than a business relationship. The “shoulds” and “fair” of your perception are probably not even on your employer’s radar. On payday, everybody’s even.
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