I’ve been at my current job for 4.5 years and want to leave asap. I’ve looked at my contract and there is nothing that indicates the notice period. I have asked HR for a copy of their notice period policy and they said there isn’t one but the notice period is a month. If there is no notice period in the contract or policy to indicate then do I need to work the full month? Would I be able to give 1-2 weeks notice? Cheers
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If there is no notice period in your contract then you do not have to give any notice, however I would be extremely surprised if the contract didn’t have any notice period in it.
My general understanding is that it’s either based on how long you’ve been there or follows the standard of how often you get paid.
Paid weekly, 1 weeks notice required
Paid monthly, 1 month notice
Over X amount of years service, 3 months notice
I’d say a month is the normal amount of polite notice to give for most jobs
From ACAS:
An employee’s contract should say how much notice they must give to their employer.
If it does not, and an employee has worked for their employer for less than a month, legally they do not have to give notice.
If an employee has worked for their employer for at least 1 month, they should give at least 1 week’s notice.
You must give at least one weeks notice as you have worked there for longer than a month, however if you are going to want a reference you may wish to consider giving them the month that they have asked for.
The law is pretty clear on statutory notice that *employers* have to give, but as the employee you can give whatever you like in the absence of a contract. ACAS (the legal body) say you *should* give at least 1 week, but frankly an employer can’t do anything if you give less (other than refusing to give a reference, rehire etc) so it’s more about etiquette.
[https://www.acas.org.uk/notice-periods/notice-when-resigning](https://www.acas.org.uk/notice-periods/notice-when-resigning)
If it’s not in your contract then the statutory amount to give should be a week.
there has to be something in your contract because can also apply to them binning you off too, you need to talk to your HR but usually you can base it on when you get paid, so if you’re monthly you’d give a month
Hi, my fiancé actually had this happen to him. Was a bit miserable in the job, looked for the notice period in the contract when prepping to leave and there just…wasn’t one.
In this case, it defaults to the statutory notice period of one week. HR/your boss will try to argue the toss with you but you only have to do what is legal and what is stipulated in your contract; if they have done a big boo boo by not including it, that’s their fault and not yours. Good luck!
Caveat: be careful asking for a reference if you do give one week, they may be a bit salty since you have been there a while.
In the absence of a contract, I’d go with 4 weeks or 1 month, just out of politeness more than anything.
I seem to remember that if it’s not mentioned in a contract, it could be one week for every year of service, but this might be in terms of notice from an employer to an employee.
You might get a better answer on r/LegalAdviceUK
Also, if you want to be certain you can contact ACAS – [https://www.acas.org.uk/](https://www.acas.org.uk/)
Without a contract and being employed for longer than 1 month, ACAS say you *should* give 1 weeks notice. (Should and must have different legal meanings).