3 Reasons Leaving Without Proper Notice Can Hurt You

So, let’s talk for a bit.

I work with a lot of young professionals I’m not trying to point us out, because we definitely don’t need another article saying how horrible we are, but I am seeing a problem occurring more frequently in the workplace.

There plenty of reasons to leave a job. You’ve outgrown it, found something better, you don’t fit into the culture, the systems aren’t working for you, pay or benefits are horrible. Companies don’t want to see the employees that they’ve taken the time and money to train walk out the door, but it happens. The problem I’m finding is employees, leaving without any notice. The work is tougher than you thought it would be so you leave the keys on the counter and assume the HR department will mail your check.

Here are 3 reasons why you’re hurting yourself:

1. No Rehire – You’ve immediately gone into the bin of “Never hire this person for as long as they live” tab. When you abandon your job, and that is exactly what you’re doing, you leave a bad taste in the mouth of your manager, supervisors, and the entire company. I get that everyday isn’t easy and that you might not ever want to be hireable at that company again, but it’s important to think about the big picture.  Your hire status stays with you, HR keeps documents, we won’t forget about this if you try to apply again 3 months down the line.
2. Unemployment Request – When you leave, one of the first stops is going to be the unemployment office and in return, they are going to send you right back to us. You can be dishonest to the unemployment office, but we are going to inform them how you left, which means more than likely, we will win the case and not be responsible for your payout. If you’ve found another job and won’t be worried about filing unemployment, it’s still wrong to abandon your job without notice.
3. Referrals Out the Window – You’re not just leaving a company high and dry, you’re doing the same to your coworkers and managers. Coworkers are now responsible for picking up your slack. The companies I’ve worked for have never, or at least claims, they won’t give out an employees information when another company comes calling for a referral. That doesn’t mean your new company won’t get an upset employee and not the HR department that knows right from wrong.

When you’re ready to leave a job, take the time to do it correctly, providing your manager with a two weeks notice with your final day of work. Your employer might have the right to deny your notice and terminate you immediately, depending on the offense. I mean seriously, don’t try to turn in a two weeks notice after your employer has found out you’re stealing money, it’s awkward. Being escorted out should never be a goal when ending a job.

Even though we’ve spent a lot of time and money training our employees, we want what’s best for them, and if that means them moving on, the HR department should be a support system. Depending on your role, if you’re able to train your replacement, that can also be a great help to the company. Do all that you can to make your transition out of the company the absolute best, and that starts with your two weeks notice.