2 Week Notice-Is it really proper business etiquette?

<p>I've been working at the Gap and it was time to hand deliver my typed 2 week notice because I move out on August 13th and stated that the 12th would be my last day. I gave it to my managers on July 28.
Yesturday, I was supposed to get my new schedule for next week, and guess what happens? Nothing. I didn't get a schedule. I saw everyone else's but mine. I asked one of my managers and she said that the other manager wrote on the company's calendar that next week I wasn't going to be working because I was "Leaving." BS! I explicitly stated that my last day at work would be August 12, not 2 weeks before!
On top of that, one of my friends at work had his last day at work yesturday and did not give a 2 week notice. They were fine with that.
I notice some unfairness and I can't believe that a professional gesture wouldn't be enough for them and they decided to just "terminate" me immediately.
In addition, I got paid yesturday, but will I get paid for yesturdays and the other days that I have been working that were worked after yesturday's paycheck has been made?</p>

<p>You should get paid for the days you worked. I would call the district manager as well and put it in writing.</p>

<p>If you don't get paid for hours you've already worked, that would be grounds for legal action. Even people who are fired for breaking company policies get paid for previous work. Also it is normal business etiquette for a two-week notice, but I doubt companies like Gap that hire high school and college students for temporary periods (i.e. summer) adhere to such strict policies. It could be that they just made a mistake with your leaving date, which would be understandable, but with a company that determines unilaterally how much you work in the upcoming week, it'd be hard to fight for more hours if they were really trying to spite you. </p>

<p>I'd stay optimistic and talk to your manager or someone above him/her. Mistakes happen frequently amongst these managers of retail stores.</p>

<p>Note: I have no experience working at anything similar to this. I'm just speculating.</p>

<p>That's exactly why I'm not giving my job 2 weeks notice.</p>

<p>I agree with HiWei. I don't think most businesses who hire young students/adults expect them to do something as proper as a 2 weeks notice. I would have just told them in advance or something like that. Anyways, what you did was right -just unexpected. The manager probably just got the date wrong. </p>

<p>Yes, you should get paid for work you have done and yes, a 2-weeks notice is proper business etiquette.</p>

<p>2 weeks notice is a courtesy. Unless you want to leave your job on bad terms, you should always let your emplyer know at least 2 weeks in advance that you'll be leaving. For a retail job like the Gap though, it probably doesn't need to be in writing.</p>

<p>Yeah. This is my last week at chipotle, so I just kinda wrote that it was my last day in the request off book and told them. They were fine with that.</p>

<p>If anything, I'd just talk to your manager about it. Most of the time, they'll be cool about it, seeing as it was their mistake.</p>

<p>It is, but honestly, when you're working at the Gap or some place in the mall then I don't think it's completely necessary.</p>

<p>You should certainly tell a manager that you'll be leaving a few weeks ahead of time, but yeah, a written two weeks notice isn't manditory at all for a mall job.</p>

<p>A written two-weeks notice is considered normal, and would be expected as otherwise it's a real pain on managers to have to find replacements at the last minute.</p>

<p>Giving 2 weeks notice is considered being considerate. There are a couple issues when you leave. First, the logistics of leaving ... your giving notice was the nice thing to do, unfotunately the comany did not respond equally by not giving you more hours for the two weeks (FYI - they are not under any legal obligation to give you more hours unless you had an agreement about how long your job was going to last.) Second, references - this employeer will likely be a reference in the future (companies will want to see all past jobs) ... giving 2 weeks notice shows a level of professionalism and curtesy which can only help when companies give references.</p>

<p>My family owns a business and we also know a lot of other business owners. Sometimes when someone turns in their notice, the boss says to just go ahead and leave. Chances are that you won't be trying your hardest to be a good worker for those 2 weeks. Sometimes they don't need your help during that time and that's why they don't schedule you. Both of you don't have to worry about keeping each other happy if you will just be leaving.</p>

<p>My advice is to just talk to whoever is in charge of you and your scheduling and tell them that you planned on working up until Aug 12. See if you can get scheduled. They might not want to do it, but it is worth trying.</p>

<p>Giving 2 weeks notice is the proper thing to do, but not many companies that hire mostly young kids see it as necessary. They are probably use to people not showing up one day and when they are called they say "Oh I quit". It is the proper thing to do, but unless you need them as a job reference and it is in a more professional setting, I wouldn't. But if you are the only person doing that job, you should so that they will have a chance to find someone else.</p>

<p>Two weeks notice is the right thing to do. If you were working for me, I would have spoken to you about working out your two weeks and what is expected. Often a 'lame duck', especially a teenager, just marks the time and doesn't work hard once they have given their notice. If that's been the experience of your former employer, they might have a policy of terminating on notice rather than allowing the employee to set their last day. And if you suddenly started being more trouble than you were worth because you were leaving so you didn't think you had to work hard, you wouldn't be allowed to work the two weeks.</p>

<p>It might have been better for you if you had approached the manager in person, expressed that you would be leaving for college on such and such a day, and you would be available to work until two days before (or whatever). I would, at that time, also express that you would be home for specific holidays or weekends and would be available for working, especially during the Christmas rush.</p>

<p>I just had a STAR employee leave me. She joined our company during her junior year of high school. She worked part time through high school, and then worked summers and holidays while in college. She was promoted to Sunday manager three years ago, and has been a department specialist on weekends and holidays for four years. She has just graduated from college and is headed for graduate school in a new city. She received a <em>glowing</em> reference from me, and a personal introduction to a friend with a similar store in her new city six hours away. She interviews with him tomorrow.</p>

<p>I always give two week notices...just in case i need to use them as a reference. I'm currently a "lame duck" at pizza hut...I gave them my two weeks just after the schedule for this week came out, so at least I definitely have hours for one of the two "lame duck" weeks. Anyway, at least you were professional about it and this can only help if you ever need them as a reference.</p>

<p>I gave a two week notice by just talking to my managers in person. But I only bussed last summer, and I wasn't sure I was coming back there.</p>

<p>Fast forward to this summer with a sucky job market, and it helped that I left on good terms because I got rehired, and recently trained to wait tables (much more moolah :)</p>

<p>i left my job(county club golf camp councilor, worked there for 3 years) by telling my boss where i think he should go and what i think he should do. just broke, couldn't deal with a 30 year old college drop out who's life is going nowhere telling me i'm doing things wrong when i'm not.</p>

<p>When you are working in retail you don't have a contract and if you read the stuff you signed when you started the job there was probably a sheet that said something along the lines of:</p>

<p>"The employer or employee may choose to terminate employment at any time for any reason"</p>

<p>On top of this, they have little need to know 2 weeks in advance like a company that might need to start looking for your replacement. I work at Vans and they just doubled the staff so now every single employees hours have been cut and if I were to quit tomorrow it would cause them little to no inconvenience, however if I gave them 2 week notice they would probably use my hours to give newer employees more experience.</p>

<p>As for paychecks, they always have to pay you for every hour you work. If you quit or get fired you come back for the paycheck later and it should be there.</p>

<p>That's exactly what is happening to me at my job. Less time with my coworker. Yay.</p>

<p>Especially in retail you can find employees fighting for limited hours to work for.
Managers take a huge chunk of hours and we had like 15 employees in that store, so you can imagine.</p>

<p>Next time, unless you have a cushy office job, just tell your manager by mouth a week or so before. This time, talk to the manager and get the money you deserve! It was probably an honest mistake, but it still should be rectified.</p>