Terms of notice in new employment contract

Highlander

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I've just got the contract for a new job I'm starting early in the new year. The terms of the contract state that I/the company would be required to give 3 months notice of resignation/termination of employment.

Does this seem like an excessive notice period? Anywhere I've worked before I've only been required to give one months notice.

Thanks
 
It does seem a trifle long, but it depends on the nature of the position.
Two fairly common reasons for such a long period would be that they feel to replace & train someone will take some time, or the job has access to time-sensitive data, eg investment analyst, where they'd like your info to be "out of date" for your new employer.
 
Hi Highlander,
Its a normal notice period in America and a lot of Europian countries. Does this company have a foreign head office? Possibly this has been handed down from a HR process defined another country? So if their head office is switzerland for example they'd expect all employees world wide to comply with that requirement.

cas.
 
Its an American Multinational I'll be joining.....but I'll be leaving another American Multinational. Thats why I was surprised at the difference in notice required. I wouldn't say the position would require a huge amount of time to train someone, and there isn't going to be any time sensitive data involved.

Do you think it would be unwise to ask them to reduce this to a month or maybe compromise and say two months? Its obviously not going to be a major problem now, but it may be if I want to look for another job in the future.
 
It does sound like the contract has inherited that process from its american counterparts.

There is certainly nothing wrong with you quering the notice period and pointing out in Ireland a notice period of 1 month is normally used.

cas.
 
I was in a job previously where my notice during probation was one month and I got them to change it to one week during probation and one month once probation had ended so there's every point in at least asking if it can be reduced - three months sounds an awful long time to put in after giving in your notice...
 
Is it not the legal requirement to only give the amount of time you get paid as notive to leave a job? As in if you get paid weekly then legally you are only required to give a weeks notice?
 
The statutory notice period isn't affected by your pay frequency, but by your length of service.
Under 13 weeks, no notice. over 13 weeks, 1 week.

Unless, of course, your contract states differently.
 
3 months for me in an Irish Multinational, I'd say it would be negotiated down in the event I was to leave as I would never give 3 months notice, that makes me less likely to gain another job as very few employers would wait 3 months
 
I know a company which has 3 months notice in the contract.
When someone actually hands in their notice, the amount of notice is negotiated based on the persons current workload, deadlines and getting
someone else trained up.
The 3 months gives the company a better negotiating position. They felt this was necessary to combat the number of people who were booking 2 weeks
vacation and then handing in their notice with 4 weeks to go, so effectively
only giving 2 weeks. 2 weeks is not enough time to hand your work over to
someone else.
 
The only problem you have with not giving the 3 months notice is getting a reference - what else can they do - they have to pay you for hours worked.
 
Usually of the potistion is a key/senior role 3 months is quite common.
However does it also work the other way around ie...if they were letting you go that you would get 3 months notice?
If one matches the other then thats not a problem.
ninsaga
 
ninsaga said:
However does it also work the other way around ie...if they were letting you go that you would get 3 months notice?
If the contract states three months on either side then they will or will pay you in lieu. Depends on the contract.