How much notice do I have to give to resign?

Details

Published: Tuesday, 31 May 2011 10:53

It used to be two weeks but Clause 34 Termination of Employment in the 2010 Award provides an obligation equal to that which applies to the employer terminating your employment.

That means:

• Less than two years service                           at least 2 weeks notice
• two years less than three years                      at least 3 weeks
• three years and less than five years               at least 4 weeks
• five years and beyond                                     at least 5 weeks

The increased notice period was provided in response to concern by councils that they were being left in the lurch by departing employees. We thought that would have been balanced out by the need for the new employer to get that employee on board sooner rather than later.

We also know that many councils are happy to reach agreement on a shorter period of notice on the basis that if the employee is going anyway, they are not going to be setting astonishing performance records while they work out the notice period.

Clause 34(ii) allows a Council and an employee to agree to a shorter period of notice.