Hello folks,

I have an etiquette question for you. FYI I am a software engineer. I work for a consulting company.

In my current job, I have a very good working relationship with my manager, enjoy my job, and would not leave if not for money. I have found a new job which pays much more, and am planning to leave my current job to join there. The new job agreed to hire me in 4 months (I want to finish my current contract). I believe it is important to leave the current client with a good feeling about my current company. They have great potential for contracting more consultants from my boss if I leave them with a good impression.

Anyway, I am wondering what is the best etiquette in this delicate situation as far as informing my boss. On one hand, I can give him a heads up right now (he is currently looking for my next contract), but as much as I have a good working relationship with the guy, I am worried that company policy might be to terminate me ASAP, or something along those lines. The other option is to wait 2 weeks before the end of my current contract and give him my notice then. This guarantees that I am safe, but it will put him into a tough position of already having signed a contract for my work.

For those of you who say that he will just provide another consultant, I have to note that I have been working with repeat customers for last several years, and already have the necessary learning curve for all their products. They are negotiating to contract me specifically rather than just "a consultant".

Any thoughts?

~Evil

If you have a consulting contract then he probably won't just fire you, unless you're an at-will employee working for your boss on a contract job. If that's the case he may fire you. On the other have if your relationship is good and there aren't too many red tape obstacles that your boss would need to go through to figure out what to do with your position, you may very well be allowed to ride it out till end of contract. If I were to do it, I'd wait at least another month or 2 then give him the news.. hopefully he won't find you another contract to work on. You're in a sticky situation with too much time in between the end of current contract and future.

What if you get canned, can you start the new job immediately?

Unfortunately, I am 99% certain that, I will be going to the new job - I'm moving from development to project management, and the pay scale is much higher. The current company does not hire project managers, just technical consultants, so I couldn't even negotiate for a promotion in company.

I would wait about 3 weeks before you plan on going to a new job. if they do fire you on the spot then you wont be out 3 months with no job. soon as you tell them your going somewhere else, your an 'outsider'

The tally so far:

Screw him: 2
Tell him: 2
It's a tossup: 1

Ethically, I can see why you want to give as much notice as possible, but at some point you need to look out for your own interests too. It may very well turn out your boss will thank you for giving notice and respect your decision, and find small projects you can do until it's time to leave.

But if you do have that conversation now, you have to accept there are a lot of bad outcomes for you that may come from telling him too early. If they have another high quality resource available, they may pull you off your contract ASAP so that other person can learn from you and transition your work now. Your boss may hire a replacement candidate within a couple weeks, and then tell you that he's going to let you go before your 4 months are up because there's no need to pay both of your salaries. Likewise, you may find yourself working very long days as they try to squeeze every last ounce of productivity from you before you leave.

Remember, 2 weeks is not required by law - it's a "best practice" for being fair and giving your employer enough notice when moving on to a new position elsewhere. Employers don't expect you give them any more notice than that when you're leaving (unless you're an executive, in which case you probably have an employment contract and some form of $everence anyway).

The best way to leave on good terms is to do the best work you can - that's what people will remember down the road.

I agree with much of what larrytrain wrote. Doing the nice thing (letting him know now) puts you in very precarious position; he might start looking for your replacement now and if he finds the replacement soon, might give you the boot early. Even very good boss-worker relationships can get weird once you put in your notice.

One thing to consider is how other employees have been treated when they have given the same notice in the past, were they shown the door immediately or were they allowed to work the full period until they were ready to leave or something in between?

You didn't mention how "replaceable" you are either - I think that's a big factor. Everyone likes to think they can't be replaced easily but the reality is that with the right candidate its really not that bad. How hard will it be for your boss to find someone else to work on the next contract that he is lining up for you when he finds out you wont be available?

2 weeks notice is considered normal (will not burn bridges) so waiting until 2 or 3 weeks before the contract ends is probably your best/safest play. Probably a good idea to not let you boss find out that you've been planning to leave for 4 months though.

From your OP, it sounds like you negociated a start date 4 months from now so that you could finish your current project. Have you talked with your prosective employer to see if they would be interested in having you start earlier? If the prosective employer will take you earlier, you could let them know that you plan to tell your current boss that you have found another position, but that you have arranged to start after you complete your current project. If your current boss says, "Thanks for letting us know, you're fired." (which seems unlikely from what you have written), it's your boss who will be souring the relationship with the current client. You could then start at your new job earlier. If the prosective employer can't take you any earlier, then you've got a tougher decision to make.

I would give 3 weeks notice, no more. Any earlier notice and you will be replaced as quickly as possible. Also, there is possiblity of the new job not being around in 4 months.

Look out for your self first. Its good to know that there are still other curious people who are conscious of the people and situation around them. However, in this case do what is best for you and you alone. No offense but employees come and go all the time. Just because your good at your job now doest mean you were the best person they have or will have in your spot. People turn over all the time, its something companies are use to. Switch the role. If you found out someone who works for you is jumping ship in four months wouldn't you a.) get rid of them now b.) find someone ASAP and replace you ASAP? Don't jeopardize 3/4 months of pay "just to be nice"