Notice...

CyberDave

Not sure if this is in the right section. I think I may be offered a new job in the next couple of weeks. In the contract of my current job, it is stated that I must work 6 weeks notice. I signed the contract at the time as I was delighted to be getting the job and didn't forsee the consequences if I needed to move on. A friend of mine tells me that it isn't actually legal to demand 6 weeks notice and that the contract isn't valid because of this. I haven't a clue about stuff like this and I would rather give notice of 4 weeks rather than 6. Does anybody know if I am obliged to give the 6 weeks notice? Thanks

NothingMan

You should find all information you need here.

It looks like that if you have 6 weeks in your contract the only way out of it is to come to a mutual agreement with your current employer.

Nody

In short your friend is wrong; the non legal summary is that the notice period has a minimum period set in law. It also clearly outlines in the law that this time can be exceeded by agreement (i.e. contract). The exception to this would be notice periods that would be considered to long for the position (i.e. 3 month notice for a basic customer support) but that would require a judge to decide if disputed.

CyberDave

Yeah, I thought the contract might overrule alright. Thanks for the replies, I reckon the boss will cut it down to 4 weeks anyway, so there won't be any problem.