Student Services

Handing in your notice

If you want to leave your job you’ll normally need to give your employer some warning. This is called your ‘notice period’.

Look in your contract to check the amount of notice you need to give. If there’s nothing in your contract or terms and conditions, you should give at least 1 week’s notice.

It’s best to resign in writing, so there’s no argument about when you did it. Send a letter or email saying:

• how much notice you’re giving
• when you expect your last day at work to be

You can give more notice than your contract says if you want – your employer can’t make you leave earlier.

Your notice period starts the day after you resign. This means if you give a week’s notice on Monday your last day at work will be the next Monday.

You can find further information on resigning via the Citizens Advice links below:

Dismissal from work

If you are dismissed from your job, you will usually have the right to a period of notice. This is the length of time between being told you have to leave your job and the day that you actually leave (the date of your dismissal). This rule doesn’t apply if you’ve been dismissed for gross misconduct. Gross misconduct includes things like stealing from your employer or being drunk or violent at work.

Some people don’t have a right to a minimum period of notice. They are people who have worked for an employer for less than a month, agency or casual staff or someone who is self-employed. These people have to rely on their contract of employment for notice, but even if their contracts don’t mention notice, they still have the right to ‘reasonable notice’. If you are dismissed from your job without notice, you should seek help from an experienced advisor straight away.

You can find further information on dismissal via the Citizens Advice link below:

Redundancy

You might be told you’re at risk of redundancy if your employer has one or more jobs they can’t afford or no longer need.

Your employer has a lot of freedom to choose who they make redundant, but there are still rules they have to follow.

You can find further information on Redundancy via the Citizens Advice link below:

If you have been dismissed or you are considering resigning from your employment the Student Support and Advice Centre have specialist advisers who can talk to you in confidence. The advisers are impartial and here to advise in your best interests. To book a confidential telephone appointment please email: studentsupport@lincoln.ac.uk, or call 01522 837080.