Three Month Notice Period
Discussion
My wife is a vet and is currently employed buy a large veterinary company in the UK. She has worked for the company for 10 years but has been unhappy for a good few of those. She feels overworked and underappreciated and from what I have seen, this is very much justified.
A few weeks ago an unfortunate mishap happened in a nearby sister practice to hers, where a 15 year old dog was brought in by a member of the public, after being found in a bad way on a street somewhere. The dogs microchip couldn't be read and so the vet on duty had no choice but to put the animal to sleep. Shortly after the owner showed up, kicked the door of the practice in and threatened to burn the place down and kill all the staff, etc. The police were called and the chap was removed. Later that evening the matter is all over Facebook with a skewed story about how the vets have murdered a poor innocent dog for absolutely no reason and how they should all be hung, drawn and quartered for their actions. Keyboard warriors overload.
The next week, said vet is off on annual leave and my wife has to head up the practice that all this happened in. Throughout the week, the practice is getting daily threatening phone calls and none of the staff there feel safe. They are all women and young girls. The company do not even bother to employ a security guard for a couple of weeks until the matter blows over.
Suffice to say, this was the final straw for my wife so, she has quickly found another job.
After speaking to her boss last night, she has been told that her notice period is three months but obviously, as she feels unsafe working for the current company, she does not want to work such a long period. She cannot remember what she signed in her contract 10 years ago but she has asked to see a copy of it.
If she just leaves the company, without working her full notice period, what will she be liable for?
A few weeks ago an unfortunate mishap happened in a nearby sister practice to hers, where a 15 year old dog was brought in by a member of the public, after being found in a bad way on a street somewhere. The dogs microchip couldn't be read and so the vet on duty had no choice but to put the animal to sleep. Shortly after the owner showed up, kicked the door of the practice in and threatened to burn the place down and kill all the staff, etc. The police were called and the chap was removed. Later that evening the matter is all over Facebook with a skewed story about how the vets have murdered a poor innocent dog for absolutely no reason and how they should all be hung, drawn and quartered for their actions. Keyboard warriors overload.
The next week, said vet is off on annual leave and my wife has to head up the practice that all this happened in. Throughout the week, the practice is getting daily threatening phone calls and none of the staff there feel safe. They are all women and young girls. The company do not even bother to employ a security guard for a couple of weeks until the matter blows over.
Suffice to say, this was the final straw for my wife so, she has quickly found another job.
After speaking to her boss last night, she has been told that her notice period is three months but obviously, as she feels unsafe working for the current company, she does not want to work such a long period. She cannot remember what she signed in her contract 10 years ago but she has asked to see a copy of it.
If she just leaves the company, without working her full notice period, what will she be liable for?
Edited by welshjon81 on Tuesday 17th November 10:11
Will come back to the contract in a mo.
Nobody should be made to work in a position in which they feel unsafe, especially where that fear can be shown to exist against evidence of likely reality - as is the case here. The company is currently in dereliction of their obligation to provide a safe working environment. She could and should refuse to come to work until its resolved.
So her first response is that she will work her notice providing they provide suitable measures of protection.
But to the issue of walking out ahead of her notice period. The ramifications of this should be set out in her employment contract and likely result in the loss of wages for that period and possibly any holiday entitlement outstanding. I'm not certain about the company being able to claim from her for losses incurred unless this is explicitly set out in that contract.
HTH
Nobody should be made to work in a position in which they feel unsafe, especially where that fear can be shown to exist against evidence of likely reality - as is the case here. The company is currently in dereliction of their obligation to provide a safe working environment. She could and should refuse to come to work until its resolved.
So her first response is that she will work her notice providing they provide suitable measures of protection.
But to the issue of walking out ahead of her notice period. The ramifications of this should be set out in her employment contract and likely result in the loss of wages for that period and possibly any holiday entitlement outstanding. I'm not certain about the company being able to claim from her for losses incurred unless this is explicitly set out in that contract.
HTH
In the light of the very real possibility of the vet's staff experiencing workplace violence and the associated anxiety / stress the vet has a statutory duty to revisit site risk assessments and make all the necessary changes to the controls and emergency procedures, training and equipment.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/
https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/
That should get the vet focussed on the case.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/
https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/
That should get the vet focussed on the case.
StevieBee said:
Will come back to the contract in a mo.
Nobody should be made to work in a position in which they feel unsafe, especially where that fear can be shown to exist against evidence of likely reality - as is the case here. The company is currently in dereliction of their obligation to provide a safe working environment. She could and should refuse to come to work until its resolved.
So her first response is that she will work her notice providing they provide suitable measures of protection.
But to the issue of walking out ahead of her notice period. The ramifications of this should be set out in her employment contract and likely result in the loss of wages for that period and possibly any holiday entitlement outstanding. I'm not certain about the company being able to claim from her for losses incurred unless this is explicitly set out in that contract.
HTH
This. Nobody should be made to work in a position in which they feel unsafe, especially where that fear can be shown to exist against evidence of likely reality - as is the case here. The company is currently in dereliction of their obligation to provide a safe working environment. She could and should refuse to come to work until its resolved.
So her first response is that she will work her notice providing they provide suitable measures of protection.
But to the issue of walking out ahead of her notice period. The ramifications of this should be set out in her employment contract and likely result in the loss of wages for that period and possibly any holiday entitlement outstanding. I'm not certain about the company being able to claim from her for losses incurred unless this is explicitly set out in that contract.
HTH
One thing i would add, is maybe it would be worth the OP and perhaps with another member of staff talking with the boss and explaining how uneasy this situation is making everybody feel, maybe even suggesting that the boss postpones his leave while these shenanigins are going on, frankly I am surprised that he/she (the boss) hasn't already done so.
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