Why Notice Periods are Getting Longer and Why its a Bad Idea

It’s pretty much common practice within the world of employment to work beyond handing in your written notice that you’ll be leaving your current position.

In the UK, the average notice period is 4 weeks. This gives employers time to search for, interview and maybe even onboard a newbie to replace the member of staff moving on to pastures new.

Recently, though, the tides are turning towards extending contracted notice periods, to allow employers more time to find someone new, and for the soon-to-be-departing member of staff enough time to full wrap up any projects they were working on.

But is this in the best interests of both employers and employees alike? There are those out there that believe a longer notice period is bad news for those businesses which are looking to expand and undergo positive growth in 2021.

But why are notice periods getting longer?

Well, while many employers may be expecting the job market to be flooded with suitable applicants after a tumultuous year filled with job losses and redundancies, many firms are finding the opposite.

The mass movement of talent has, in fact, meant more candidates are slightly hesitant when it comes to searching for a new role due to uncertainties surrounding the stability and security of some roles in the jobs market while we still remain in some form of lockdown.

This uncertainty for both parties means notice periods are being extended in standard contracts of employment in order to reflect the greater length of time required to fill roles.

But is extending notice periods a good idea for businesses?

While there are benefits to extending notice periods that come along with no role being left unfilled for great lengths of time, many employers are finding that longer notice periods do more harm than good for business productivity, growth, and expansion.

While there are many instances where employees are happy to work for a longer period of time after making the final decision to leave, many more members of staff would find themselves keen to move on after the choice has been made.

Often staff can become disenfranchised with the work they are doing, or maybe even the business as a whole if they know what they’re working on will not affect them in the weeks to come after they have moved on.

Good employees will get their work done just fine but will often not be tempted to go the extra mile or come up with new and exciting ideas with the vigour of a new starter.

So what are the alternatives for businesses that want to find staff fast?

Recruitment agencies can help!

Not only do agencies have a full list of hundreds of local, suitable candidates looking for work and ready to interview as soon as possible, they’re the experts in acquiring temporary workers to cover any periods of absence in the interim between an old employee leaving and a new one starting.

So whether you need help with the more permanent side of recruitment, or the temporary staffing side, you can’t go wrong with contacting an agency like Workforce to solve your hiring woes.