When you’re fed up with your job, do you give two weeks’ notice or simply stop showing up to work? For most people, there’s really no choice; you talk with your manager and resign by giving your two weeks’ notice. After all, communicating about your intentions is the ethical thing to do.
But lately, there’s been a growing incidence of ghosting.
Ghosting—often referred to as silent exits—are on the rise. In fact, according to Visor, 84% of his employees have ghosted employers or potential employers before. However, it's not a great practice, especially if you plan to look for another job.
If you are an employer looking to prevent ghosting, check out our employee retention checklist.
Listen as HR expert Natalie Soltero discusses ghosting, silent exits, and how to handle leaving a job.
Ghosting, not to be confused with quiet quitting, is a term that refers to an employee never returning to work and completely cutting off communication with their place of work. You don't inform your employer that you're leaving. In other words, you disappear entirely, and your employer and sometimes your co-workers have no way of contacting you.
Quitting has the same end idea as ghosting (permanently leaving a place of employment), but it involves more communication. You decide you are done with a job, talk to your manager to give your two weeks' notice, and transition out of the job with a clear end date.
No State or federal law in the U.S. mandates you to give your employer any notice before quitting. However, different terms apply for at-will and contract employment.
Although your company can't sue you for quitting without notice, be courteous enough to communicate your intentions of leaving. Even if you can't wait to leave, it's wise not to burn influential bridges that you may need in the future.
Ghosting your employer disqualifies you from receiving unemployment insurance from the government. This State insurance provides individuals weekly pay for up to 26 weeks from when they lose their job.
However, you'll still be eligible for unemployment benefits if you quit with reasonable cause and fail to give notice. Most States recognize the following as good reasons to quit:
The law prohibits employers from withholding employees' wages even if they quit without notice. However, ghosting your employer may leave them bitter, and they may intentionally delay your last paycheck.
If this happens, contact your State's labor department, and they will ensure you get your wage. To avoid such confrontations, it's best practice to give a two-week notice, and your employer will have to pay you before your last official day.
Quitting without notice can prevent you from getting a good reference from your past employer. You might not know how valuable a good recommendation is until your dream job requires you to submit a recommendation letter from your previous employer.
Moreover, news about your ghosting may get around, and a potential employer might hear it. In this case, they might consider you an unreliable person they can't trust.
It's a great practice to provide a two-weeks notice for the following reasons:
While it is best practice to provide a two-weeks notice, certain circumstances might prevent you from doing so. They include:
If any of these apply to you, consider leaving with only one week's notice or no notice.
In today's world, it takes more than a good paycheck to keep employees at your company. Workers need a safe work environment with a good culture.
Moreover, constant ghosting from your employees may take a toll on your finances since it's costly to hire and replace new employees. That's why your best strategy is to find ways to increase your employee retention rate by keeping the following in mind:
For more information on how to keep your employees engaged and discourage ghosting or quitting, check out our employee retention checklist.
If you struggle with high turnover and employees who ghost you, Stratus HR can help you determine the root cause and provide resources to improve workplace culture. We’ve been in business for over 20 years, and our team of experts will absorb your administrative HR work so that you can focus on creating a great work culture.
Hear more about our best practices and how we can help you create a foundation for happier employees by booking a free consultation.