contractual duty to report colleagues' plans to leave job?

[jerseyjay]

It seems to me that there are three guidelines:

(1) A professor, like anybody else, needs to make sure they and their family can eat and pay their bills;

(2) A professor, like anybody else, should try to maintain a good reputation in their field and community;

(3) A professor, perhaps more than some other professionals, should try not to harm the university and students.

When these class, precedent should go to the earlier guideline.

That is, in general, a full-time professor should give as much notice as possible (preferably at least a semester) before leaving. But if means a school is going cut off pay, healthcare, etc over the summer, then it would be understandable to wait till the last minute before notifying the school. (Although difficult, given the fact that many schools advertise their offering in advance and hence it is not exactly a secret who teaches where.) Adjuncts owe about as much loyalty as they receive from their employers, which is usually nothing.

However, if a school has a history of professors leaving without giving notice, and of the administration cutting off pay and benefits as soon as they get notice, something is very wrong at the school and I would try to avoid working there if possible.

[mamselle]

Often it's not known, because the person to which it has happened has gone, though.

M.

[Caracal]

That is, in general, a full-time professor should give as much notice as possible (preferably at least a semester) before leaving. But if means a school is going cut off pay, healthcare, etc over the summer, then it would be understandable to wait till the last minute before notifying the school. (Although difficult, given the fact that many schools advertise their offering in advance and hence it is not exactly a secret who teaches where.) Adjuncts owe about as much loyalty as they receive from their employers, which is usually nothing.

Yeah, I agree with that. Question about healthcare. Generally Cobra is available in these situations, right?

[Ruralguy]

Yes, generally,  but that only entitles you to buy into the insurance plan, but not with the college's contribution. Much more expensive.

[Caracal]

Yes, generally,  but that only entitles you to buy into the insurance plan, but not with the college's contribution. Much more expensive.

Yeah. I just mean that for most people, most of the time, this is likely to be an annoying but manageable expense. Of course, I'm well aware there are occasions where it could really be a problem.

[Ruralguy]

If the only issue we're COBRA insurance, then most people would just deal. But if it means that, and being kicked out of offices, etc with no room for compromise, I can see why people would keep things quiet. Honestly, most schools will work with you because you are likely on a July 1 contract anyway, so if you settle all by then save for maybe final move out, probably OK. Just look into it before you start telling people you are leaving.

[clean]

Yeah. I just mean that for most people, most of the time, this is likely to be an annoying but manageable expense. Of course, I'm well aware there are occasions where it could really be a problem.

Look up to see what the university's cost is for insurance.  For us, (I just looked it up), insurance for an employee and family is $1475 a month. You would pay an additional 2% to cover the costs for COBRA.  So, you 'do the right thing' and tell HR in April that you wont be back in September.  They then initiate their steps.  Instead of earning your summer money (you note that value here), they give you a bill for the 3 summer months of 3*1475*1.02. 

IF cutting your pay by up to 1/3 of your salary (the maximum we can earn for summer employment in my state) and getting a bill for nearly $4500 is an "annoying but manageable expense", then by all means, "do the right thing!"

In my book, giving up $20,000 and then being handed a bill for $4500 is not just annoying, but NOT manageable! 

I wish that this was just a thought game!  I SAW this happen at job one!  I saw something very near that at a sister school in my university system (which should be governed by the same policies).

For my friend at the sister school, he wasnt going to teach summer school anyway as they paid only a flat fee for summer classes there that amounted to only a few thousand a class, so he wasnt giving up much.  But they did force him out of his office much earlier than he had expected and even though he had already paid HIS share of the health costs for the summer, they forced him to go to COBRA for his insurance needs and did not even refund him his share of the insurance he had paid!!


IF YOU ARE NOT LOOKING OUT FOR YOU, THEN NO ONE IS!!!

It is not the faculty's fault that the university set up stupid policies that cause faculty to act in their (rather than what the university may believe is its) best interests.  They set the rules of the game!!  We are just forced to play by the rules they created! 

Remember, The University will ALWAYS do what it thinks is in its best interests first!!!  When they make stupid, draconian, misguided policies and follow them, then maybe someday they will learn about "unintended consequences" or what happens 'when the other shoe drops". 

[Ruralguy]

Well, they absolutely won't look out for departing faculty, though I suspect the vast majority will work with you, but you do have to find out and not assume this.

[clean]

Well, they absolutely won't look out for departing faculty, though I suspect the vast majority will work with you, but you do have to find out and not assume this.

Im not advocating that one should always assume the worst in an employer.  First, remember, if you are a departing faculty member, that means that at present, you are working there, and you have been working there for long enough that you should have a feel for the competence of the management of the place. 
Second, IF the employer has not shown the same examples of "us first, and damn the consequences (because we didnt think how people would respond to our policies),"  then do not assume that their first response will be to screw you and BECOME the place that I am warning against! 

Be cautioned, though, that especially for state institutions, they are not completely autonomous. They answer to a state board and state legislature.  No politician has ever been elected by saying, "we need to raise taxes!  Look how skinny these employees are!" No, they always claim to 'cut the fat'.  At the highest level, the politicians may not see any need to pay for benefits for employees that have finished teaching (in May) and have announced that they will not be back in Fall. It does not enter their head that perhaps the summer benefits have ALREADY BEEN EARNED and even PAID for by the employees! So the HR people are simply reacting to their constraints! 

Remember also, that it is NOT the HR people that have to find people to fill those vacated positions!  They set the rules of the game, but dont have to deal with the problems that a missing faculty member creates. 

One last comment.... I remember that my former employer, after being burned a time or two, attempted to put out a policy that you were REQUIRED to give a longer notice!  My response was "If I dont, What are you going to do?  Fire Me!!"

for more minutia, they then  distributed "letters of intent" that we were to sign and return in April that noted our intention to return in September. (Of course, there was nothing binding about them, they merely noted our 'intention'... if you accepted a job later, there is nothing that they could say or do!) One faculty member was leaving.  (He was a lawyer, teaching Business Law).  The school finally realized in July that he had not signed and returned his letter of intent.  They called him upset and with all sorts of bluff and bluster!  He said, "I read your letter. It says to sign and return it IF you plan to return in the Fall. I have no such plans.  I followed the instructions and did not return the letter.  What is the problem?"  So even when they THINK they have a solution, they dont think about the 'other shoe to drop", the consequences of following the rules that THEY set up!

Anyway, i dont work there anymore!!  On occasion, I see some of the same policies here, but I do what I can, in the channels that are available, to keep them from doing stupid things! 

[mamselle]

I really wish we could resurrect the old forum.

I recall several stories of the type Clean is relating, too.

And even as an academic EA, I was once forced to leave my office a day after I gave my 2-weeks' notice, in a similar way: Security appeared at my desk with two boxes and instructions to fill them and be ready to leave within the hour.

I had almost no time to convey procedures to the person replacing me, and I'd expected to have the two weeks to do that in, so they were short-shrifted, as well.

I talked them into four hours so I could do the hand-off resonsibly, and pack my desk things neatly, but still.

Some people interpret the intention to leave as a hostile act, and respond accordingly.

Don't give them that option.

M.

[Ruralguy]

Yeah, I get it, but there are probably even more stories of flexibility. You just have to know which type of school you are at before you start blabbing.  Security would probably only ever escort me out if I was accused of a crime and put on administrative leave. Even then, I could probably convince them to do it slightly later or earlier, depending on the offense. Obviously, if it were a cybercrime I'd be immediately booted off the college system.

[mleok]

Well, they absolutely won't look out for departing faculty, though I suspect the vast majority will work with you, but you do have to find out and not assume this.

My previous institution refused to allow me to pay the original retail price for the Macbook Pro that I was using at the time, insisting that I return it instead, which I found to be just silly and mean spirited. I ended up buying a new hard drive, and swapping it out, so I didn't have to go through the hassle of backing up the device and wiping the drive.

[mamselle]

Yeah, I get it, but there are probably even more stories of flexibility. You just have to know which type of school you are at before you start blabbing.  Security would probably only ever escort me out if I was accused of a crime and put on administrative leave. Even then, I could probably convince them to do it slightly later or earlier, depending on the offense. Obviously, if it were a cybercrime I%u2019d be immediately booted off the college system.

One of the oldest R1s in the country....but it wasn't the school per se.

It was the certifiably crazy boss.  I was hired as a temp, and was told later that at 6 mo., I'd lasted longer than anyone before me or after.

M.

[PScientist]

Huh.  My institution clearly has the opposite philosophy -- the deans have consistently tried to talk departing faculty (at least the ones who are leaving in good standing) into taking a couple years of leave of absence rather than resigning immediately, to give them some time to try out the new job.  Usually, they don't come back, but occasionally, someone realizes that the grass wasn't greener over there, and we celebrate their return.

[Ruralguy]

It's two sides of same coin. If you tell people about  your job search you can be wooed or dumped.it depends on resources of the school, attitude of the boss, written procedures, when you make contact, and your own quality.