Are Notice Periods Still Fit for Purpose?

Reflections from One Poll and Countless Conversations…

Recently, I found myself supporting a long-standing client on a non-finance hire. It was slightly outside my usual remit, but it proved to be both refreshing and eye-opening. As I pulled together a shortlist of credible candidates, one detail really stood out.

This was a middle management role. Every single candidate, each with an average tenure of eight years or more, was on just one month’s notice.

Contrast that with a senior finance candidate, where three months is standard, sometimes stretching to six months. Only recently, I caught up with a candidate currently tied to a six-month notice period, making any proactive job search almost impossible before it begins.

That experience sparked a couple of questions:

• Are current notice periods truly serving everyone involved?
• Are extended notices genuinely needed for protection and continuity, or are they unintentionally putting the brakes on mobility, opportunity, and progression?

To explore this, I put out a LinkedIn poll asking whether one month is enough, whether three months remains fair, or whether something in the middle might strike the right balance.

The Results: No Clear Consensus

The poll closed with the responses spread almost evenly:

• 35% felt one month is plenty
• 42% said three months is respectful for all
• 22% chose somewhere in the middle

Not exactly a decisive verdict, and if anything, the split highlights just how polarising this topic can be.

Why Notice Periods Matter

For employers, longer notice periods offer reassurance. They provide continuity during a transition, allow time to recruit, and create space for a proper handover, particularly critical in senior or complex roles.

For candidates, however, the story is often different. Extended notice periods can:

• Delay career progression
• Prevent them from exploring opportunities
• Limit mobility in competitive markets
• Even put hiring managers off pursuing them due to timing concerns

And in a market where many strong candidates are immediately available, it’s fair to question whether the traditional structure is still aligned to how people want and need to work today.

Perhaps the Answer Isn’t a Number, but Flexibility

The truth is, notice periods aren’t inherently “good” or “bad”. They exist for valid reasons, yet can create very real barriers. So maybe the focus shouldn’t be on shortening or lengthening them, but on building flexibility into the process.

A more adaptable approach could help businesses maintain continuity while also supporting individuals’ career development without creating unnecessary constraints on either side.

Where Do We Go From Here?

As markets evolve and expectations shift, it feels like the right moment to re-examine notice periods and have an open conversation about how they should function moving forward.

• Is the traditional three-month notice still fit for purpose?
• Has a long notice ever held you back from making a move?
• Or have you seen the risks of someone leaving too quickly?

I’d love to hear perspectives from both hiring managers and candidates as we all continue to navigate this changing landscape. Please do reach out!

And finally, because context is everything, here’s a comment we received recently from a US based candidate on accepting an offer whose standard notice period is just two weeks. It raised a smile and perhaps makes the whole topic feel even more relative…

“In an ideal world I would like to honour my full 2 weeks notice and do a full handover but if that is a showstopper then I can see what I can do!”