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You really can't protect yourself completely. It is the right thing to do to give at least a two week notice when leaving a company and if they decide to let you go earlier, that's their call and right as the employer (or at least it should be). You just have to deal with what happens.
Having some money stashed away (emergency fund as Dave Ramsey calls it) can make this a minor issue. It's not necessarily easy but it gives you some stability so your not living paycheck to paycheck.
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What a quaint notion - an employment contract? I've never seen such a thing in my life...
Will Rogers never met me.
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If you lived in a civilised country 
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In truth? You don't.
You protect yourself by saving such that you assume this is what will happen.
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Technically, in the US most states say that if you leave a job involuntarily you are entitled to unemployment benefits, even if you have another job lined up. So if you do get fired, the first thing you should do is file for unemployment until you actually start work at the new place.
Also, if you do get fired, call the new place up and say "hey, I'm available early", a lot of places will take the opportunity to get you on board quicker. Most companies don't hire because they need people in a month or two, they need people now and its painful until those people get on board.
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It depends upon the company. One large company I worked for only did new employee onboarding / orientation on alternating Mondays. If your two weeks notice at your previous company made you available on the wrong Monday, you had to wait until the next Monday.
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A lot of companies do that with important positions: when you hand in your notice, that is the last time you will be on the premises, if only to reduce the damage you could do to the company from that time on.
Think about a sales droid: when he hands in his notice he becomes a liability to the company and can't meet customers as their representative.
With development it's less common (certainly in the UK) partly because most companies don't feel that development is (1) important, or (2) a role from which you could do any damage.
We both know that that's horse apples: but then the people who make these decisions aren't technical.
However, in the UK there is a minimum notice period with nearly all full-time jobs (and it's often related to the frequency of pay: monthly wage equals 4 weeks notice) and it applies to both sides. They can't bin you without paying you up to the end of the notice period except for gross offences (which should be listed in your employment contract), any more than you can leave tomorrow without them getting upset and doing whatever they can to get back at you - probably via any wages you would be owed.
Yes - contact the new company and say "they have released me early: I can start Monday if thats good for you" but it's worth reminding the old company of their side of the bargain and see if you can get some money out of them up to at least the end of the notice period as well.
I know one friend of mine who had a 8 weeks notice in his contract, but was let go when he handed in his notice on the Friday. Monday, he started the new job, collected dual wages for two months and used the company car from the old company until the new company car arrived! 
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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OriginalGriff wrote: when he hands in his notice he becomes a liability
But isn't he always? If he hasn't handed in his notice yet, all you know is that he hasn't handed in his notice just yet, but he might do so at any moment.
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You could think of it that way!
But in practice it's different: when someone has handed in his notice he shows he has no further interest in the future of the company: his thoughts are focus on the new companies success instead. So all his future actions are suspect as there is no leverage the company can apply even if he comes in wearing just swimming trunks and perches on the MD's desk all day blowing kisses! 
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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OriginalGriff wrote: he comes in wearing just swimming trunks and perches on the MD's desk all day blowing kisses
Please tell me that's a true story 
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No, not as far as I know. But one ex-colleague did bring a sleeping bag and curl up under his desk all day.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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True story: One summer when it was extremely hot, one of my colleagues recevied a written note from our department head, declaring (quoted from memory, this is 20+ years ago, but the meaning is preserved):
"It is marginally acceptable to come to work wearing nothing but swimming trunks and a T-shirt.
It is NOT acceptable to come to work in a T-shirt so long that there can be doubts whether you are actually wearing swimming trunks or not."
(My colleague didn't even wear his wristwatch that day, and he walked barefoot. He did wear swimming trunks under his T-shirt, but nothing else. It was his way to protest against the poor office ventilation - his office was at the sunny side of the building (mine was opposite, so I could wear 'normal' clothes.)
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OriginalGriff wrote: However, in the UK there is a minimum notice period with nearly all full-time jobs (and it's often related to the frequency of pay: monthly wage equals 4 weeks notice) and it applies to both sides. They can't bin you without paying you up to the end of the notice period except for gross offences
It works exactly the same way back here in Brazil, I wonder if there are regulations that protect the employee in US.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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Reading your post made me laugh out loud.
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That's what I thought.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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I don't need my government to protect me. I'm doing that just fine all on my own.
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Good for you. As a private consultant I can't have the government to back me up either, but it's good to have government to back up employees and prevent mass lay-offs and for many other reasons.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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When there are they're at the state level; but in general even the most worker friendly jurisdictions in the US are more business friendly than most of the rest of the rich world.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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There are no such laws in the U.S. in right-to-work states. However, a union contract or other employment contract may specify that the employee be paid for notice pay whether they work it or not. Note that in I.T. in the U.S., employee contracts and union contracts are rare.
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Interesting, here pretty much every full time job is bound to a union. And employers do not risk violate union agreements as in a law suit there's 99.9% chance the employer will lose.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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I did that (except that I didn't have a company car), worked with pay from two companies for two weeks. And, what's more, they both knew about it and accepted it and the new and old managers met for a cordial cup of coffee in the interim to discuss my employment.
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I wonder what the other people who work there think?
If I worked there and I was going to leave, I would give them ZERO weeks notice. And tell them why as I walked out the door.
Steve Wellens
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That strategy would give you good satisfaction, but word spreads quickly in this industry, so you might find your reputation somewhat tarnished after a while...
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First, I would already have a new job lined up.
Second, I wouldn't be the bad guy, the company would for treating people so poorly. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with it.
Third, it's seller's market if you have good tech skills.
Steve Wellens
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Wow - I've never had that happen. I generally have moved to jobs that would take me tomorrow if they could, that's about the only useful 'out' I can see.
Christian Graus
My new article series is all about SQL !!!
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