Two weeks notice

At the dinner party I went to last night, there were 2 people who worked in the Icelandic banking sector, and have therefore lost their jobs. But it turns out here in Iceland that that means something different than in the U.S. In the U.S., when someone looses their job, there is no law about how much notice an employee is given ahead of time. I guess most employers try to give two weeks warning, just as an employee is supposed to give two weeks notice before quitting. But it can also be that people show up to work one day to find the establishment simply closed, no warning what so ever. Then it is up to the employee to apply for unemployment from the state, which usually lasts 3 months. In Iceland, employers are legal obliged to keep their employees on the payroll for 3 months after they have been told their position has been terminated. And then it seems after that, the government gives people unemployment payments for an extended period of time thereafter. It is therefore a process, giving both parties time to finish things up, get things in order. I never thought to question the American system, but now it seems pretty harsh. 

Comments

Iris said…
Ja, I was certainly shocked how "top or flop" the American system is when I came over for the first time. Depending on how long you worked for an employer in Germany, you might stay on their payroll for 6 months after they gave you notice.
Of course not in case the employer went bankrupt or the employee wronged their employer. But other than that we're all a bunch of commies ;-)
November 2, 2008 at 11:00 PM
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