# You won the lottery. Do you give your employers 2 weeks' notice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685 "2015-10-06T03:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/1 "2015-10-06T03:56:12Z")
Let’s say you won $100 million in the lottery. You’re financially set for life. Now, it is expected courtesy, in your job field, for employees to give their employers 2 weeks of notice, and keep working during those two weeks, prior to leaving a job. Would you still work for those two weeks or would you resign immediately? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/2 "2015-10-06T03:59:20Z")
All depends on how much I like the job/coworkers/boss. If I like them well enough than yeah, I probably would. If not, then they can suck it. ---
**Author:** ![brovolone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e4f/32.png) [@brovolone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brovolone)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/3 "2015-10-06T04:06:01Z")
How soon after winning the lottery do you actually have cash in hand? My current job, I’d give a 2 weeks notice. Because mostly everyone who works there is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/4 "2015-10-06T04:07:31Z")
Probably ~3 months to train up a replacement, unless my bosses pissed me off. I don’t dread going to work or dislike my job, my position is just a little specialized in terms of getting used to the rhythm of it and we operate close enough to a skeleton staff that I would be kinda fucking over my co-workers to just walk out the door. > [@brovolone](#): > > How soon after winning the lottery do you actually have cash in hand? Typically six to eight weeks, from what I understand. At least in CA. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/5 "2015-10-06T04:20:26Z")
Probably wait until I get the first check then put in the two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/6 "2015-10-06T04:21:18Z")
> [@brovolone](#): > > How soon after winning the lottery do you actually have cash in hand? In my hypothetical, you get a check or money transfer the very day you show up to claim your winnings. So you could have the money in your bank instantly, for all practical intents and purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/7 "2015-10-06T04:22:05Z")
Of course I give the two weeks notice. That’s just simple courtesy. Either that, or I buy the company and fire myself. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/8 "2015-10-06T04:27:05Z")
Boss is an asshole, he wouldn’t accept the notice. I’d continue managing the company the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/9 "2015-10-06T04:41:49Z")
No, at least not so fast. It would take at least a couple of months for me to come up with a plan for whatever comes next, and I’d really want a plan before stepping out. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/10 "2015-10-06T05:10:00Z")
Nope. Tell them nothing except that you quit. Whatever office or field you work at or in, if someone just drops dead, the office will continue just fine. And I would also fear someone finding out about the winnings and then everyone in the whole neighborhood asking for money for those two weeks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/11 "2015-10-06T05:15:22Z")
I don’t think anyone ever owe’s their employer any loyalty (at least not in the USA). But I’d probably give at least two weeks notice just so I could compose my head with realization I won while maintaining some normalcy. I’d hope that by continuing work for a little while even when I don’t need to, it help ground me so that I don’t piss all my money away in a couple years. In theory, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/12 "2015-10-06T10:29:15Z")
No, because I’d be useless. There is no way I’d be able to concentrate on any of the mundane paper pushing that makes up a cube rat’s day. In reality, I guess I’d need to, if the money took 6-8 weeks, but in this hypothetical, no way. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/13 "2015-10-06T10:34:13Z")
I’d like to think I wouldn’t quit at all so there’s no reason to give notice about something I’m not planning on doing. I need a reason to get up in the morning so that I don’t become a completely useless blob human-like flesh. With that being said, who knows what will happen when I actually get cash in hand. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/14 "2015-10-06T10:41:29Z")
Who hasn’t fantasized about this? In my fantasy I give the notice but do not tell a soul why. Give them something to talk about 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/15 "2015-10-06T10:42:39Z")
I’d work out my notice (which is three months IIRC), if only to allow for a more gradual transition to my new life. If I just dropped everything, quit and walked out I’d find it harder to adjust. Plus it would give me time to sort out my financial planning for the future. Admittedly, by the end of my notice period I’d probably be pretty useless around the office and just be surfing the internet and daring them to fire me but hey, it’s their rules. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/16 "2015-10-06T10:45:06Z")
It’s four weeks in my contract, and yes I would. I’m the only one in my role and it’s pretty specialised. Leaving my colleagues in the lurch would be pretty shitty. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/17 "2015-10-06T11:17:41Z")
Yep, and probably more. I’d be happy to stick around and help train a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/18 "2015-10-06T11:33:55Z")
Its nice to think I’d work out my notice, just so I can continue to claim that I am always professional. But come on, the first time something awkward needs to be done or some pain in the ass comes up, just how long am I going to bother dealing with it knowing that I simply don’t have to any more. I will already have mentally checked out, might as well make it official and get the party started. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/19 "2015-10-06T11:48:07Z")
I probably would just because it might take some time to get my insurance switched over from the employee plan to the retiree plan. Amount of work done in those two weeks would be close to zero. We actually had a guy in the building win the lottery (I think it was millions, not hundreds of millions). The day after the drawing he called in by playing a recording of Take This Job And Shove It in the phone to his boss. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685/20 "2015-10-06T11:49:46Z")
I’d give a month’s notice, during which I’d taper off my job responsibilities and train my replacement(s). Just because I had “fuck you” money doesn’t mean I’d automatically start saying “fuck you” to everyone. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-won-the-lottery-do-you-give-your-employers-2-weeks-notice/733685.md?page=2)