Edited to add: my employer has made contributions to my retirement during the years I have worked here. I understand that they can't take away my contributions, but wonder about the amount that they have contributed. Thanks for all the info so far! I agree that 6 months seems crazy and I'm looking for anything online to document that they can't really ask for that….
TLDR: If I leave my job without giving the notice that HR says I have to (6 months!), can they take away my benefits (retirement)?
I work at a large fancy private college. My official position is Faculty, but I am not tenure stream, “real” faculty. (They just put me in that category because they don't have a Research Scientist category, as some colleges do. Basically I am a high-functioning lab tech.) HR policy is that Faculty need to give 6 months notice. For most people, this is reasonable: faculty moves normally take many months to happen. However, I'm just a regular drone and if I had to give 6 months notice, I could basically never get another job because no employer is going to wait 6 months for me. I am negotiating for a new position outside academia and things are going very well – I'm almost certain it will happen. Other than saying they won't ever hire me back here again, is there anything HR can do to punish me for leaving without the 6 months notice? TIA for any info!