Bad offer letter...

jamesleecoleman

I was supposed to get insurance starting my first day... Got the paperwork for insurance and found out that it doesn't start until 60 days after and I gotta pay for it. I brought this to the attention to the onsite HR person and she was freaking angry. I asked her if she was okay and she told me that she was angry because she's passionate about her job and that we have to honor what is in the letter. She told me that I signed the offer letter because of what was in the offer letter. I told her that it made it sound like I only signed it because of what was in the letter and not for the job. She told me that it was my own misunderstanding of what she said.

She couldn't find the letter on file and I was told to ask my boss, which I did. The next day or the day after the next day, I got the offer letter from the front desk. She found the offer letter in a different folder and so I went to her later on towards the end of the day to talk to her about it. I know that she didn't believe me that the insurance started the first day, which was stated in the letter. This lady who was angry about the situation could not remember what I was talking about, which I find that very very unbelievable because we were talking about her being angry for a while and I felt bad because I thought it was my fault.

The HR manager was on site and she talked to me about it....
I'm told that the lady who did the offer letter would be reprimanded (which I didn't need to know and I felt way bad about because of a small mistake) and that they'll redo the offer letter. I was told that they used to offer insurance on the first day but they don't do anymore. I had already signed and dated it the offer letter.

What can I do? I've been thinking about asking for more money because of the situation. I think that they will reduce the vacation too because it's set at 3 weeks. I'll wait another two weeks to see if they will even remember about the offer letter.

srabiee

If they start reneging on all of the provisions in the offer you accepted, then you may want to jump ship as soon as possible.

shodown

man thats BS. I would start looking for a new job right if there are other options out there. You could have been fielding other jobs and took this one because of the perceived higher compensation. A Deal is a DEAL, some are good, and others are bad, but they should have told hold up to there end of the deal.

ajs1976

that is a bad sign. I would start looking and if things keep happening like that, then leave.

jamesleecoleman

Yea, I was thinking about leaving or being transferred somewhere else. I do like my job a lot and I'll post about it soon.
I'll see where things are going. I want to stay as long as possible because I can learn a lot and make an impact later on. Plus, it kind looks like I've been job hopping on my resume.

Cisc0kidd

I agree it is a bad start but if you like the job I wouldn't give in yet.

Ismaeljrp

You have grounds to take legal action. Just putting that in there.

Nemowolf

That is a binding contract. If they fail to honor it, you have legal grounds. If you want to take it that far.

You should not under any circumstances sign a new offer letter at all. Scan the original if you have and keep a copy handy with you to present as needed. As mentioned above, if they are willing to get shady with business on day 1 then imagine what it is going to be like when you get your first review and your boss says you get a raise and HR says no. Make sure you address this as a serious concern with your direct manager so they stay in the loop in case this effects your work.

jamesleecoleman

I didn't know that I could take legal action. I have a copy of the offer letter and I think that it would cost me a lot more if I did take legal action.

I'm going to talk to my boss about it so that he knows. I just hope that everything goes well.

N2IT

Be patient but if provisions start changing I would start to look for another gig. I firmly believe an bad HR department is a accurate peak into the organization as a whole.

coffeeluvr

The Offer Letter is a binding contract. They should acknowledge the mistake, but stand by the original offer.

Zartanasaurus

N2IT wrote: »

Be patient but if provisions start changing I would start to look for another gig. I firmly believe an bad HR department is a accurate peak into the organization as a whole.

Agreed, I'd be looking to bail ASAP.

100k

coffeeluvr wrote: »

The Offer Letter is a binding contract. They should acknowledge the mistake, but stand by the original offer.

This^^^. At this point if they are not willing to honor it then I would bail.

iBrokeIT

Your local Department of Labor office should be able to provide you with some guidance and assistance in this situation. They are only a phone call away my friend.

I would also start sending out my resume if I were in your situation.

VAHokie56

That cake don't bake IMO...as others mentioned if you are happy with the money and job you do everyday just tough it out. Its only 60 days after all

pinkydapimp

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

I didn't know that I could take legal action. I have a copy of the offer letter and I think that it would cost me a lot more if I did take legal action.

I'm going to talk to my boss about it so that he knows. I just hope that everything goes well.

This. talk to your boss and give them a heads up. But you signed that document and they need to honor it. At this point if they take anything away i would want something in return. Have them add what you would have to pay to your salary or add the same amount in vacation days. stick to your guns.

Zartanasaurus

Does your offer letter include guaranteed employment? If not, I don't see what legal action would get you in this case since they aren't required to employ you. This doesn't seem like the sort of company I'd want to work for based on some red flags. You have to decide if you have other better options or whether you want to stick it out here for a while to reap whatever benefits you assumed came with this position.

Xavor

Don't settle. It sounds like the initial offer was company sponsored insurance? If they say "it's only 60 days" that goes both ways, and they can make it right before it gets out of hand. As N2IT said, HR is a good measure of how a company is managed.

Don't let them take away the stated vacation either! It sounds like a bait and switch.

LinuxNerd

Sounds like a gig to perform Office Space Effort. Just sit in your cubicle, collect your check, do the bare minimum and build your skillset/network for another gig!

... and don't forget to put a cover letter on those TPS reports.

Hammer80

I see that a lot folks on here are saying hey its only 60 days don't sweat it. I can tell you that these individuals have never suffered a medical crisis, just to give you some perspective a broken bone will cost you easily $10,000 and that is if it's a simple break. Cobra and Obamacare are expensive as hell, that is a loss on your end in compensation in order to cover yourself and your family during those 60 days. Let me tell you a story, a family member of mine just started a new job (this was a couple years ago) and their health insurance just kicked in, 4 days deep into the new job and health insurance this person had a massive stroke and a heart attack, guess what happened the freaking HR tried to say that he was not covered yet and so did the insurance company but his offer letter stated that he had benefits from day one, the cost of this medical crisis was to tune of $1,000,000. Don't worry about who is going to get nailed in HR for this screw up, just cover your own ass and protect your health and your financial future.