Question
I applied for a technical job, but HR told me the company was impressed with my resume and wanted to interview me for the manager role instead. After interviews with several people, I received and accepted a job offer, completed the background check and drug test, and even met the department’s director. I then attended a week of orientation at headquarters. At the end of the week I met with a different manager who would be my temporary boss until the new V.P. position was filled. This temporary boss informed me the position had “changed” and they could no longer offer it. She and an HR director said allowing me to continue would “set me up to fail” and offered a lower-level job at $20,000 less. This was humiliating, financially damaging, and cost me two months on the job market. I also turned down another job opportunity to accept this position. Have you heard of this happening, and how should I proceed?
Nick’s Reply
If you haven’t already done this, please do it: find a good employment attorney (who preferably represents only employees, not employers) and request an initial consultation to assess your legal options. I don’t like to see people start lawsuits or spend their money on lawyers, but it can be very worthwhile to get an opinion even if you take no legal action.
Is your salary cut illegal?
I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice, but I’m wondering if you have a cause of action called promissory estoppel. This is when an employer knows you relied on a “promise” (a job offer) they made to you, yet intentionally took an action (cutting your salary dramatically right after you sacrificed another job) to your financial detriment. Only a lawyer can tell you.
This is also a serious breach of ethics. Even if your offer wasn’t in writing, it seems this company actually hired you (you were an employee the day you showed up for training). Keeping in mind that the employer may have the right to fire you at any time and for any reason, what they’ve done is nonetheless unconscionable on one level, and very poor management on another. And maybe even illegal.
Whose problem is your salary cut?
If they weren’t sure about the position, they should have waited until the new V.P. came on board before hiring you.
They made this your problem. A good lawyer might make it their problem. Sometimes all it takes is a nasty-gram from good legal counsel. You might find yourself holding a settlement payment, or maybe in the job you thought you were hired for.
Please see an employment attorney. A lot will depend on how the offer was tendered to you, on the wording and on other facts. But don’t let this slide. I’d be very curious to know the outcome.
What would you do if the rug was pulled out from under you so soon after starting a new job? Has an employer played bait and switch with you? What’s the worst surprise you encountered in the first few days or weeks of a new job?
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I’ve been down this road. The crew who “hired” me cut my pay twice in a row. First time i figured that they were having hard times. Second time I understood why they were having hard times.
I quit after the end of the work day. They tried to hire me back a year later. I laughed at them.
In this case? Take the pay cut, find another job. We get three things from a job – money, contacts and skills. Use the job to grab what you can, and leave when you can.
And give no notice.
No. Give the minimum notice and don’t do an exit interview. Maintaning professionalism by avoiding no notice quitting gives them no reason to bad mouth you later.
I recommend Mark Casey https://share.google/toIymH6bXd3SWFHFn.
I encourage you to be Good to yourself and Self care. Embrace and be thankful this betrayal happened! Now test your intelligence with strategic action to advocate for your human dignity and employment rights!
Nick’s advice to confer with an employment law attorney is spot on. What happened to you (assuming you did not agree to the pay cut and didn’t sign anything to that effect) is considered wage theft in some states. In states like Massachusetts, the amount of damages can be triple what the missing wages were and individual managers and directors can be liable for it, not just the company. Good luck!
I concur. Nick’s referenced “nasty-gram” – if warranted – has the potential to cascade into.a PR nightmare that any company would want to avoid.
Agree with Nick’s advice. I didn’t make it that far. Went through 6 rounds of interviews. HR told me they wanted to make me an offer and wanted to confirm salary. They quoted me $50,000 less than the original company recruiter. Then wasted nearly 2 months of time (I was still interviewing with other companies) while “leadership aligned on the role and salary.” I withdrew at the end. This was true bait and switch. The job requirements also changed in the last 2 interviews but I was never provided a revised written version. This job market is terrible. And this is the fifth or sixth job where the requirements changed mid interview. Why post a job if you don’t know what you need?
@CW Bateman: Kinda makes you wonder where these employers learned how to hire. Or if they did. It’s important to know in advance at what point you’re going to walk.
If there was an article titled “How to Guarantee Your New Hire Quits as Soon as They Possibly Can (and other ways to shoot yourself in the foot hard),” this is how it begins. Regardless what a lawyer tells you, the red flags warn of both ethics and competence lapses.
However you go about it, I would suggest you start your job search immediately. This company has shown you their true colors and are not worth working for. If you stay here this won’t be the last time this company screws you over. They’ve shown you who they are through action, and it’s up to you to respond accordingly. Good luck on your job search!