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Dealing w/ Relocation Package Bait and Switch?

Posted by Cliff on from the dispicable-practices dept.

An anonymous reader asks: "I got a R&D job offer with a large company in Philadelphia area last week. It includes a relocation package that they told me was standard for my position. After I accepted the offer and made plans to terminate my current job, the recruiter handed me off to their relocation department, where I was told that my relocation package is significantly less than what I was promised. The relocation manager tells me that whenever there is conflict between their relocation policy and the offer, their internal relocation policy supersedes. Is this type of switch-and-bait common practice in corporate America? If you have gone through this nightmare before, any advice on how to respond to it?"

8 of 443 comments (clear)

  1. You do by mattboston · · Score: 5, Interesting

    what anyone else would do, and post the name of the company on Slashdot.

    --
    Cyberbite Networks - Web Hosting, Dedicated Servers & Colocati
    1. Re:You do by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Interesting
      "Oh? You wanted the complete offer in writing? I'm sorry. You must accept and sign that offer in one week or it will be retracted. We're sorry. We can't make any changes to the language of the offer. That's dictated by the legal department."

      I dunno...jobs I took in the past had everything we agreed upon spelled out in writing. I'd expect no less if I were working salaried jobs again....something I hopefully will never have to do again.

      I'd like once again to try to advise those that have some job experience....quit being a salaried employee if at all possible. Never work for free. Always have exactly what is expected of you, and exactly what the compensation is by contract.

      This way...you don't get screwed, and neither does the company you work for. Hell, if you're good enough, you don't NEED to relocate...they will pay you a hefty bill rate, often will pay for your air fare for the commute, and maybe even per diem for your time in that location.

      And heck, these days...some times you can do your work offsite via VPN, and not even have to leave your home.

      Seriously...working salaried, unless you are just starting out...is for the birds. If you incorporate yourself...you get some major tax breaks (read about S Corp breaks here ) you don't get screwed over by working for free, and you make enough to take some nice time off and travel...etc. Sure, it is a scarey step to take at first (have some FU money saved up in savings first), and there is a bit more paperwork involved...but, worth it in the long run, if you are good enough at what you do to be in demand.

      But, at the very least...make sure no matter how you are being employed...get everything in writing. Pretty much everything IS negotiable...and if they won't do that, something is fishy...and you might not be getting the deal you thought you were.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  2. Re:Talk to the person who offered the package by oyenstikker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Good advice. Remember, the HR department works for the company, not for you; and by HR's name alone, they are putting you in the same category as servers and office supplies.

    Why don't they call it personnel anymore?

    --
    The masses are the crack whores of religion.
  3. After you work it out . . . by arnie_apesacrappin · · Score: 4, Interesting
    After you talk to the parties involved (recruiter, relocation department, hiring manager, HR) and make a decision to accept or reject the offer, document everything and publish it. If someone clearly wronged you in the process, try to save others from having to go through the same ordeal.


    I will tell you a related story. I was a consultant on an open-ended contract for 2.5 years. The company re-organized and I was given less than two weeks to either take a 30% pay cut or leave. I immediately started looking for other work, but stuck around for a couple of months while I found a new position. The one thing I did do was to calmly, rationally let everyone that was in a similar position know what had happened. After I left, they gave a whole group of consultants (about 20 people) the same ultimatum. Since they were prepared for the new offer from my story, all of them resigned, simultaneously. The company back-pedaled on the ultimatum and allowed those consultants to stay on under their current terms. It was still detrimental to the company, however, because 10 of the 20 left anyway.

    Several of those 20 people thanked me for sharing my troubles because they were better prepared. The details of your experience may help someone else not make the same mistake later. It may even make the business involved change their practices.

    --

    Still, with a plan, you only get the best you can imagine. I'd always hoped for something better than that. -CP

  4. Re:Talk to the person who offered the package by shawn(at)fsu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It is possible that the recruiter shares some if not all of the blame, maybe he said things that he knew were not true just to get the recruiter bonus or met the recruiting target etc. Some post later on down said to contact the head of HR to see whats going on. It's always a good idea to get all sides of an issue before assigning blame.

    --
    500 dollar reward for tip(s) leading to the arrest of the person(s) who stole my sig.
  5. Better Than Offered by airship · · Score: 5, Interesting

    About five years ago I actually got a relocation package that was BETTER than offered.
    I accepted a promotion with the company I had been with for two years, but in a different city. They offered full moving expenses, days off and travel expenses to look for a place to live, etc.

    Turns out that my wife and I decided to split at that time. Since she got the majority of the household goods (which was totally okay with me), the company agreed to move her to a town that was actually 100 miles further away than my destination, AND reimbursed me for a self-move rental truck for my stuff.

    While the split (and subsequent divorce) were tough, my company's compassionate attitude made an unpleasant experience much less stressful.

    --
    Serving your airship needs since 1995.
  6. Easy as pie! by Mullen · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is such an easy solution

    1) Talk to your recruiter and find out what is happening. This could just be left hand doing something that right hand does not know about. If you don't get this resolved how you want it to be resolved, don't take the job. There is plenty of work out there for people who want to work and have skills. Recruiters and HR in general hate it when this happens. When Amazon.com moved me and the moving company screwed up and I asked my HR rep what to do. They made me sit down and tell them everything about the move so they could contact the moving company and get it resolved. To quote them, "If they screw up your move, we're not happy because you are not happy and we also paid them."
    2) Do not act on or believe anything that anyone is saying until you have the written contract to sign. Read it, understand it, don't quit your job until you have signed this and sent it back and the recruiter says they have it. Make it clear that you will not take the job until you get the paper work. Make a copy of everything for your records.
    3) If they still screw you over, then you don't have to stay there. You may just work one year and then find another job. The company will lose in the long run because they will not be able to hold top talent. Your life does not begin nor end with a job. Trust me, this will hurt the company in the long run much more than it hurts you.
    4) Move on with your life no matter what happens. If you get screwed over, then just suck it up and move on. Don't be bitter and don't hold a grudge (Although, you might suggest to others in the industry not to work there). Just move on with your life and enjoy it.

    --
    Linux O Muerte!
  7. Two Words... by raydobbs · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Promissary Estoppel

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estoppel