So this happened a few years ago at this point however, if this sub Reddit was around then I didn’t know about it. I have worked in the government world for the better part of a decade at this point. That being said I have a few horror stories from my time dealing with different contract companies. This one sticks out to me the most though. This is a long read so I apologize in advance.
I was working on a help desk which I loved at the time when a company reached out to me for a system administrator position. I was making $75,000 a year at the time after I just received a raise from $60,000. However, I just had a baby and if I had the chance to make more money I’d jump at it. The recruiter liked me and said “Hey if you know anyone else qualified please send them my way there’s a $3000 bonus if we hire them.” I said great I’ll let you know.
I told the 3 other guys that worked the help desk with me and they all applied. The next couple days they had interviews lined up and ever started receiving offer letter…..I hadn’t heard back at all. I called the recruiter and said “what the hell man I referred these guys and they all got an offer before me.” Let me state that we had all become good friends since working together and I was extremely happy for them, but still angry that i hadn’t gotten a call. The recruiter ended the call by saying “Aw man I didn’t know you referred them let me see what I can do.”
So I got a call back about a week later saying “hey I have an opening for you too it’ll start at $90,000 a year with a $5000 sign on bonus because Of the miscommunication does that work for you?” I said yes that’s perfect thank you. With having a new baby that type of money is life changing. I thought he pulled some strings and figured something out for me…..was I wrong.
So I put my two weeks in at my help desk job and start at the new place. My first day there I find out it’s the project managers last day and all I could get from the people that worked there was something shady happened. So that’s comforting news. Before the end of the day the PM shows me around after I get all my badges sorted out. He says “you’re part of the surge group so you’ll sit here.” I said excuse me I didn’t accept a surge position. For those of you who don’t know a surge position means basically a term position and I was to be there for 6 months to finish the end of a project before being let go.
The PM showed me his paperwork stating that I was indeed a surge employee. But I couldn’t butt heads with him too much because it was his last day. So I start working on the project and the next day our new PM started. So I went up to him and said “hey, I know you’re new but we have to get this figured out. I was told I was brought on as a surge employee but that wasn’t stated in my offer letter.” “The new PM said I’ll see what I can find out.”
So I wait a week and let the new PM get settled in before I bring it up again. He says “I talked to HR and I don’t know what happened but you are indeed a surge employee that’s why you got the sign on bonus.” I said well how do we fix that. The PM says “there’s nothing really we can do, and I got some more bad news. They want to lower your pay to $60,000 a year.” Keep in mind I was offered $90,000 to come there. I said to him “I was making more at my last job and if that was the original offer I would have never accepted that.” He said “I know and I’m sorry.” I came back with “ I was giving you a $90,000 work ethic and if I get dropped down to $60,000 that’s exactly what you’re gonna get out of me.” Then walked away.
That day I had messaged all my connects to see if they had any openings. One of my old PMs get back to me and said “yes I’ll have one in a month if you want it, it’s yours what’s your salary requirement.” I said 100k and he said done.
I also went to see a lawyer that day and the lawyer told me he wasn’t sure if there was anything he could but he’d look into it. He was going on vacation so to expect to hear from him in a couple weeks. So I went back to work and what do you know the PM pulled me aside and said hey you need to sign this stating you agree to the salary change(and get this the change takes effect on my birthday). I said I don’t agree and I’m not signing it. He said if you don’t sign it we have to let you go and you’ll have to pay back the sign on bonus because you’ve been here less than a year. Then I start getting anxious because I still have another month before I have another job to go to. So I said that makes no sense because even if I agree I’ll be out of here before a year so I’d have to pay the sign on bonus regardless? Just give it to me and I’ll think on it. He gives me a week to think about it.
That week goes by and he calls me into his office to give him my answer. But the night before I officially got my offer letter for my new job to start on Jan 2nd. And that morning the lawyer called me back and said I had a case. I should have pursued the case but I told the lawyer that I had a new job lined up and I would be ok and thanked him for his time. I went into see my boss signed the letter on his desk and walked out that was a Friday. The next Monday I emailed him and HR the following:
I am formally putting in my 2 week notice. The practices of hiring someone under a agreed upon salary and changing it a month in a ridiculous, and you should be sued for it. I will not be paying back the sign on bonus and if you have any objections I will take legal actions.
I didn’t hear anything back except for my PM stopping me in the hallway to tell me “Being aggressive works for you. Don’t change it.” I know it wasn’t his fault and I took a lot of my anger out on him so I apologized. The next two weeks I went in sat at my cube and collected my pay check. My last day I got a call from the VP of the company for an exit interview. I explained the situation to him and he said “yeah that was my call.” I then told him this company is the worst I ever worked at and I’d never return. He asked if I’d recommend it to anyone and I scoffed and said “Hell no” then hung up. I’ve never looked back, please stand up for yourself at work.