Would like opinions on this experience. (employees, interviewed, unemployment, employer)
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Seeking advice on possible employment discrimination, hired for specific job then switched to lower paying job, bait and switch tactic illegal, no longer employed with company
I would like some objective opinions on a devastating employment experience I have just had. I'm not sure what to do, if anything, or if I even WANT to do anything about it. I am not, by nature, a fighter. But it would be nice to prevent someone else from having the same experience.
I live in a small town with very little employment opportunity. A large corporation came in and bought a campus of office buildings and set up a business location here, promising to hire up to 600 employees over time in this area. I was thrilled for my little town and my area in general... we needed the jobs and the economy boost. I applied for and got a job with this company.
I quit a job I was doing in the nearest big city, which is a 45-minute commute for me, thinking the gas savings would make this a desirable move for me. I interviewed and was accepted at a reasonable rate of pay. The company did an exhaustive background search on me and made me believe I was carefully chosen as one of their first hires because they were impressed with my skills and background. Offer letter was issued and signed by all. I started my new job.
The first week was one of general training and instruction about the company that I took with about 14 others in my new-hire group. Everything was going fine -- I was very happy -- until the third day. The HR person and one of the VP's called me in and said they wanted me to do a different job than the one I was hired for; that they did not think I would do well in the original choice, but they had another. I don't know HOW they could have possibly known I would not do well, since I had not DONE anything yet, but I said that was their choice to make and that I was willing. THEY THEN SAID THE NEW JOB THEY HAD FOR ME WOULD PAY $2.00 LESS PER HOUR THAN THE ONE I WAS HIRED FOR. I was stunned and shocked! I thought I had accepted an offer in good faith -- in writing and signed by all -- to be paid a specified rate. I had already left my other job and could not turn back. I cannot live on the new rate I am being offered, and I told them so. I could never have accepted that lower rate of pay in the first place. Then, in this meeting, after stating their case, the HR person turned over a piece of paper she had in front of her. It was a new offer letter, describing the new job at the new rate of pay. She turned it around and pushed it across the table at me and handed me a pen and asked me to sign it. The scene felt surreal... as if I was dreaming. I was being railroaded and virtually forced to sign a document I had no knowledge of and was not in agreement with, with no other choice but unemployment.
Ultimately the next day I did sign the paper and stayed for a month. However, the situation was making me literally sick inside -- I felt so betrayed and by signing it had even betrayed myself and my values -- so I quit. I now have no work. I've put my house up for sale and am going to move, hopefully to a place where opportunity is better.
Is this type of "bait and switch" tactic legal?
Lastly, now that I can talk about it (I could not do it while I was still employed there as I felt too threatened), it has been suggested to me that perhaps this was a subtle form of age discrimination. I am 57, and all of the others in my new-hire group were I am sure considerably younger than me. Is it possible that, for legal reasons, companies have to hire some people from all age groups and then can make things so difficult for them that they just decide to quit on their own? That would make the company innocent of discrimination because, after all, they DID hire me -- if I decide to leave on my own, oh well, they are not at fault. This possibility has crossed my mind.
I am sorry to hear about the unfortunate work situation you have just gone through. I just went through a situation like this although the specifics were a little different. At any rate, I will just summarize how I feel. Employers, not all, but a big majority of employers today do not have the integrity of employers of the past and with the job market being what it is today they feel they can do whatever they want. Age discrimination could be a possibility, but to prove it would be very hard. I still say that the laws of this country will side with the employer before they will the employee. Once again, sorry to hear of this happening to you but you are not alone if that helps. Good luck to you!
The bait-and-switch is not uncommon, I've experienced it too, actually a couple of months ago. I quit too.
I think companies often lie about the job to get applicants interested. Business ethics are in the basement in this tough economy.
The bright side is that at least you found out fast what kind of shysters they really were, before you sunk years of your life into their business. A company like that would have screwed you sooner or later. Better to get out early and cut your losses. (think Enron)
Often the local governamnt laces non offical mandates on compamies that they assit in locating to theer areas.Generally it states that the comapny will make a effort to hire locally.They can not require them to hire locally as thsi woulfd be dicrimination bascially and might even get them into problems because much of the money they use comes thru grqants from the federal government. This means that companies have to hire locl that it really doen't want to get them on the hied list. Its mostly a game of politicans; because in the end the comapny is going to getteh peole they want.They can even use you quiting as need to go to a area search or even bring people in from other areas.Don't know this is teh case but still it is too bad you didn't just wait them oput and see rather than sign then quit.
I would like some objective opinions on a devastating employment experience I have just had. I'm not sure what to do, if anything, or if I even WANT to do anything about it. I am not, by nature, a fighter. But it would be nice to prevent someone else from having the same experience.
I live in a small town with very little employment opportunity. A large corporation came in and bought a campus of office buildings and set up a business location here, promising to hire up to 600 employees over time in this area. I was thrilled for my little town and my area in general... we needed the jobs and the economy boost. I applied for and got a job with this company.
I quit a job I was doing in the nearest big city, which is a 45-minute commute for me, thinking the gas savings would make this a desirable move for me. I interviewed and was accepted at a reasonable rate of pay. The company did an exhaustive background search on me and made me believe I was carefully chosen as one of their first hires because they were impressed with my skills and background. Offer letter was issued and signed by all. I started my new job.
The first week was one of general training and instruction about the company that I took with about 14 others in my new-hire group. Everything was going fine -- I was very happy -- until the third day. The HR person and one of the VP's called me in and said they wanted me to do a different job than the one I was hired for; that they did not think I would do well in the original choice, but they had another. I don't know HOW they could have possibly known I would not do well, since I had not DONE anything yet, but I said that was their choice to make and that I was willing. THEY THEN SAID THE NEW JOB THEY HAD FOR ME WOULD PAY $2.00 LESS PER HOUR THAN THE ONE I WAS HIRED FOR. I was stunned and shocked! I thought I had accepted an offer in good faith -- in writing and signed by all -- to be paid a specified rate. I had already left my other job and could not turn back. I cannot live on the new rate I am being offered, and I told them so. I could never have accepted that lower rate of pay in the first place. Then, in this meeting, after stating their case, the HR person turned over a piece of paper she had in front of her. It was a new offer letter, describing the new job at the new rate of pay. She turned it around and pushed it across the table at me and handed me a pen and asked me to sign it. The scene felt surreal... as if I was dreaming. I was being railroaded and virtually forced to sign a document I had no knowledge of and was not in agreement with, with no other choice but unemployment.
Ultimately the next day I did sign the paper and stayed for a month. However, the situation was making me literally sick inside -- I felt so betrayed and by signing it had even betrayed myself and my values -- so I quit. I now have no work. I've put my house up for sale and am going to move, hopefully to a place where opportunity is better.
Is this type of "bait and switch" tactic legal?
Lastly, now that I can talk about it (I could not do it while I was still employed there as I felt too threatened), it has been suggested to me that perhaps this was a subtle form of age discrimination. I am 57, and all of the others in my new-hire group were I am sure considerably younger than me. Is it possible that, for legal reasons, companies have to hire some people from all age groups and then can make things so difficult for them that they just decide to quit on their own? That would make the company innocent of discrimination because, after all, they DID hire me -- if I decide to leave on my own, oh well, they are not at fault. This possibility has crossed my mind.
I appreciate any opinions anyone might have.
Many thanks...
- LillieB.
Hey...you have a copy of this? I'd show it to an attorney. That sounds like a letter of agreement, which is like a contract. If they didn't do something they agreed to do in writing, and I don't care about the clauses, they broke the agreement.
I would never sign something under pressure.
The MORE someone pressures you to sign something RIGHT NOW, the more you need to back off and say, "Well gee, I am SURE you are offering me a great deal here, but I need to go home and discuss this with my husband first...I never make a big decision without thinking about it overnight. Besides, my brother is an attorney and he is really good at interpreting this stuff."
Put on your best Columbo act, thank them graciously and ask to take a copy of the agreement home for a few days.
No one needs it signed NOW. Think about that one...
The only reason they pressure you into it there, is because you are on their turf, and they KNOW you don't want to say NO to their faces.
You are not alone in these tactics unfortunetly. I just quit a job last week due to changing the position once I was hired. I feel especially bad that you have to sell your house as well. I don't know what your field is but be sure that you do a lot of research first before you move. Maybe enlist the help of some recruiters in your areas of interest. Much luck to you and a hug.
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Or did you compose that post backwards?
