Employer broke new hire agreement..ever happened to you?

[Marshall1]

I accepted a position that is M-F..no nights/weekends/holidays..full benefits (which I don't need), not high stress, about 20 min from home, great pay..been there 4 weeks. I was also promised reimbursement for mileage for orientation (it was 200 miles round trip/day for 5 days) and was told part of the benefit package was the employer would pay 10K toward student loans I already have in exchange for the promise of 3 yrs of serve and after orientation I would not be required to return to the main facility as any other mandatory classes would be via video or online. The student loan payback was the main reason I accepted the position because the M-F is not a schedule I would normally want. I prefer time over money. Anyway..

I learned over the weekend, via email from the HR person I worked with..that I am NOT going to get reimbursed for mileage for orientation nor am I eligible for the student loan payment plan and the reason? Because these items were not written out correctly in the job description ad when the job was posted online! Even though I have in writing from the employer these things WERE offered to me it is trumped by the ad not being correct. I don't know why this matters and she wasn't able to give me a straight answer. She also said a "couple" of classes were overlooked that I will have to go back to the main facility and while I will be paid my hourly rate I will not be given mileage so there will be at least 2 more days of travel. I am not thrilled about the mileage not being reimbursed but am willing to let it go but the student loan broken promise is another issue. The facility does have a nursing union but I am not a member. I don't really know what they could do anyway. Overall the job is not bad, its a clinic position and though the nurse manager is definitely a 100% management she isn't unreasonable but again, I was willing to exchange the 12 hr shift work for M-F in order to get some of the student loans paid and now that is no longer an option. My spouse works 12 hrs so this new schedule of mine has impacted us being able to spent time together/go do things but we were willing to work around it because of getting the loans paid down. At this point I'm going to just stay at the job but this has changed my view of the employer for sure.

My question is: anyone ever have an employer make a promise like this then change their minds? What did you do?

[NurseCard, ADN]

If you have an agreement in writing and they've broken that agreement, then I'd get a lawyer.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I'm not sure that I'd take the HR person's word for this. HR may be trying to cover its butt at your expense. If I were you, I would push the point. Tell HR that your intent is to take the position once they agree to their written commitment.If they don't live up their commitment, do you really want to work for them?

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately it sounds like you were given verbal promises, which really mean nothing.

I'd start by reviewing the benefits offered by your facility (you should be able to get a full explanation of all the benefits either online or in paper from HR). Is there anything about loan reimbursement?

Look through your HR policies and procedures. Do they have a policy about mileage reimbursement?

It's possible that one of two things happened here: 1. The policies recently changed and the person who made these promises was not aware of the current policy for loan forgiveness or mileage reimbursement, so the facility had to backtrack. 2. The person you spoke with purposely misled you to get you to accept the job.

If there are policies regarding these issues, print a copy and bring it to HR to show them. Keep a record of your mileage, just in case. However, if there are no policies, you really have no recourse, since these were all verbal promises and you did not sign a contracts with these items mentioned. Your options are to take the job as is, or to leave due to the fact that you were misled about the details of the position.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

sounds like bait and switch, to me....if you have it in writing, i would check it out...the person on the phone, may have been instructed to try this on you.

[beeker]

Is this a diaylisis job? If it is there was a long thread about one company doing this often to new hires.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

They broke the agreement. You can now either keep or break yours. Litigation will be expensive and relationship-breaking. You'll be gotten rid of as soon as they find a reason and it will be a tense and unpleasant work environment.

Only you can know how badly you need this job.

You had a sweet deal on paper. Even reading it here it sounds far too good to be true. I am sorry they were unethical and promised enormous things with no intent to keep those promises. I don't see how you will ever trust this employer now.

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

To add on to what others have said, you have to think about how this employer will treat agreements in the future. For example, setting a vacation date. As others have said, how can you trust this employer in the future?

As for getting a lawyer, it would cost you more for the lawyer. Even if you sued them in small claims, the most you would be eligible for would be the reimbursement of gas mileage. If you decide the legal route, you can almost guarantee that you will not be working there in the future.

You should also see if it is possible to get the 12 hour shifts back because those things they used to entice you to switch are gone.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I agree with a previous poster - now that you mention it, this sounds exactly like a dialysis center that was in a thread. It tended to pull the bait & switch with new hires also.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Anything in writing trumps all. Just saying.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

And to those in the know, links please?Which dialysis thread?

[amoLucia]

Ashley made very good points. But if you gave up a previous position and since this is a new position, you may want to move quickly and seek legal advice. It all boils down to how strongly you feel you were misled and how much time, energy and expense (personally & professionally) you can afford or want to spend. Good luck!