Is It Legal for My Appointment Letter to Differ from My Offer Letter? How Should I Address This?

Hi, I recently joined a company. I accepted the offer based on the information provided in the offer letter. The appointment letter, which was given to me 3 months after joining, is very different from the offer letter contents. For example:
a) Probation period: 3 months in the offer vs. 6 months in the appointment letter
b) Notice period: 1 month vs. 3 months
and many more.

Concerns About Contract Discrepancies

So, my question to you is:
> Doesn't this border on illegal and fraudulent practice?
> I am sure it's unethical.

Seeking Advice on Addressing the Issue

How do I tell my firm that this appointment letter is not acceptable to me? Please advise. I took a 25% pay cut, thinking it was a great opportunity... :-(

Before you discuss this mistake, you should confirm with your HR if there have been any policy revisions in the last three or four months.

Regards,
Meetu

I accept Meetu's suggestion. First of all, let me know if you have received and acknowledged the appointment letter. If so, have you accepted all the terms and conditions mentioned in the appointment letter even though they are different from the offer letter? If you have not confirmed your acceptance, then take a copy of the offer letter along with the appointment letter and approach HR to find out the reasons.

Ask them to issue copies of the circulars/notices related to the service conditions. In general, the management needs to communicate in writing to all employees regarding changes in service conditions. You also need to find out whether these changes in service conditions apply to all or only to you. If they are specific to you, you can raise the issue with HR and preferably through your HOD.

Please don't compromise, and at the same time, handle the matter politely and professionally.

Regards, Kamesh

This is an illegal as well as unethical practice. Things should be made clear before the joining of an employee. An offer letter may not have full details, but an appointment letter should be issued immediately after joining.

Thank you, Kamesh and Meetu. I have not yet signed the letter, but HR is forcing me to sign it. This is a new firm that has just opened an office in India, so all the employees have joined this firm in the last two months.

To answer your questions, yes, the changes have been for all the employees. However, they came to light only after they started issuing the appointment letter. There was no communication from the management, and HR says she has talked to the lawyer, and only after that have they made the changes.

The point is, I didn't accept the offer for what's on the appointment letter. I accepted the offer based on what was present at the time of joining. I find this whole issue pretty unsettling and unethical.

Regards