How Can We Recover a Joining Bonus When There's No Written Agreement?

Dear All, I have been facing a critical incident, as a candidate was paid an amount as a joining bonus, but he has decided to leave within 3 months of his joining. Now, we want to recover the joining bonus. However, we did not have any written communication regarding the joining bonus, and now the candidate is asking for clarification to deduct the joining bonus as per the appointment letter clause.

Please advise on how to recover the amount.

Regards,
Ashish
Sr. Office HR

I have been facing a critical incident, as a candidate was paid a certain amount as a joining bonus, but he has decided to leave within three months of joining. Thus, we now want to recover the joining bonus. However, we did not have any written communication regarding the joining bonus, and now the candidate is asking for clarification on deducting the joining bonus as per the appointment letter clause.

Please advise on how to recover the amount.

Regards,
Ashish
Sr. Office HR

You need to recover that amount from the employee because, in the offer letter, you mentioned the probation period for six months. For this reason, the employee needs to work for up to six months. If he/she voluntarily resigns, they need to pay that money to the company. To address all these potential consequences, you should create a policy internally and obtain approval from your Board of Directors or the Managing Director of the company.

Another option is that if the Head of the Department (HOD) has granted a waiver, then we cannot recover that amount from the employee.

Please let me know if you need any further clarification.