Navigating Resignation During Probation and Training Expenses Reimbursement

Hi,

I recently (1 month) joined a company as a senior executive and am currently under probation for six months. Due to the reasons listed below, I have decided to quit this job. In my appointment letter, it is mentioned "15 days notice or 15 days salary as compensation" for employees who wish to leave during probation. However, the company has spent more than half a lakh rupees on my training (to be spent by myself and reimbursed by providing bills). The appointment letter does not mention anything about reimbursement of these training expenses if an employee leaves during probation. In such a case, does the organization have the right to claim these training expenses back from me or deduct them from my salary?

During the joining formalities, we signed numerous documents, and to the best of my knowledge, there is no mention of this issue. However, if there is a declaration that I may have unknowingly signed stating that I am responsible for the training expenses, then what will be the verdict?

I have decided to leave this organization because the working culture here is not as expected, and my immediate supervisor behaves like a slavemaster with a group of subordinates under him. This situation is certainly not conducive to improving my productivity.

I request your guidance on how to smoothly exit this organization.

Regards,

R.

Hi,

I think one month is too short to make any decision. You should give yourself some time to adjust. A new job is always a bit troublesome due to the new work environment, but you always adjust after a short span of time. The following article may help you in making the right decision: [Your Career Lion: Common Career Mistakes And How To Avoid Them](http://www.yourcareerlion.blogspot.com/2013/12/wrong-career-decision.html#more).

Also, your company has spent a handsome amount on you (although I am surprised that your company spent too much on an employee in a probation period), so it is unethical and immoral to leave the job so early.

Regards

As a layman, may I ask you, is it right to quit without paying money spent on your training? You are supposed to read all the documents before signing, and you can't say that you might have signed something unknowingly.

One month is too short a period to make a decision. What guarantee is there that you won't find another boss like yours or that your present boss does not join the new firm you may go to and become your boss again?

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. As a layman, what you are asking is right, but could you tell me one thing: that the company invests in me to reap something out of it, isn't it right? The same company shall ask me to leave by giving a 15-day notice during this probation period if they feel, despite their training, that I am useless or my attitude doesn't suit their expectations. In such a case, what will be my fate if I am not prepared? The fact is that the relationship with my boss is deteriorating day by day, and he wants me to behave like a slave rather than an employee. What is the best course of action for me other than getting prepared for the worst?

Regarding signing something unknowingly, it is a question of doubt rather than fact, and if so, what will be the consequences? This is the real question for which I don't see an answer in your reply. While getting a gentleman as a future boss may not be possible, or I may get a worse boss than my current one, the fear of that may not be a rational reason to think about alternatives, right?

I am ready to pay my training expenses, which may be relevant or irrelevant to my career if I am legally bound or signed something.

My query is clear, guys:

1. My appointment letter doesn't say a word about reimbursement of training expenses if I leave during probation. In such a case, may the company demand payment citing their policy book or employee guidelines?

2. If I had signed something like that, do I have the option to contest it?

I ask for your suggestions on these two points and request you guys to stick to these questions in your replies.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

R

Every decision involves an element of risk. The decision to leave one job and join another also involves a risk - a risk that I will fit into the culture of the new organization. If not, shouldn't I have to leave the job? Will the new boss like my way of doing things, or shouldn't he ask me to go? As Simhan Sir pointed out, there is also a possibility that your present boss may quit and join the same company where you join in the future. Therefore, the approach of the boss should not be the cause of resignation. It can be addressed and solved for the benefit of the organization as a whole.

It is correct that if there is nothing in writing that you have agreed to stay for a long period after gaining through a training program offered by the company, the company cannot ask you to refund it. But it should also be understood that by providing you with training, the company had placed full confidence in you and expected that you would contribute to the goals of the organization. Therefore, if the boss is not good, present the same to the top management and find an alternative rather than leaving without considering the investment the company had made in you.

If, on the other hand, the company had taken any bond (not necessarily on non-judicial stamp paper) from you that you should pay back the amount invested by the company by way of training, you are bound to pay it because the training clause will not come under an employment bond, which is illegal. The employer has the right to recover any cost incurred by him on training and skill development of the employee.

I would also say that if there is no undertaking taken from you before you are deputed for training, I must say that it is a fault of the HR person of the company.

Regards,

Madhu.T.K.

Dear R,

Many times, people have reminded me of the story at [link no longer exists - removed] and told me that whether we are happy at work or not depends a lot on how we react/respond to a given situation. I know of people who have kept changing jobs because they did not like the way their bosses behaved and had a lot of problems finding a job after that, as it was difficult for them to explain why they kept moving from one to another like a "honey bee."

I know it is easier said than done.

Thanks, Mr. Madhu for your reply. It was helpful. Anyway, I'm just checking the consequences, and I have not taken the decision yet. I don't want to behave like a honeybee, and I never prefer to escape problems when I really shall face and fight against them. However, I just want to make myself clear about the return path.

Thanks,
R