Job Offer Withdrawn After Joining: How Should I Handle This Unexpected Situation?

Dear Seniors, I received an offer letter from a reputed company in Bangalore, and I was asked to join immediately (within 1 week). Since I had worked for a respected organization for the last five years, they were willing to release me within 1 week.

On 11th Dec, it was my joining day. I was instructed to bring all the necessary documents with me to complete the joining formalities, which I did without any issues.

Upon arrival for my joining, all my documents were collected, and I was informed to leave for the day as the concerned manager was on leave, as communicated to me.

The following day, when I went to the office as usual, the HR person asked me to wait at the reception. After an hour, I was informed by the HR person that the concerned manager was still on leave, and I could leave for the day. This left me confused, so I inquired if there was a genuine issue. I was told there was none. When I asked if my joining formalities were complete, she assured me they were, but mentioned that the concerned manager would call me to update me on further work tasks. Feeling skeptical, I requested that the concerned manager call me immediately to provide an update, as I sensed something was amiss. After a brief wait, the concerned manager called me and explained that he was unavailable for the next 2 days due to a client visit. He assured me he would call me and specify when to return to the office, stating a maximum of 2 days.

With no follow-up call during the next 2 days, I decided to visit the office on the 3rd day to meet the concerned manager directly. Fortunately, he was available, and during our conversation, he revealed that the upper management had decided to put all offers on hold. He mentioned he was making efforts to secure my position, which left me deeply disappointed and shocked, rendering me speechless for a few moments. I expressed my concerns about my numerous commitments and the fact that I had resigned from my current organization based on the request to join immediately. Unfortunately, he seemed indifferent to my situation but promised to keep me informed. Since then, I have not received any updates.

Dear all, I am currently without a job and uncertain about how to handle my commitments. I placed my trust in this organization. Please advise me on the next steps.

Thanks and regards, Anand

Dear Anand,

It is ethically very wrong what your company is doing right now. You can approach your nearest labor office, under which this organization falls, and file a complaint against the organization with a copy of the offer letter attached to it.

Challenges in Joining a New Company

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. There are quite a number of small companies where one manager handles everything from finance to HR to marketing. They are not true professionals in the real sense. They do not have a revenue budget, manpower budget, manpower planning... just nothing. The management will often be one person who has invested some of his money in the venture. If his mood and mind change, everything stops.

You should first check the background of the organization to see whether any HR department exists. From the way they communicate, you can easily guess whether it is worth resigning from an established company. Never leave a good job just for a few thousand rupees more or a perceived higher responsibility. In your present job, you may be an Executive, and in the new job, your designation might be Manager. In reality, in the new job as Manager, you may be forced to do work much lower than what you were doing as an executive. These days, people are enamored with designation and position.

You can send an ultimatum to them by email, stating that because of their job offer, you quit your previous company and are now jobless. Unless they provide either three months' salary as compensation or a lump sum of around Rs. 50,000/-, you are going to handle them legally. In the meantime, see if you can go back to your earlier company. There is no harm in seeking their pardon and settling with the known company and people. A known devil is better than an unknown angel!

Best wishes