Stuck Without a Job: How to Handle a Recruiter's Silence After Promised Joining Date Change

I have accepted an offer from a big MNC. I received a joining date, but it was clashing with my last working date at my previous organization, and I had a trip planned long before I received the joining date. Once I got the joining date, I started requesting HR to change it via their official email. After a few days of constant reminders, I received a reply that the required date is beyond 120 days; hence, they can't approve this. In that email, they requested their senior to assist, but that "senior guy" didn't even bother to reply for 5-6 email threads.

I again started emailing for confirmation and provided them with two options: if I can join late or join early and apply for leave for my travel (I also sent them my ticket and booking details). Then the recruiter (the senior guy) finally replied over email that this will be taken care of, and the joining date will be changed. After that, the recruiter called me and said he needs to ask senior management for approval, and it can be a dicey situation. I said yes.

Meanwhile, he said to call him a week before my new joining date, and he will take care of this. I called him a week before my preferred joining date. Now, once I came back from my travel, I didn't get any joining date or any other communications. I again started calling/emailing for updates, but now there is no response from the recruiter. I asked one of the existing employees to talk to the recruiter via their local messaging system, and he said usually, we drop the employee who doesn't join in 120 days, and mostly I won't be able to join now.

I am relieved from my past organization, waiting for this recruiter to give me a new joining date (of course, I started giving interviews for a new job). What can be done in this situation?

Putting forth all these details, it is better to send a legal notice to the prospective employer as well as the recruiting agent. When switching jobs, the candidate should be doubly cautious about the problems in formal exit from the current employer and obtain sufficient joining time accordingly. Always, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Actually, I think it was unwise to prioritize your vacation over your new job.

I can see from what you have posted that the company (Senior Recruiter) never agreed to give you a new date and didn't provide one either. He only mentioned he would try. Did he give you a new date of joining? If he did, then you should just go and report.

Most companies will consider employees who don't want to join on the specified date as frivolous, regardless of whether it was justified or not. I think that is what happened in your case. Companies are learning to be flexible, especially with work-life balance and preplanned vacation time. However, the reality is that this flexibility hasn't fully taken hold, and in your case, you hadn't even joined the company when you started making demands. 120 days is 4 months, and it would be surprising if the company was willing to wait that long for you to join.

Regarding the legal options available to you, we can't comment, mainly because we don't have the relevant details.