mplshawkeye
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Minnesota
(For reference, I work for Company A, who used to be owned by Company B until Company C purchased us from Company B).
When I accepted a job with Company A, I signed a Relocation Expense Repayment Agreement with Company B (the parent company). In short, if I did not stay for 18 months, I would be required to pay back some of the relocation fees.
I am now in month 16 of my employment. During the past year, Company B sold us to Company C (a completely different corporate entity). During the sale review process, our HR department kept us updated on any questions, concerns and information that came up through an internal intranet web site. It was basically a list of potential issues that people were concerned with (401K, pension, compensation, etc.).
One portion of this internal site specifically asked this question:
“I was hired and received a signing bonus and/or relocation benefits. If Company A is sold within 18 months, will I have to pay it back?”
The answer was printed as a very simple “no.”
So, let's fast-forward a bit. I have accepted a new job, and given my two weeks notice. But then last week in my exit interview, an HR person told me that I would need to pay a portion of the fees back. I told her that I believed that I was not responsible for any remaining portion of the relocation costs due to the fact that we had been sold and our own Internal Communications had explicitly stated in an online document that if the company was sold, I would NOT be responsible for these costs.
She didn't seem familiar with this and patronized me a little, so I retrieved a printed copy of this document and showed it to her. Again being fairly dismissive, she told me that I was still responsible for payback and the new owner, Company C, would pursue it. Then, in a somewhat strange aside she also told me that “if this changes or affects your decision (to leave) that would be fine" and that "it would be ok for me to change my mind and come back." I was unsure what exactly she was implying at this point, but with no intention of staying, I consider her remarks inappropriate coercion.
I have the intranet document and I also have what I originally signed from Company B (who is no longer connected to either Company A or C in any way). But I am now left wondering what my situation is.
(For reference, I work for Company A, who used to be owned by Company B until Company C purchased us from Company B).
When I accepted a job with Company A, I signed a Relocation Expense Repayment Agreement with Company B (the parent company). In short, if I did not stay for 18 months, I would be required to pay back some of the relocation fees.
I am now in month 16 of my employment. During the past year, Company B sold us to Company C (a completely different corporate entity). During the sale review process, our HR department kept us updated on any questions, concerns and information that came up through an internal intranet web site. It was basically a list of potential issues that people were concerned with (401K, pension, compensation, etc.).
One portion of this internal site specifically asked this question:
“I was hired and received a signing bonus and/or relocation benefits. If Company A is sold within 18 months, will I have to pay it back?”
The answer was printed as a very simple “no.”
So, let's fast-forward a bit. I have accepted a new job, and given my two weeks notice. But then last week in my exit interview, an HR person told me that I would need to pay a portion of the fees back. I told her that I believed that I was not responsible for any remaining portion of the relocation costs due to the fact that we had been sold and our own Internal Communications had explicitly stated in an online document that if the company was sold, I would NOT be responsible for these costs.
She didn't seem familiar with this and patronized me a little, so I retrieved a printed copy of this document and showed it to her. Again being fairly dismissive, she told me that I was still responsible for payback and the new owner, Company C, would pursue it. Then, in a somewhat strange aside she also told me that “if this changes or affects your decision (to leave) that would be fine" and that "it would be ok for me to change my mind and come back." I was unsure what exactly she was implying at this point, but with no intention of staying, I consider her remarks inappropriate coercion.
I have the intranet document and I also have what I originally signed from Company B (who is no longer connected to either Company A or C in any way). But I am now left wondering what my situation is.