Imagine that you signed a relocation contract with your employer that said they would cover your moving costs up to $10,000. So, you hired a moving company, moved across the country, and incurred a lot of expenses, based on the belief that you’d be handed a check for $10,000 at the end of it. And, imagine that when you handed the receipts to your boss, the boss said, “You know what? We’ll pay $2,000 of that, but we’d rather keep the $8,000 ourselves.” You’d be furious. You might take the company to court, and if you had a signed contract and you met the conditions set out in the contract, you’d win.
So, why is it when the shoe is on the other foot, you think you don’t have to repay? I frequently get emails from people who have received money for relocation and now wish to quit the job before the time in the contract is fulfilled. Most relocation contracts require you to work for the new company for one to two years, and repay if you voluntarily leave, or are fired for cause. Almost all my letter writers feel it is unfair that they should have to repay the relocation costs and will go to great lengths to try and avoid it.
To keep reading, click here: How not to get stung by a relocation contract
That happened to me at OldJob; drove to NewCity a bunch of times, booked at reasonable (not dingy but not fancy) hotels to house-search pre-move. Got there and apparently I hadn’t stayed at the right hotels for reimbursement. Where was the list of right hotels? In the employee manual, which was on the company intranet and I couldn’t access before my first day.