I was brought in to work in a fairly specialized position at a company. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I like to think I’m pretty good at it. The salary they offered me was generous and the benefits even more generous.
The day I came in to sign my hiring documents, however, something looked wrong. The numbers did not match what I had seen during the recruitment process.
Me: “There appears to be some mistake. I was promised [pay amount], and this is just barely two-thirds of that. Also, I was told you had dental as well as health insurance, that you had a pension as well as a 401k, and that your 401k matched up to 7%, not up to 5%.”
Human Resources: “No error. This is our standard hiring document. This is what we’ve got for you. Take it or leave it.”
Me: Standing up “Leave it.”
The HR guy seemed shocked.
Human Resources: “Um… I’m not getting the sense that you’re a good team player here.”
Me: “Well, I don’t see how that’s important.”
I stepped out the door. The HR guy called after me as I started to walk out.
Human Resources: “Wait. Wait! Can we talk about this?”
Me: “Can I have the terms I was originally promised?”
Human Resources: “No.”
Me: “Then there’s nothing to talk about. Goodbye.”
Over Before It Began
I was brought in to work in a fairly specialized position at a company. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I like to think I’m pretty good at it. The salary they offered me was generous and the benefits even more generous.
The day I came in to sign my hiring documents, however, something looked wrong. The numbers did not match what I had seen during the recruitment process.
Me: “There appears to be some mistake. I was promised [pay amount], and this is just barely two-thirds of that. Also, I was told you had dental as well as health insurance, that you had a pension as well as a 401k, and that your 401k matched up to 7%, not up to 5%.”
Human Resources: “No error. This is our standard hiring document. This is what we’ve got for you. Take it or leave it.”
Me: Standing up “Leave it.”
The HR guy seemed shocked.
Human Resources: “Um… I’m not getting the sense that you’re a good team player here.”
Me: “Well, I don’t see how that’s important.”
I stepped out the door. The HR guy called after me as I started to walk out.
Human Resources: “Wait. Wait! Can we talk about this?”
Me: “Can I have the terms I was originally promised?”
Human Resources: “No.”
Me: “Then there’s nothing to talk about. Goodbye.”
And I left.