Headhunted and fired within a month

[blazed]

@ Tonker. It states that there is a 3months probationary period which they can extend at their discrestion. As far as I know upto now there is no legacy commission but that will remain to be seen in the coming weeks. I have been given 1 weeks notice.

@Fittster.. I'm not really sure. I think I just wanted to vent. I suppose I would like compensation out of it but Im pretty sure this isnt going to happen and I wouldnt work for these idiots even if I was reinstated.

Their HR department has just called me to go through what I am owed from them (weeks notice, car allowance, holiday pay & expenses) She has told me she will pay all this when they get the company laptop back!

Any ideas on how to make a laptop sick?

[Jimslips]

blazed said:

@ Tonker. It states that there is a 3months probationary period which they can extend at their discrestion. As far as I know upto now there is no legacy commission but that will remain to be seen in the coming weeks. I have been given 1 weeks notice.

@Fittster.. I'm not really sure. I think I just wanted to vent. I suppose I would like compensation out of it but Im pretty sure this isnt going to happen and I wouldnt work for these idiots even if I was reinstated.

Their HR department has just called me to go through what I am owed from them (weeks notice, car allowance, holiday pay & expenses) She has told me she will pay all this when they get the company laptop back!

Any ideas on how to make a laptop sick?

Pour a few drops of milk into the back of it.
Microwave for a minute
Drop it
Water and leave to try
Just format it?

Don't do anything cos you might not get your money.

[johnpeat]

Fittster said:

So what are you looking for, compensation to be reinstated?

I think a time machine is about the only thing which would help here - it's a nasty situation but what can you do?

Sounds like the OP knows his onions and will pick himself up - hell, his previous employers might even be missing him (they never burn bridges and don't hold grudges in sales!)

[clarkey]

hman said:

Jimslips said:

Is there something in employment law that means you don't have rights until after 1 year?

I dont think so, its just that within a probationary period its very easy for the company to decide that progress is not being made by the individual and out they go. Very easy to come up with a plethora of reasons why they had to go and very difficult to counter claim it - especially if the company has other employees which have historically done better in the same period.

What rights could the O/P go back to the employers with? , I dare say that an employee who's contract is terminated in a probationary period has a long and arduous road ahead if they want to get some form of compensation.

You have no protected rights in the first year - that is, the employer has the right to cancel your contract and pay your contractual notice period. They don't have to give a reason, don't have to go through a process, and don't have to do it for performance reasons. The only grounds for wrongful dismissal in the first year are because of discrimination - for example, if a lady joins a company and tells them 15 minutes later she is pregnant, they will be on very shaky ground dismissing her.

It's stty but a fact of life.

My advice to sales people is to make it clear that you will NEVER take customers or pipeline with you. Make it clear to a new employer, and they know you'll never do it to them. If they still want you on basis, they will probably give you a chance. If they don't take you on when you tell them this, they only wanted you for one reason......

[Deva Link]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's a nice idea but it's unlikely any firm would do this for fairly ordinary employees.

[Deva Link]

Gargamel said:

This happened to me ( and I AM a headhunter) I left a place I had been at for 9 years, I was in a decent position, long term relationships etc. I moved to a new firm, setting up a london office. No problem I thought, they even guaranteed my salary for the first six months before the commission kicks in. All Good.

Eight weeks in, pulled the rug on the London office completely, I was out, before the end of my probation, I got four weeks money. I cannot tell you how different the pitch and the reality was, honestly it was shocking to me, and I am not exactly naive.....

So there is a God after all!

But seriously, why on earth did someone with your background not cover your arse? You'd been doing the job for 9 years and there was a probation period. WTF?

[Miguel Alvarez]

Sorry to hear of your shafting OP. Fingers cross you fall back on your feet ASAP.

[T84]

Any chance they might of done that to you to damage the other company you were at and remove competition?

[Lotus Notes]

Deva Link said:

It's a nice idea but it's unlikely any firm would do this for fairly ordinary employees.

Become less ordinary, for future reference only..

[Jimslips]

clarkey said:

You have no protected rights in the first year - that is, the employer has the right to cancel your contract and pay your contractual notice period. They don't have to give a reason, don't have to go through a process, and don't have to do it for performance reasons. The only grounds for wrongful dismissal in the first year are because of discrimination - for example, if a lady joins a company and tells them 15 minutes later she is pregnant, they will be on very shaky ground dismissing her.

It's stty but a fact of life.

My advice to sales people is to make it clear that you will NEVER take customers or pipeline with you. Make it clear to a new employer, and they know you'll never do it to them. If they still want you on basis, they will probably give you a chance. If they don't take you on when you tell them this, they only wanted you for one reason......

I knew there was something in these words that I have heard a few times. A MD that I know and employment specialist mentioned something along these lines. Basically, the only thing that changes between probationary period and remainder of year 1 of employment is that they have to give you slightly longer notice. Sad fact really .

[BMWBen]

Chicarito said:

Every employer promises every candidate for half decent jobs that they'll give them great progression etc.

It's how many employers get away with poaching staff for very little initial pay rises.... you'll always get people who fall for it based on them believing they'll be doubling their salary in a short space of time.

If you're successful and have only been with a company for circa 12 months, why would you move on?

Yeah, schoolboy error that one. They know that you know that they know that you have to stay for 2 years to stop it looking bad, and that you'll probably believe them for that amount of time anyway.

You negotiate the pay rise *before* you move, because that is when you hold cards.

[Deva Link]

Changing jobs is always pretty scary. My last biggish employer was in the middle of beefing up its presence across Europe when our American holding company was taken over out of the blue and recruitment was cancelled, including a couple of dozen job offers being withdrawn.

People in some European countries got considerable compensation. People in the UK got a months pay.

[edc]

clarkey said:

hman said:

Jimslips said:

Is there something in employment law that means you don't have rights until after 1 year?

I dont think so, its just that within a probationary period its very easy for the company to decide that progress is not being made by the individual and out they go. Very easy to come up with a plethora of reasons why they had to go and very difficult to counter claim it - especially if the company has other employees which have historically done better in the same period.

What rights could the O/P go back to the employers with? , I dare say that an employee who's contract is terminated in a probationary period has a long and arduous road ahead if they want to get some form of compensation.

You have no protected rights in the first year - that is, the employer has the right to cancel your contract and pay your contractual notice period. They don't have to give a reason, don't have to go through a process, and don't have to do it for performance reasons. The only grounds for wrongful dismissal in the first year are because of discrimination - for example, if a lady joins a company and tells them 15 minutes later she is pregnant, they will be on very shaky ground dismissing her.

It's stty but a fact of life.

My advice to sales people is to make it clear that you will NEVER take customers or pipeline with you. Make it clear to a new employer, and they know you'll never do it to them. If they still want you on basis, they will probably give you a chance. If they don't take you on when you tell them this, they only wanted you for one reason......

A bit pedantic but but wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal are two different terms.

[blazed]

T84 said:

Any chance they might of done that to you to damage the other company you were at and remove competition?

This has been suggested to me by quite a few people but even I dont believe I am that important to need taking out of another business.

I just think the parent company have got cold feet to some extent and have told them to trim the fat as they are losing money.

I was on the highest basic therefore I was the biggest target.

Have finally gotmyhead around it today and although I still feel harddone by I am ready to pick myself up tomorrow and sort it out.

[smokey145]

Scumbag thing to say and terrible first reply. Do you know this guys personal situation? Where does trying to better yourself constitute greed? Unreal. OP sorry to read that, sounds incredibly unfortunate. Will read through the thread and drop a post on refelctio. Of all of the updates.

Chicarito said:

I guess this is what happens when you get greedy for short term gain, rather than 'playing the long game'.

Not a lot you can do about it - you saw pound signs and followed them.

I note you were at the previous company for 'more than 12 months'. I'd probably phrase that 'just 12 months', and it makes it sound like you hop around a lot - in which case, this would appear to be suitable payback for lack of loyalty from yourself.

I know this will sound harsh, but that's just how it looks.

[slippery]

Every jump into the unknown, carries a significant risk, especially if you're not unhappy where you are. Even a well known company might have operating practices that make you uncomfortable or render a lot of your previous experience useless. Just put it down as a lesson learned and beware of flattery in the future. I always stay in touch with anyone that leaves my business for 'pastures greener', if they were a loss. They very often return and when they do, their actions send out a clear signal to others that all isn't rosey out there. Without me staying in touch, pride may have prevented most of them from returning. They are usually better for staff for the experience too, as they are more settled and have it out of their system. I wish you well.

[Gargamel]

Deva Link said:

So there is a God after all!

But seriously, why on earth did someone with your background not cover your arse? You'd been doing the job for 9 years and there was a probation period. WTF?

Experience is what you get, just after the moment when you needed it most !

In fairness I thought I was covered, with a wage guarantee in the first six months, which fixed my earnings. Plus they were (internationally) a big firm.

It wasn't strictly a probationary period issue, they just pulled the plug on having a London office, and as I wasn't going to relocate then that was it....

I should have asked for a minimum three months money in the event of redundancy. Live and learn.

[Rude-boy]

Deva Link said:

It's a nice idea but it's unlikely any firm would do this for fairly ordinary employees.

Agreed but there is no way in hell I would leave a comfortable job without that sort of security to back me up for the first 6 months.

If you are happy enough to come to me to ask me to work for you then you must have enough faith in me to agree a deal like that or alternatively I wouldn't want to work for you are obviously you don’t have a true idea of who you want and who I am.

[monkey gland]

Rude-boy said:

If you are happy enough to come to me to ask me to work for you then you must have enough faith in me to agree a deal like that or alternatively I wouldn't want to work for you are obviously you don’t have a true idea of who you want and who I am.

Bear in mind the OP was contacted via a recruitment consultant who probably had either retained his contact details from previous dealings or found his CV online. It isn't as though the new company came directly to him because they wanted him and noone else would do.

[rog007]

Cupramax said:

Have I missed something here? You moved to an unknown quantity for the same money???? WTF.

^ this. Rule of thumb for this type of transaction is to only move, assuming everything else stacks up, for a minimum of a 20% increase in package. Period. If they want you, they will pay.