Help! Job offer withdrawn - after I’d already resigned!!

[JuliTooley]

Hello,

I’m absolutely devastated right now. I accepted an amazing job offer a little over two weeks ago via email, after a round of interviews and some writing tasks.

I handed in my notice at my current job expecting my final day to be a week today, with a start date the following Monday.

I was a bit concerned as the company suddenly stopped replying to a couple of questions I asked but I assumed there was an innocent explanation.

However, I’ve now been told my offer has been withdrawn with no explanation. Is this legal? I know my references were fine, admittedly one only gives factual references as company policy (big cooperate company) but the others were good personal ones from people I’d consider friends.

I’m kicking myself right now but I don’t have an actual contract, just email exchanges confirming things such as start date and salary.

Also, this isn’t a dodgy company that has withdrawn my offer, one of the people who interviewed me is a well known journalist who has a senior role at the company.

I’m financially screwed, not to mention this is an utterly humiliating situation to explain to friends, family and colleagues.

Any advice?

Ps sorry if this rant makes no sense, I am so upset.

I don't blame you for being upset. I won't belabour it since you obviously know, but this is why you don't quit until you have a contract in hand...

Are you in the UK? I'm presuming not, given the very short notice period you're talking about.

Sorry to hear this but what was the reason for no contract?

Wow thats crap, I would contact ACAS, I thought a verbal offer was taken as a contract unless the company gets bad references etc but im not 100% sure.
Is there an option to stay in your current job, even if you clearly don't want to?

I would have thought an explanation would be expected? Perhaps the role is no longer financially viable?
Sorry this doesn't really help you though...
Any chance you can retract your notice or would you not want to continue working there?

Ask your current employer if you can retract your resignation.

Lesson learnt: always wait until you've signed and returned the new contract before handing your notice in.

From the interview process it sounds quite senior but then your notice period is very short. DH has a 6m notice period which he negotiated down from 1 year!!

You can either try ringing them up and trying to get an explanation from them to help you reconcile what happened, or you can try and move on.

Can you try and speak to your current employer?

@Respectabitch

I don't blame you for being upset. I won't belabour it since you obviously know, but this is why you don't quit until you have a contract in hand...

Are you in the UK? I'm presuming not, given the very short notice period you're talking about.

Hi, I am in the U.K. my notice period is one month.

I have leave saved up that I didn’t take due to the coronavirus pandemic, so I used that to bring my final day forward a bit.

I thought it was strange, but they said they’d send over a contract once I’d confirmed my final day with my current company.

This is why you should never hand in your notice until you have signed a contract. Lesson learned op.

It might be a bit humiliating but speak to your current employer. Have they recruited for your role yet? It may not be too late to ask them to cancel the resignation.

Yeah, IANAL but as shit as their behaviour is, I'm not sure there is any recourse against the hiring company. It looks like it hinges on whether the offer was "conditional" or "unconditional" www.acas.org.uk/if-your-job-offer-is-withdrawn

Time for some grovelling to your current org? Tell them the job fell through and you would like to retract your resignation. Even if they say yes you'll probably be on the marked list and would need to keep job hunting, but it might buy you some time.

It could be that the headcount budget for your role was never approved but the hiring manager continued recruiting anyway and now can't get approval, hence no contract.

@TeachesOfPeaches Hi, thanks for your reply, however I was interviewed by the CEO and director of the company at the final interview so I doubt that’s it.

Have you asked them why it was withdrawn?

@SmallPrawnEnergy I feel very stupid. I was a bit suspicious but the role was too good to turn down and they said they’d only send over a contract once I’d confirmed my final day with my current employer.

I naively assumed because it’s such a well respected organisation it wouldn’t be an issue.

@andysdinousaur yes, but I haven’t heard back

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to respond.

I was a bloody idiot for not waiting on the contract.

Can you retract your resignation?

Can you speak with your previous employer and ask for your old job back (or another role if yours has been filled)?

What absolute cunts OP

No advice, but they have proper led you down the garden path haven't they insisting on you confirming your final day before they would send a contract.

I hope your current employer will let you retract. Fingers crossed.

@LApprentiSorcier possibly but it would be very embarrassing. They’ve started the hiring process for my role already.

Surely it would be cheaper for your current company to take you back. Talk to them.

[quote JuliTooley]@andysdinousaur yes, but I haven’t heard back[/quote]
That’s awful , what a horrible situation to be in . I’d message saying you’ve handed in notice etc and the least they can do is explain why the job offer has been declined.
But yes I’m afraid you are going to have to explain to your current employer and hope they are ok with it .

It's worth a try even though it will be embarrassing. You have nothing to lose by asking. You say the job you were offered was amazing, so it's understandable that you took it - it's not as though you were planning to move to the same role in a different company because you were fed up with your existing employer. From what you say, anyone else would have done the same thing.

You need to ask for your job back, I’m so sorry this has happened

My daughter says this is perfectly legal. Even if you’d signed a contract the most that would happen is they’d have to pay you your notice period. You know you shouldn’t habe resigned without the contract though.

I think ask for your job back, say you’ve rethought it and you really want to stay, don’t say it was withdrawn. It’s easier for your employer to keep you than hire new. But you need to make it look like you want to work there, and not it’s your worst case and you’re only staying because you have to.

I’d also email the new company and ask for an explanation. It could be a Covid/financial thing.

I agree with Bluntness, try and sell it to your company that you prefer to stay and fingers crossed they will keep you.

Really bad behaviour of the hiring company though, gutted for you!

Yes, absolutely speak to your current employer and say you have had a change of heart. Don't say the new job offer was withdrawn. It will be way cheaper and a lot less hassle for them to keep you!