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Subject:Re: FWD: Bad employment situation advice needed From:Linda Castellani <linda -at- GRIC -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 4 Aug 1998 19:12:23 -0700
I have a friend in the hotel industry who faced the same relocation
reimbursement issue when moving between jobs.
They were able to work out a pro-rate agreement based on the length of time
she had been with the company that relocated her, and the new company she
went to agreed to pick up the remaining cost. In our industry, you may not
be lucky enough to find a new employer willing to do so, but if you can get
a pro-rate agreement, you may be able to pay the remainder yourself,
especially if you can work it out so that you only owe the remaining few
months worth of pro-rate...
At 07:19 PM 8/3/98 -0600, Eric J. Ray wrote:
>Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.
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>I need some advice on a pretty thorny employment situation. For me the
>question is not whether to quit this job, but when.
>
>Toward the end of last year I took a job as lead technical writer on a
>complex software development and localization effort. I work with a group
>of developers who are localizing the software, and they depend on another
>group of developers to supply the base set of functions and upgrade them.
>
>There are two sets of documentation requirements: one for the base set of
>functions, and one for the localized modifications. The base documentation
>is not in good shape, requiring lots of updating as well as editing
>translated English. There are three writers on the project (for both sets),
>and the base documentation consists of about 1500 pages documenting the
>various software components. The documentation of the software?s localized
>modifications would be in addition to this.
>
>The problem is with the base development group, which cannot seem to
>deliver a version of the product stable enough to document or develop from.
>No one in the management hierarchy I work under exercises any control over
>this group--either they can?t or they won?t. New releases of the base
>software are accepted without regard to software quality assurance.
>Developers are expected to produce working modifications off of this.
>Nobody seems to be able to refuse releases from the base group until they
>are stable. Project management expects a functioning version of the
>localized software, with documentation, by the end of the year. Lately,
>developers have been quitting the project at the rate of one every two
>weeks.
>
>If you?re not laughing (or crying) by now, there?s more. My employer was
>originally developing this software with a company having business
>expertise in the software application, but they ?fired? us. The project
>manager who hired me was fired in part for his inability to set a direction
>for the documentation group. This hardly improved the situation, though,
>because since then I have produced information plans at the request of
>management every few months or so, which are approved and then scrapped a
>few months later when management decides to re-direct the documentation
>effort. Arguing with them about how it?s better to set a course and stick
>with it does no good. Of course, very little gets done, and then I am held
>accountable for this.
>
>The problem with quitting is that because I was relocated for the position,
>I?m liable to reimburse this employer for relocation costs since I signed
>an agreement to that effect. The agreement expires in a few months, and I
>suppose I could hang on, but I?m sick of being miserable here and I may
>have the opportunity to accept an offer from a quality organization with
>better pay and benefits shortly.
>
>Can anyone advise me on the enforceability of the relocation reimbursement
>agreement, how likely it is they will hold me to it, or how I can get out
>of it given the ridiculous circumstances? Is there a way to broach the
>subject without giving away my plans? I?m tempted to quit without giving
>notice since I?m quite sure they will screw me out of two weeks? pay, in
>accord with HR policies regarding resignation by relocated individuals.
>
>I?d be interested in hearing about what you would do in this situation.
>Needless to say I?ve learned a lot from this experience about how to
>interview a company before accepting an offer. Thanks for your advice.
>
>From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000==
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