Need advice please - I recently left a job that I had been at for less than a year.

Anonymous

September 24,2021 at 4:03PM UTC

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Need advice please - I recently left a job that I had been at for less than a year. It was a bad fit and the culture was not for me. I found another job that I love. Prior to leaving I went over with payroll my final check which should have included accrued vacation. My state requires payout of accrued vacation at separation. I am unique that when I started this job I negotiated 120 hours of vacation starting 1/1/21 which was less than a month after starting. So when I received my final check the accrued vacation was not present - their reasoning is that normal policy is that vacation is not earned until after a year. I am trying to decide if I should continue to push them or not. I don’t want to hurt myself in the HR industry and I live in a small area. Dollar amount is around 3500….Thoughts….

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Erica MitchellSeptember 24,2021 at 4:10PM UTC
If it's owed to you, I say continue to push them. You negotiated 120 hrs so it's not accrued.
AnonymousSeptember 24,2021 at 4:53PM UTC
If their policy is that vacation is not earned until 12 months of employment is reached. You say you left employment before your 12 months was reached. So are you saying that the terms of your employment agreement offers that you earned 120 hours regardless of length if employment ?
If this is the case, an attorney will need to take a look at the language and make the legal argument that the monies are owed you regardless of term of employment.
KathySeptember 24,2021 at 5:36PM UTC
Do you have paperwork such as an offer letter stating the start date of the vacation you negotiated?
It's possible HR made an executive decision to not pay the vacation to see if you will let it go. I'm sure they are mad you are leaving prior to a year and don't want to pay for unused vacation.
If you have paperwork or some other proof then push! If it's your word against HR or your manager, you may not get anywhere.
An attorney could eat up $3500 in a microsecond.
Changemaker993355September 24,2021 at 6:17PM UTC
What state are you in? You should have a Department of Labor. Go online and file a complaint. They are usually pretty quick at solving pay issues. If you have a written contract it should be a simple complaint.
AnonymousSeptember 25,2021 at 11:21AM UTC
Offer letter granted vacation without a waiting period. It is a law in IL that vacation is paid out upon separation.
AnonymousSeptember 25,2021 at 1:21PM UTC
> normal policy is that vacation is not earned until after a year
This is an impressively awful policy, and I'm not surprised they're giving you shit now.
Do you live in a state where paying out PTO is required?
AnonymousSeptember 25,2021 at 11:20PM UTC
Yea in IL but my offer letter gave me vacation 1/1 of 120 hours bypassing the handbook and now they are trying to not follow the offer letter - UGH
AnonymousSeptember 26,2021 at 2:26AM UTC
Neither the handbook or an offer letter supercedes state law.