I received an offer letter on 9/25 for an overnight seasonal position for a large retailer.

18 Comments

1. AnonymousSeptember 29,2023 at 8:27PM UTC

   Did you sign anything? Do you have anything in writing?

2. Jennifer StantonSeptember 29,2023 at 9:46PM UTC

   Everything is done thru workday. Electronically signed. I have the offer letter.

3. AnonymousOctober 2,2023 at 11:59AM UTC

   But what is in those documents. Do they specifically state your hours and whatnot? Regardless, if you are in the U.S., it doesn't really matter.

4. misskelleypOctober 1,2023 at 6:22PM UTC

   It doesn't matter. Employers rescind offer letters fairly often, at least lately. Yes, it definitely screws people over. As they say, Them's the breaks.....

5. AnonymousSeptember 29,2023 at 9:12PM UTC

   No, if the needs of the business have changed then the company is within its rights to change their offer or rescind their offer. They are not wedded to the offer. It's 9/29 and so the position has not started yet do they could have just as easily canceled their offer altogether. If you suffered financial loss because of that cancelation of offer and can prove it you might be able to file a legal claim against the company. It's a long shot but might be able to recover damages.

6. AnonymousSeptember 29,2023 at 10:19PM UTC

   It's more or less the inconvenience in the fact that had I not called I would have gotten there at 4 o'clock in the morning and that I stopped looking for another job due to having secured this one.

7. AnonymousSeptember 29,2023 at 10:42PM UTC

   I'm betting they would have called you the day before.

8. misskelleypOctober 1,2023 at 6:21PM UTC

   yeah, you can't file a legal claim. I mean, you could, but you won't win.

9. AnonymousSeptember 29,2023 at 10:46PM UTC

   Figure out how much you’re going to dig your heels in on this one. Respectfully, you’re seasonal help. The retailer is looking at you as a short term fix for a high volume time of the year. I don’t know if there will be a lot of negotiating on this one. They’ll likely move onto the next person if this becomes too difficult. If I were you, I’d either fall in line with the new shift or cut your losses and move on.

10. AnonymousSeptember 30,2023 at 1:40PM UTC

    I understand it's seasonal and it's a2nd job for me. We're both in the same position, easy short term fix.

11. AnonymousSeptember 30,2023 at 12:21AM UTC

    Employer can change shifts with a multitude of reasons due to the needs of the business. I actually find it odd for that shift for a seasonal position if there's shelving, and stocking and not wanting stock on the floor when open for business, if that was/is your role. I completely understand the 10p-6:30a shift, makes more sense for the business, customers, and better use of labor hours.

12. AnonymousSeptember 30,2023 at 1:10PM UTC

    Were you hiring on full or part time? They probably need the full shift for orientation, as that is a set agenda for training purposes. If you are planning on and were hired with the agreement that it would be part-time, you can probably push your hours back a little after your orientation is complete. If you hired as full-time, they would expect you to work a 40-hour week (at least). Trying to negotiate the hours of orientation is not generally something you can do, especially if they are bringing in several new staff that they need to train together.

13. AnonymousOctober 1,2023 at 4:57PM UTC

    When you accept a role from a company you are expected to work within the confines of their rules. If you cannot work the revised shift decline their offer. There is no guidance to be given. Shift work is just that, it's done in the shifts that the company sets out and they schedule people to work within the range that they need not you.

14. misskelleypOctober 1,2023 at 6:19PM UTC

    If you could start a shift at 4 a.m., why can't you work a shift that ends at 6 a.m.? That doesn't make sense. That aside, the company can change the working hours and conditions at any time, and you are free to accept those changes or not. But if you don't, you'll be quitting.

15. AnonymousOctober 2,2023 at 3:10AM UTC

    I couldn't start at 10 pm, thats the problem. I can work til 9 am. It's a 2nd job

16. maria roseOctober 2,2023 at 6:58PM UTC

    You just answered your own question—you wanted a part time seasonal job to fit your availability ( probably around your regular full time job). Assuming you work an 8 hour shift during the day ( I am guessing between the hours of 10am-6pm) you didn’t feel you could handle working another 8 hour shift during the seasonal job time period of 6-8 weeks. Seasonal jobs are take it or leave it job offer positions. You are not being hired for a permanent job position but to fill the gaps caused by the seasonal needs .

17. maria roseOctober 1,2023 at 11:06PM UTC

    The choice to take the SEASONAL job for the hours available is yours to decide, If the hours they require are not going to work for you ( I am assuming you wanted a 4am -12 noon shift) then just decline the offer. The time change was probably made because the company found that it worked better for getting enough job candidates for that shift and didn’t need the other shift. There is a reason why they can’t vary the hours for that overnight shift —time clock schedule and security lockdown—because probably this company doesn’t usually have employees working those hours except during seasonal job needs.

18. AnonymousOctober 3,2023 at 3:52PM UTC

    Did you resign from a job to take the new position?