What are y'all thoughts about people who quit their jobs (at any point) but are now being invoiced by companies to repay them for the on-the-job-training/ paid time?

25 Comments

1. Julie HumbirdOctober 21,2022 at 8:00PM UTC

   I've heard of giving back a a signing bonus or forfeiting stock. I guess if I signed a contract, I would be held to whatever I agreed to. I would dispute anything other than a signed contract. Just putting verbiage in a handbook is not binding.

2. AnonymousOctober 21,2022 at 8:49PM UTC

   I see it from both sides.

   For ex a binding contract is a binding contract is a binding contract. I totally get when people sign doc for a job they are caught up with the excitement that they don’t bother to read the fine print that might impact them later. So when it does happen to people it’s a good lesson and learning opportunity to always read before you concede. On the other hand sometimes an ee steps into a job and realizes that the job requirements don’t synch up with what they were actually tasked to do, or their boss was a bully or a nightmare to work with. And that could also be a reason for leaving abruptly, what I would do in those cases and fully document those instances so that if the employer wants to doc your final pay check to recoup and it is significant, the ee can use that documentation to sue in a court case. If someone did leave for those reasons mentioned also retain email documentation proving every instance those very issues where addressed with mgr and hr, especially if repeated requests were made to address those issues unresolved prior to leaving.

3. AnonymousOctober 21,2022 at 8:59PM UTC

   I took advantage of tuition reimbursement from my last employer, with the understanding that if I left within a year, I’d have to pay it back. I found another job and ended up having to repay the money.

   How did I feel about it? I understood the policy and knew I would be on deck to repay the money.

   This is a simple ROI calculation: your employer isn’t in the business of handing out free money, unless they get something in return. It takes them a certain amount of time to recoup the funds they’ve paid for your training.

   Frankly, I’m not totally clear on your question. If there are conditions attached to your training or tuition reimbursement programs, you’ve either agreed to those terms or you didn’t. Not sure you’ll have much luck asking for an exemption.

4. Lori Laurito BetzOctober 23,2022 at 2:06PM UTC

   It's been my experience that training (which everybody in a specific role would need to do that role) is not something the employee would be expected to reimburse. It’s part of the job. Tuition reimbursement is different though…that I’ve usually known to have a requirement like “time served” to make up for them paying the tuition. At my current job they’re very selective about who they send to school and you owe two years when you’re done.

5. Julie WozniakOctober 23,2022 at 12:26PM UTC

   This is a JOKE right? ???

6. D BOctober 23,2022 at 1:10PM UTC

   Unfortunately it is not

7. AnonymousOctober 26,2022 at 5:15PM UTC

   I wish it was joke but this is a very real conversation I'm seeing across different industries / companies and it's unfortunate smdh

8. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 12:29PM UTC

   My opinion is if a company provides on-the-job training, you leave and then the company asks you to reimburse them for the time they spent training you, that's very petty.

   I wouldn't work for a company that does that. Now it's a different thing if the company has a policy that says if you leave before x number of days (standard probationary period) you have to pay them back for time invested in training you. But again, I wouldn't work for a company that has that kind of policy.

   If I were an employer with an at-will employment policy AND had a policy demanding an employee stay x number of days/months/years or there would be financial repercussions for them if they left, how would that benefit me in the long run? It would chase good people away. Those two policies seem in direct conflict with each other.

   I don't think employers can get away with this kind of behavior where they treat employees as a tangible asset they own, and still be able to attract good employees. A better approach is to implement policies so they want to stay, thereby protecting your investment of time and training. That's a no-brainer and good companies get that. Treat people well and they will stick around. Treat them like this and they will find an employer who will treat them better.

9. D BOctober 23,2022 at 1:10PM UTC

   Good luck finding a company that actually cares about its employees besides dollar signs.. if they actually cared there would be no such thing as mandatory overtime every single week. And they wonder why people leave. It’s called work - life balance and most of us realized that during the pandemic. Now companies are crying in their cereal.

10. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 12:36PM UTC

    How can companies require you to pay them back for on the job training if you work in a At Will State? They can hire you and fire you at will. No questions asked?

11. Anonymous19October 23,2022 at 12:38PM UTC

    Outside of healthcare I have never heard of that. However, in healthcare that applies to the ones who signed up for a bonus with a 2 or 3 year contract. Most companies give 0 incentive to stay with no pension plans, 401k matches, etc. Treat people nicely and they will stay

12. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 12:42PM UTC

    Companies often have policies where the employee must pay back the money the company provided for training or education if they leave within a certain amount of time after that training. Employees should always check and see if their employer has such a policy if they want to take a course and plan to leave soon. Sometimes an unexpected opportunity comes up in the meantime so you need to weigh your options if you get an offer. But a lot of companies do have policies like that.

13. D BOctober 23,2022 at 1:05PM UTC

    I’m sorry but if a company is training me for certain tasks related to that company then every single person taking a job would have to pay companies back.
    What a crock this is. Well on the back side if a company terminated you, can you charge them for all the gas to get there? Get real. Work is AT WILL in most states just as conservatives and big business wanted.
    Companies need to stay in their lane.

14. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 1:15PM UTC

    This would need to be spelled out in a policy ahead of time so any potential employee knows this before taking a job. If a company that does this offered me a job, chances are pretty likely I wouldn’t take it. And I don’t know many people who would. Especially if there is no time limit on it. So even if you give a company 10 years of service they could turn around and ask to be reimbursed for any classes you took under their employ? That’s really unfair IMO.

15. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 1:22PM UTC

    Too many workers are flaky these days, no matter how good the pay is or how well they’re treated. While I think it could be petty/stingy for companies to do this, I’m not surprised. Training costs too time and money. Don’t take the job if you’re not serious about it.

16. Anonymous19October 29,2022 at 12:43PM UTC

    Employers are flakey, they created this environment with their nepotism and favoritism, 99% of employers deserve everything they are getting.

17. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 1:27PM UTC

    Depends. Did employee take the job so they could get “free” certifications in things that will help them further their career? Most companies that are happy to pay for training while also making it known that if you don’t stay x amount of years after you complete training, you must reimburse the company. Then yes, you gotta pay them back.

    But, if the company is expecting to be reimbursed for employee just learning the tweaks of that company, then no.

18. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 3:21PM UTC

    I think it is poor form for the employers unless this was spelled out in advance and the person took the job knowing this.

    A company does make an an investment training and teaching staff. It is their choice to do so and they benefit from this. I think if this was sprung on me when giving notice id tell them to speak to my attorney. And call the department of labor if they try to withhold a pay check.

19. Nichelle SpykeOctober 23,2022 at 3:26PM UTC

    I saw something on the ticker during my morning news program but it wasn't detailed. If companies are invoicing folks after training or during training it can mean: the position/company wasn't what the employee expected/anticipated OR they found a better opportunity elsewhere. For companies to invoice former employees says a lot (read: red flag). This should be attributed to "the cost of doing business", period and end of story. Shame on any company that would consider this practice.

20. AnonymousOctober 23,2022 at 3:26PM UTC

    OJT is investing time in you to mold your current skills to those specific to the company's business model. This job training does little to enhance your job skills except to allow you to obtain experience in your field, but it does benefit the company by enculturating their employees during the onboarding process. Other companies require volunteer (unpaid) time for the first week to ensure that you and the company are a good match. I find both repaying for OJT and free OJT despicable. Next, they will want to bring in multiple team members to "compete" for the jobs (also unpaid time), and why not? The companies have nothing to lose by doing it this way. If a company claims to "invest in their people" by providing benefits (including education), then sometimes those investments pay off, and sometimes they don't. Unless the policy is spelled out and signed off during the hiring process, I don't think that they can expect anyone to NOT fight it. I know that the onboarding process can be overwhelming, and it is hard to read all the fine print, but this needs to be obvious as a policy, so nobody misses it.

21. KathyOctober 23,2022 at 4:44PM UTC

    This is a game.

    I don't see any way a company can force anyone to pay for on-the-job-training assuming nothing was included to that effect in a signed, formal employment agreement, a final paycheck has been generated and is in the hands of the person who quit.

    If the company adds a deduction to the final paycheck for on-the-job-training then file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

22. Audrey KirschOctober 23,2022 at 5:42PM UTC

    If the training is mandatory or necessary in order for you to learn your position and perform according to company policy, it’s just the cost that should be expected when bringing on a new hire. No reason why an employee should ever have to pay that back.

23. falonneOctober 23,2022 at 6:34PM UTC

    red flag!! No company owns us!

24. Kimberly GrahamOctober 24,2022 at 6:40PM UTC

    This seems fishy to me. Tuition reimbursement is one thing but reimbursement for traditional on the job training seems off to me unless it's clear up front.

25. AnonymousOctober 26,2022 at 5:17PM UTC

    I really appreciate y'alls input / perspective in this thread.