A man was taken aback when his employer presented him with a significant bill after he tendered his resignation.
Probationary periods can vary from 90 days to six months based on the company’s policies.
Most businesses implement one to assess a new employee’s performance; if they fall short, the company can terminate them with minimal difficulty.
However, some employees may choose to resign before their probation ends, as one Reddit user recently encountered.
Generally, when leaving a job, an employee might receive a farewell card and some chocolates from colleagues, but this individual was instead handed a £10,000 bill (around $12,000).
Sharing his predicament on Reddit, the individual wrote: “I have worked for my employer for just under 6 months. My probationary period is 6 months.
“Yesterday I handed in my notice (1 week’s notice) and this morning they have called me to say that if I leave, the company will charge me £10,000 of fees, incurred because of training. (I work with an accounting software, which I trained and became certified for in my employment here). They told me if I didn’t leave I will receive a £5,000 pay rise.”
He elaborated on his contract, which stipulates that he must repay £10,000 in training expenses if his employment is terminated.
A clause further states: “The Employee shall reimburse to the Employer the Course Fees if they cease their employment with the Employee.”
In essence, if the company invests £10,000 in training fees and the employee leaves within 24 months of completing the certification (or midway through), the employee is required to repay that amount.
He wondered whether his company’s actions were lawful and, in short, they are.
According to ACAS’ website: “Employers might be able to deduct money from final wages for training courses. This can only happen if the deduction was agreed in the contract or in writing beforehand.”
Employment Law Advice supports this, stating under UK law: “In order to claim back training costs, you need to have the employee’s prior written consent. This can be in the form of a clause in their contract of employment or in a separate training costs agreement that is entered into before the training commences.
“The clause/agreement will typically say that the employee agrees to repay the costs associated with any training course that you have paid for if they leave their employment within a particular period of time after completing the course.”
The takeaway? Always thoroughly read the terms and conditions of your employment contracts.