Job offer but still no start date

laurahughes

Hi all

Advice please! Hopefully I'm over-reacting but just wanted to be armed just in case.

I have been offered a job from a new employer verbally and in writing. I have signed an offer of employment (letter I was sent, not sure if it counts as a contract though, it was like an "acceptance" of the job offer).

I sent back the letter and got email confirmation it has been received and they will be in touch to confirm my start date (mid-end September has been mentioned). However they have yet to confirm this and it has been a week and a half.

I have sent a polite email asking for an indication of the start date as I am currently working part-time bar/hotel work and will need to let my current employers know when my availability will change. But I've not heard anything.

So I'm getting worried. Can the employer retract my job offer now and if so do I have any rights? I have turned down another job offer since then. (I was made redundant from my last post so don't have a full time employer to give notice to - the bar work is ad hoc with no notice period).

Thanks

Jarndyce

As an offer has been made and accepted a contract exists and in theory you can sue for breach of contract if they withdraw, although in practice that is likely to be more trouble that it is worth.

You have done the right thing making a polite enquiry - if you hear nothing after 2 or 3 days from that I would be ringing up asking if there was a problem and that you are keen to start etc.

Fishingtime

Does th offer of employment letter you signed have any details of the job in it?
Such as hours job title,wages etc
If it does not I doubt if you could sue for breach of contract,as they could just say it was an offer of a job for 1 hour

laurahughes

Yep it has job title, salary, hours, reporting to details, HR details (pension, benefits, annual leave etc). Thats good to know I should be covered for breach of contract, so hopefully its just them working on a suitable start date rather than a problem with the job, they are quite a large organisation spread over a wide area but with very few employees in my region so maybe its just logistics.

InsideInsurance

Its also worth checking they are not waiting on you as well.... if your currently in work they may be thinking that you need to give notice and negotiate on that front to know when you'd be available to start the new role.

laurahughes

Thanks, they are aware of my job situation (that I didn't have one!!) so it shouldn't be that, but if they are confused hopefully my email the other day saying I needed a start date to let my part-time employer know will remind them!

Jarndyce

laurahughes wrote: »

Thanks, they are aware of my job situation (that I didn't have one!!) so it shouldn't be that, but if they are confused hopefully my email the other day saying I needed a start date to let my part-time employer know will remind them!

Really? That may have confused them even more if you had told them you didn't have a job and now said you have.

Ring them up. Talk to a human being, as everyone would have automatically done in the days before email and message boards!

laurahughes

Sorry, perhaps I've not explained the sequence of events well.

At interview I told them I had been made redundant recently and so was available for any start date.
They specified a "middle to end of September" start date - queried if I would be OK financially until then - which I said I would be.
I returned the letter and heard nothing, other than confirmation of the receipt.
I then emailed yesterday to ask about the start date and said "I have taken on some ad hoc part time work, so I need a start date so I can tell the pub/bar manager from what date I will no longer be available for weekday shifts."

But I will give them a ring if I have not heard anything by COP tomorrow.

Thanks

smileylondongal

Is it possible the hold up is them obtaining previous references? I know sometimes former companies can drag their feet which can mean a delay in start date.

I've never heard of breach of contract when it comes to a role, especially when it might be an issue around business need. I remember we had offered a couple of people a role in a particular business which subsequently (and before they joined) began to restructure heavily and it was decided that they couldn't justify bringing new people in under the circumstances. I thankfully found them another role elsewhere in the business however had I not, I think we would have been covered.

Jinx

At my place of employment we use Disclosures for all staff - this can take weeks and no formal offer is issued until this is back and clear of anything unsuitable. Could it be something like that? (CRB in England AFAIK)