Waiting for contract for 6 weeks! Frustrated!

Karategirl

Hi everyone,

I am a recent graduate and have been offered a job in an area where I will have to relocate to. This is perfect for me as it means me and partner will be able to finally move in together. The pay is good and the job is relevant for the career route I want to take. All seemed so perfect when I was offered it 6 weeks ago!

However since then I have been dealing with the most incompetent HR department I have ever known. I was offered the job by the interviewer (not HR) on the 30th of July and I accepted on the 1st of August. They stated this was a conditional offer subject to references, occupational health and a CRB. 10 days later I still hadn't received any forms or written confirmation of this. I contacted HR and they informed me it had been held up at finance and that they would email me the forms. As it happened the forms arrived in the post the next day...with no occupational health form. So I rang HR asking them to email me the form. It turns out they had spelt my email address wrong and had been sending everything to the wrong address. They were also going to send me a corrected conditional offer letter stating a new start date (as they have taken so long) and that the post requires occupational health. I still haven't received this new offer letter despite asking multiple times!

Anyway I filled in all the forms fine, apart from the CRB. They didn't state in the instructions how they wanted to verify my identity documents. Therefore I was in negotiations with them for about a week trying to get this sorted. As I live 2 hours away I wanted to get my documents verified by the post office using a VERI-FY form. However they didn't seem to understand this and they wouldn't allow me to send my documents recorded delivery either. In the end it was decided that I would have to make the 2 hour trip to physically hand them my documents!

I informed them I would be making the trip at the end of the week and they said this would be fine. I emailed ahead on the day to re-confirm, they emailed back telling me the person who deals with CRBs was away until the following week! Anyway it turns out their receptionist could verify the documents and it was ok. I got a receipt of this as I wouldn't have been surprised if they denied their existence. All that was left for me to do was to wait for the formal offer to be issued.

I went on holiday the following week and so it has been 2 weeks since the CRB was sent off. I am due to start in on the 3rd of October but I really really really need to start looking for accommodation! I have told them this multiple times but I don't think they quite appreciate this. I am now considering looking for rented accommodation next week even though I doubt I will have received my formal offer. CRBs can take up to 4 weeks or so. However I feel uneasy doing this as I wouldn't be surprised if they turned around and said the job no longer exists. My conditional offer letter states that the offer is "strictly subject to checks" and that it "is not formal." I have sent an email today asking about the status of my formal offer and whether it could be issued subject to the CRB.

Sorry for the rant. I just want to know what people would do in regards to accommodation at this stage? Would you go ahead and start arranging rented accommodation without a "formal" offer. I do have somewhere to stay if worse comes to worse, but commuting would be extremely difficult. I am really at the end of my tether with this. I have also turned down 3 other jobs offers in the time this has been going on and I am starting to feel I should have taken one of them up! I really want this job and it was the first/best one I was offered...hence turning down the others.

P.S. I have been dealing solely with one person at HR, but my future boss is aware of the situation and is very sympathetic. Which is reassuring.

Horace

A CRB check can take ages far longer than 4 weeks sometimes.

I would be inclined to write to them - recorded delivery and sent the letter to the Head of HR advising them that you are still waiting for the formal offer that was promised on x date, you have provided all the details asked for and you are wondering what the hold up is because you don't know whether or not to start looking for accommodation closer to your new workplace. Be polite.

Karategirl

Thank you for your reply. I agree, 4 weeks is me being hopeful. I have considered writing to the head of HR, but I think they will simply come back and say that they cannot issue anything until the CRB is back. I am going to see if the email I sent today sorts anything out, or atleast gives me a timeline. Otherwise I think I will have to consider taking it higher up the HR foodchain.

My formal offer has never been promised on a certain date, but seeing that I was meant to start on the 5th of september (now october) you would think I would have had it by then!

browneyedbazzi

My enhanced CRB last year took more like 10 weeks...I was conditionally offered a job subject to crb and references in early July and ended up starting the last week in October because it took so long!

I'm in the same boat again this year. Since I am in a job which requires 4 weeks notice to leave I have made it clear to my new employer that I would not be able to start work until 4 weeks after the offer was formalised - wouldn't want to risk handing in my notice to find the offer for the new job was withdrawn.

You should be able to negotiate a start date with the new employer once all the hurdles have been passed the offer becomes formal.

smileylondongal

I wondered if your manager might be able to have a word to establish a potential start date as they must have a better idea as to when to expect the CRB to come through. Then you can all set a start date which, whilst may be some time in the future, might actually be more realistic - perhaps you can even ask your manager if once the offer is confirmed, you can then set the start date together formally for 2-3 weeks later to then look for accommodation. You can always rent temporarily and find somewhere permanent on the weekends.

DVardysShadow

Look for another job and if you are offered it, follow through and take it. Do you really want to work for these clowns?

Karategirl

I have talked to my manager recently and they seemed sure I was going to be starting on the 3rd. I have already changed the start date once and I feel to keep changing it may make them think I am messing them around. I have already discussed, albeit with HR, the need to have 2-3 weeks to look for accommodation after receiving my formal offer. It seemed to fall on deaf ears.

What I forgot to mention is that I have to complete another CRB for where I will actually be working (hospital). However with this CRB I can commence working whilst it is being processed; I will just be doing paperwork until it is complete. The CRB which is causing all the problems is one that HR is using just as an employment check. I have asked HR today if my formal offer can be issued now, as their enhanced CRB is not even needed/relevant. I do not see why I need to wait on a CRB which is not relevant and literally registered to their HR office...where I will not be working. I don't know if this is usual policy to have a CRB with the HR department and one with the hospital?

Karategirl

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Look for another job and if you are offered it, follow through and take it. Do you really want to work for these clowns?

I want the actual job. However if this goes on for much longer it is a possibility I will have to consider.