Time to Go
I had an agreement with an employer on school reimbursement with additional pay. I had to agree to remain at the company until X date and they would pay for my schooling and other various things. If I left, I would have had to pay the money back. The parent company of my division changed after the agreement was signed and then the time came for me to get the cash owed to me.
The head of HR refused to pay. I went to him and asked why I wasn’t getting the check we agreed to. He stated that the agreement was with the previous parent company and therefore was no longer valid. He had this smug look on his face, but then he noticed I had a big smile on my face.
I could tell he couldn’t figure out why. I asked him again if they were refusing to pay and he said yes. I then stated that I no longer have anything binding me here because the contract stated “if I willingly leave the company, I have to repay the money”. He agreed and asked what my point was.
I then stated that if the parent company did change then I did leave said company, but I did not willingly leave. Therefore, I did not owe any money if I left this company as it was not the company I signed the agreement with. The expression on his face changed.
I continued on with, “If I, hypothetically, put my two weeks notice in now, I would be able to leave without owing any money”. It didn’t take him long. He realized by stating that the agreement was no longer valid because the company changed that he gave me the information I needed to get out of the contract.
He agreed to pay me the money. Spoiler alert, he was fired a few weeks later for various reasons. He was one of the worst HR directors I have ever seen.