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company rto policy changed after I accepted offer, what are my options

market_realist · 4 replies

Genuinely asking because I'm in this situation right now and I can't find a clean answer anywhere.

Accepted an offer in April. Start date was June. The offer letter said 'hybrid schedule, approximately 2 days per week in-office.' I specifically asked about this during negotiation because I'm 45 minutes from the office and I have a kid in before-school care.

Three weeks before my start date, I get an email from the team welcoming me and a note at the bottom: 'Just to set expectations, we moved to a 4-day in-office schedule in May as part of a company-wide alignment.' My offer letter explicitly says 2 days. The new policy is 4 days.

I haven't started yet. I haven't quit my current job yet (I was unemployed, so that's not the issue). But I said yes to an offer that described materially different working conditions than what apparently exists now.

Things I'm considering: Call the recruiter and flag the discrepancy. Ask for either written confirmation the 2-day policy still applies to me, or ask if they can adjust comp to offset the commute burden. Ask if there's a remote exception process. Walk away. The company changed a condition of the offer without telling me. That's a breach in spirit if not in letter.

Has anyone navigated this? Did you get a carveout? Did you walk and was it worth it? I don't want to blow up an offer over this but I also didn't agree to 4 days in-office with a 90-minute round-trip daily.

4 replies

ae_andre

Recruiter here. Call the recruiter today, not next week. Be factual: 'My offer letter says 2 days. I saw the team note about 4. Can you clarify whether my arrangement is grandfathered?' Most good recruiters will escalate this fast. If they stonewall you or act like your offer letter doesn't matter, that tells you something important about the company before you start.

market_realist

Update: I did exactly this. Recruiter said she'd look into it. Heard back in 24 hours. They're letting me keep the 2-day arrangement 'for the first 6 months while I get up to speed.' Honestly not fully satisfying but better than nothing. Will reassess in 6 months.

consultant_cam

Option 1 first, always. You have written documentation of what you agreed to. That's a strong position. Frame it as seeking clarity, not as confrontation. If they're not willing to honor even the spirit of what you signed, walking is legitimate and now you have a clear signal rather than a lingering doubt.

sdr_sky

Also worth checking: is there an employee handbook or formal policy doc they sent? If the company policy was changed company-wide, your offer letter may technically still apply since it predates the policy change. HR would know. This is a winnable conversation if you don't go in hot.