Can you reject an offer letter you already signed?

admin | August 12, 2009 | 0 Comments

Someone emailed me last week asking what kind of action can be taken by the future company if we have signed the acceptance of their offer of employment and later on decided to decline the offer.

No matter whether you got a better offer, the current company counter offer or for whatever reason you don’t have to worries so much but still you have to properly and professionally communicate your intention to decline the offer.

So the issue now is whether the Company can take legal action for those who has fails to fulfill their promised to join the Company.

Based on my experience, I never encountered any cases where the Company take legal action to the employee eventhough the have the rights to file a lawsuit against the employee as they have agreed and promised to join by signing the offer letter. By rejecting the offer which already signed will cause a problem to the company in many ways (i.e disruption of works, find replacement) especially for those who very last minute decline the offer.

However, I strongly believe that most companies will not pursue this as any lawsuit will cost a lot on time and money and need extra manpower to focus on this alone.

If you decided not to join make sure you professionally inform them in writing on your decision and and to put a “reason” is not necessary. It is important also to know that if you possesses special skills which is very hard to find in the market and in very niche market, there is a possibility for them to contact you back in the future. So, to maintain good relationship is important. Please also take note, some companies will be likely to blacklist candidates who has rejected their offer for whatever reason.

The conclusion here is before you accepted any offer please think twice and its good if you can communicate to your superior first, who know any counter offer can come before you sign the new offer.

How to professionally resign from your job For whatever reason resignation is not an easy decision. Many things you have to consider ...
How To Deal With Long Notice Period for Resignation In Malaysia the notice period for termination (i.e resignation) varies from one company to another ...
How to negotiate best salary for new job ? Congratulations if you have success in securing a job. Now the tricky parts, Salary negotiations. ...
Various Resignation Letter sample In our previous post, we guide you on how to professionally resign from your job, ...
How to appeal for salary negotiation Do you have any experience receiving a job offers which is not at your expectation ...