Resignation and Sunday Working

I wish this was an April Fool stunt.

The short version is that I was offered a job which should have started on Monday.  On the Friday before, this offer was apparently withdrawn, and I was given a new start date.  The reason for this is a request that I would rather not work on a Sunday, something I have mentioned at every stage of the recruitment process.  This should have been taken into account along time ago.

In a rather heated phone call on Friday, I asked what would happen if I turned up yesterday.  They seemed a little surprised when I actually did.  Well, it wasn't as if I had anything else planned.  I was wondering how far into the induction I would have got before they realised they had an extra body.  As it was, I didn't get too far past reception, however I had a very pleasant chat with one of their HR people, and I had the opportunity to hand over a letter of resignation in person.

The text of the letter is below.  Company name, location and job title have been appropriately redacted.

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To Whom it May Concern,

Letter of Complaint and Resignation

I find myself in the somewhat unusual position of writing a letter of resignation for a job which [your organisation] may or may not have offered me. By the same measure, I may or may not have accepted.

Earlier this year I applied for a post as a [Chainsaw Sharpener] based in Pitlochry, which would entail working a variety of shifts across Monday to Sunday. As I understand, following a period of training, I would be notified of my shifts, and these would be flexible according to business need. I am a student Ordained Local Minister for the Church of Scotland, so throughout the recruitment process I have asked if it would be possible to come to some sort of arrangement regarding my not working on a Sunday. An Ordained Local Minister occupies a similar role to that of a Lay reader in the Church of England whereby their duties are carried out alongside their regular employment.

I have informed [your organisation]’s recruitment staff of my commitments on a Sunday at every stage of the recruitment process. When it came to my final interview I was told that any offer of employment would be considered separate to any decision as to my working hours. I have accepted throughout that [your organisation]’s interests outweigh my own, and if no arrangement could be made regarding Sunday working then I would thank [your organisation] for its time and withdraw from the recruitment process.

In its letter of the 18th February, [your organisation] offered me a job as a [Chainsaw Sharpener] commencing employment on 31st March. I returned all the appropriate documentation at that time, including [your organisation]’s security screening questionnaire. Section 27.9.4 of the statement of terms and conditions contained in the offer letter stated that my contracted hours would be 09:00 to 18:00 Monday to Sunday, with my working pattern to be advised by my manager.

On Friday 28th March I received [your organisation]’s letter dated 25th March, offering me a job as a [Chainsaw Sharpener], commencing 12th May 2014. While this letter is headed REVISED it does not state the reason for the revision. I contacted [your organisation]’s Human Resources, and was told that the reason for the revision was my request that I do not work Sundays. The Sharpening team in Pitlochry was unable to meet my request not to work Sundays until a later start date.

This has annoyed me for several reasons.

• [your organisation] has taken over a month to notify me of a change of start date. When it did, the letter is simply a reissue of the original letter with a revised start date. No explanation was given to me prior to receipt of the letter, and the letter itself does not explain the reason for the change.

• Section 27.9.4 of the statement of terms and conditions contained in the letter of the 25th March still maintains that I am expected to work on a Sunday. If the reason for this revised start date is that I will not be expected to work Sunday, then I would expect a written notification of this decision.

• Once I was offered work by [your organisation], I ceased my search for employment. While I accept that any offer would be subject to satisfactory security screening and references, it would be reasonable to assume that [your organisation] would not withdraw an offer of employment without good reason. What would have happened if I had tendered my resignation to my former employer and my last day of work had been 28th March?

• I have planned my family commitments around [your organisation]’s offer of employment, placing on hold any holidays until after the end of my initial training period. This also included me turning down the offer of a potential trip abroad as part of a voluntary project.

• In my dealings with [your organisation] so far, no one person has been able to take ownership of my request regarding Sunday work. I would have been happy enough if the answer had been no, however either nobody has been permitted to make a decision, or if someone has made a decision, it has not been communicated effectively. I have heard many tales of messages not being passed on, so the whole process has appeared somewhat disjointed.

I believed that, [within your industry], [your organisation] was one of the best [Arboricultural Supply] firms to be with. I would have liked to have worked with [your organisation], believing that I had much to offer [your organisation] and its customers. It is a shame that we will no longer have that opportunity.

With this in mind, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of [Chainsaw Sharpener] which I accepted and I should have started on the 31st March. For the avoidance of doubt, I also tender my resignation from the post of [Chainsaw Sharpener] which was due to start on the 12th May.

Yours faithfully,

Spotthegerbil

CC The Head of HR and the Managing Director.