I've been working at my current employer since September 2017. Back in November 2018, my current employer gave me a "spot bonus" of $25k. They never actually informed me that I was receiving the bonus, and I certainly did not have to sign anything to get it. It was simply added to my paycheck with the note "spot bonus". Cool, I thought.
Fast forward to today, I've given notice to leave the company. HR informed me that because I am leaving the company less than 12 months after receiving the spot bonus, I have to reimburse them for the amount. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth because 1. it was a bonus for past work, not retention and 2. they never informed me that I would have to return the bonus when they awarded it to me.
I checked my offer letter to see if anything is mentioned there. When I signed with the company, they offered me a signing bonus that I would have to repay if I left within 12 months of signing, but I'm clearly past that. It doesn't mention I have to repay any other bonuses. HR is only asking for the bonus I received in November and not the bonus I received when I signed.
Do I really have to repay the bonus?
Submitted April 30, 2019 at 09:53PM by throwaway21435834895 http://bit.ly/2J2SG4K
