I accepted a position at a start up around three months ago. This company was located in New York and I was located in California. They mentioned that I could work remotely for now but I would eventually have to move out to New York. I was okay with this, as I always dreamed of working in New York.
They had me work as a contract worker for the first month to see if I was a good fit. Once that passed they hired me full time, and I worked remotely for around a month and a half, then moved out to NYC last week. However, just this Friday they told me that I was laid off, they said it had something to do on their end. This was totally out of the blue and I didn’t believe them at first. At the office the day before we were talking about how I would get a week off for Christmas.
I’m in a total panic right now. I’m in a city I don’t know without a job and I have about 5 weeks to find a new position or I have to move back in with my parents in California. I’m not even sure if I should include it on my resume, as having only worked three months at my first job might look bad.
The job market for tech is so rough right now I’m terrified. I’m really hoping for any advice on how to go about this, what should I do?
I recall there being laws in place to protect people in your position. Since you had to move across the country to remain employed and they let you go after you did so, you might be entitled to money or your job to some extent. Sorry, I have no idea the name of such laws or any source, but if I were you I’d look this up on the side because it could mean sustaining you out there while you get situated.
It’s a contract thing called detrimental reliance. As I understand it, basically you relied on a promise to do something only in the event the promise was upheld then it wasn’t. It wouldn’t hurt to speak to a lawyer for a consultation. I doubt you’d get the job back, but they could be liable for the damages caused by moving.