Eliminating vacation time that is given in the employee "contract"
Hello,
This is a MA question. There's been some shake-up at the top level of this small (~30 people) company I work at and the victor is extremely tight-fisted. He now expects everyone to be "in their seats" at 9am, even the employee that consults with universities in Australia and has to work late, he changes where in the building he works so that he can keep watch over people, he's all but eliminated the working from home option, holidays have been reduced effective next year, and there's been a change to the vacation policy. Instead of being granted 14 days at the start of each to use during the year (they do not roll over), it has been changed to 12 total vacation days, one earned each month, and they don't roll over (so your vacation day you get in December has to be used in December but in principle, the vacation day from January can be "saved" for a vacation).
However, in the employee "contract" that was signed, it says that each year we are awarded 14 vacation days. It mentions nothing about rolling over (sick days, and holidays it does say don't roll over explicitly). I keep putting contract in quotes because it is really just a simple 1-1/2 page word document that doesn't seem like a viable contract. There are no terms for breaking the contract, and under salary it says that the President of the Company may make changes to your salary from time to time as he sees fit". Also, everyone is an "employee at will". So... it seems like if anyone complains about anything they are going to get fired.
The pay isn't great, and now that benefits are being taken away, it's probably time to leave. But can these policies be changed suddenly and in conflict with what has been signed to?
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