Offer Letter Accepatance - Legality

[sunny1974]

Hi

I have received an offer letter from a large IT MNC company for their Singapore office. The offer letter indicates that I should sign and send it back to them within 7 days as offer acceptance.

I am currently working in SG and discussing the same with my current employer. The counter offer from my current company could be much higher, however I have to wait for at least a month(to see if i get a promotion as promised by them).

I want to know, if there would be any legal implication if I send the new company my intention to join(by signing the offer letter and sending them) and later not join them (if I get the promotion in my current company). Does the Offer letter acceptance have legal validity before I join the new company?

Thanks

[jpatokal]

If you sign the offer letter, you have legally joined the company, and they could sue you for backing out. Unless you're the new CEO, they probably won't in practice, but at the very least you'll be on their permanent shit list for pulling a stunt like that.

In your shoes I'd apply a little heat to the current company -- if they already know you're negotiating with somebody else, you don't have much to lose, so you can go ahead and tell then that you need the counteroffer by date X or you'll walk. And, on the other side, if the other co really wants you they're not going to reject if you if you sign up a little later than 7 days.

[ashnd76]

I assume you're signing it without witnesses, which is best, if you intend to default on it later.

There are a few ways to get around it, first:

Write on the top of each page "without prejudice", meaning that the document cannot be tendered in a court of law as evidence.

Nevertheless the law will always hold you liable for contracts which you have signed, unless you can prove later that the signature on that contract is not your actual signature (it is not my deed), coz its just different. I hope u get my meaning...

[Muachee]

jpatokal was right, better to apply heat to current company to get what you want or you walk. You might get away with legality but you won't get away with bad name for it..