Is this a Red Flag ?
A 2 yrs old small B2C startup has put the following conditions along with offer letter to my friend: 1. 6 months probation period. 2. 7 days notice period during probation. 3. 7 leaves during probation. 4. ESOPs will be given after 3 months of performance evaluation. 5. No WFH (might get on situation basis), might need to work on Saturdays as well if required. there are about 15 tech team members, they are in the growth phase right now. are these conditions normal for a small startup? what else does he need to find before joining?
Kendall Lee
Stealth
5 months ago
1,2,3 are good. In my last company, i had 6 month probation and no paid leave during that. But i stayed there for 3 years, 85% hike in first appraisal, 35% hike in 2nd appraisal.
But 4 is confusing, they should give ESOP from joining since they are calculating that in CTC.
5, No WFH is okay, since not all companies are comfortable with WFH. But working on Saturday is a RED flag. I observed the companies which expect employees to work on Saturdays are the companies which will also ask you to work outside of the working hour.
1, 2 and 3 are normal. Not ideal but its normal across companies.
4 - This is bad. ESOPs should be awarded right from your joining date. It's the whole point of considering ESOPs as part of your CTC.
5 - not ideal. But lot of companies do it especially early stage startups.
My take is if they allocate you ESOPs right from the joining date then point 5 can be tollerated.
Saturday working is a red flag. Shows the work life would be fucked. Good if you can handle it . Also, ESOP must be given at the earliest . Rest is fine and is a norm .
