What is the "term" that you're referring to in "leaving before the term?" From the blog post, it seems like the author "grew" the team by successfully referring an employee who stayed for minimum of 6 months, which gives him the entitlement of the 10k bonus as per email discussions.
my point is asking for a bonus for growing the team /after/ you've left, thereby shrinking the team, is kinda silly.
It's great for you that you don't care about $10,000 owed to you, but not everyone is in that position, and that doesn't make them worse people then you
Startups, especially small ones, need not waste time with HR infrastructure like this – they're building products. HR should be ad-hoc and people-driven. If that's a problem, there are numerous larger companies to work for that devote their time to things like that. It's not unreasonable to expect someone to ask/remind the company about their referral bonus – and if he cared that much about it, he'd have collected before he departed.
My point is – spilt milk. Move on, build other opportunities for yourself, and don't forget again :D
I don't think the naming and shaming was a very good idea, but he is absolutely owed $10k.
Have you heard of former employees getting their final paychecks? That's all this is.
It would be like you being offered an additional 10k to do something for a client/boss. You did it, shortly thereafter left but hadn't yet received your compensation. You'd be within your rights to go after them via the labour board/a lawyer. If you don't see that, I don't want to know how you treat those around you.
I've never heard of a former employee receiving a bonus – referral or otherwise. The idea of a referral bonus is rewarding someone for /growing/ the team, and if you leave before that term is up, or if you leave before you file for the bonus, it's ridiculous to ask for it later – especially when you've already deflated your good will with a company. Moreover, I've not heard of people receiving a referral bonus after forgetting to claim it. I've forgotten to claim one! But I'd never think its anyone else's fault but mine, and my company is backed by an enterprise with a lot of resources.
Hey, I dunno, maybe I'm too busy putting my heart in the work to focus on stuff like this. People like the `jzhwu` whine, foster negative energy, and distract our community from focusing on good work.
Or maybe I'm just secure – financially and mentally. I don't need to squeeze money from former employers or vent my discontent because I'm focused on what I'm doing now, and what I'll do next, and how I'm growing as a designer and a person. I hope this guy discovers a more mature mindset before he does more damage to his career.
Finally, I'm also disappointed by the many people who can't see this for what it is – I assume they're the same crowd that's taking to badmouthing "brogrammers."