Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Employee Claims HR Denied ₹50,000 Referral Bonus Over Old Application
An employee recommended his college batchmate for a job at his company.
The batchmate passed four interview rounds and was hired for a senior frontend position.
He then finished a six-month probation period.
The employee expected to receive a ₹50,000 referral bonus.
HR reportedly said the candidate had applied to the company two years earlier through a LinkedIn recruiter.
Because of that old application, HR allegedly said the recommendation did not count as a new referral.
The employee said this was a loophole to avoid paying the bonus.
His post on X led other people to share similar stories.
News18 said the claims have not been independently verified.
An employee said HR denied his ₹50,000 referral bonus after his college batchmate was hired.
The batchmate reportedly secured a senior frontend role after completing a four-stage interview process.
The candidate also completed a six-month probation period before the employee requested the bonus.
HR allegedly cited the candidate’s LinkedIn recruiter application from two years earlier and said it was not a fresh referral.
The post on X sparked debate, with users sharing similar experiences and discussing referral-policy loopholes.
- Who
- An employee identified on X as @shazcodes, his college batchmate, and the company’s HR department are central to the account.
- What
- The employee claimed HR rejected a ₹50,000 referral bonus because the hired candidate had previously applied through a LinkedIn recruiter.
- When
- The employee posted about the incident on September 4, 2026; the report was published on September 5, 2026.
- Where
- The discussion took place on X, involving an unnamed company and a LinkedIn recruiter application.
- Why
- HR allegedly said the earlier application meant the candidate was not a fresh referral eligible for the bonus.
Employee’s account
HR policy explanation
Eligibility for the bonus
Employee’s account
The employee viewed his recommendation as the reason his batchmate entered the hiring process and believed it qualified for the ₹50,000 referral incentive.
HR policy explanation
HR allegedly treated the candidate’s earlier LinkedIn recruiter application as disqualifying, saying the recommendation was not a fresh referral.
Use of referral rules
Employee’s account
The employee accused HR of finding a loophole to avoid paying referral bonuses, a view echoed by some commenters who described similar experiences.
HR policy explanation
One commenter said excluding candidates with prior applications is common company policy and may be explained during induction.
Response to escalation
Employee’s account
The employee’s account, as reported, said a manager responded that he should be happy to still have a job writing code.
HR policy explanation
The company did not provide a statement in the article, so its independent position on the dispute is not known.
- Referral bonus
- ₹50,000
- Referred candidate
- The employee’s college batchmate
- Role
- Senior frontend position
- Interview process
- Four stages
- Probation
- Six months
- Reason cited by HR
- The candidate had applied through a LinkedIn recruiter two years earlier
- Verification status
- News18 said the claims were based on user-generated content and had not been independently verified