<prompt> Human: Hello all, Im writing because I believe that my employer may be trying to engage in illegal practices. I recently returned from a work trip abroad, and had been awaiting on reimbursement for a series of relocation expenses. When I returned, there was a new employee in Payroll and HR who informed me that the company was not in compliance with the tax code, and as a result, had adjusted the policy related to the relocation package. Suddenly, I was told my package would be rejected, and that moving forward, all relocation was to be distributed as a lump sump payment also eligible for taxation, meaning Im losing roughly 4537;, and in the case of this expense, around 2800.There was:1 No disclosure of the change in policy.2 No awareness by myself, HR, my recruiter, or anyone in the company that this took place.3 No agreement or negotiation in the process.Im trying to understand my rights here. As I understand it, any changes to employment, compensation, or packages must be agreed upon, presented to both parties, and consensus must be made. At the very minimum, it is my understanding that i must be notified of any changes to policy the moment they happen, not 6 months later, and not after their own agents have been carrying out a specific set of business practices totally contrary to both the law, tax compliance, and the employment offer. Im writing because Im not sure how to proceed. Ive read that simply working the day can be considered as accepting the new terms of the employment agreement. Should I go home? Im unclear of what to do, but I dont want to take a 2800 financial hit because of unethical practices.Can anyone clarify if I am correct or not, or offer advice?Assistant: The change in policy is being driven by a change in tax law. The tax reform bill that was passed into law last December makes reimbursement for relocation expenses taxable income for the employee. Your notice of that change should have come in the form of you reading or watching the news about the tax reform bill. Your employer has to conform with the current tax laws. They dont have to negotiate with you first.Employers can choose to also pay one-time bonuses to offset the the tax hits to employees, but they are under no obligation to do so. Your best bet is to be polite and ask nicely if there is any way your employer can help you with the unexpected, additional expense.Human: But isnt that effectively their responsibility to notify me? The changes to this policy have not been communicated nor enforced. Literally, today, they decided to tell me about this after using money in the way that I have two other times earlier this year January and May, respectively.It cant be legal to abruptly decide to ADHERE to policy with no notice, and technically, this is a change to my salary and earnings, is it not? Does that not constitute a change to my offer of employment?  <response>: They arent your tax attorney 