I was encouraged over several years to take a senior role in a new office Buro Happold in a country to which I have no personal or family ties, which I was told was a great career opportunity and would be financially rewarded. At an advanced stage of preparing to do so the local office tried to ram through a ludicrous 60% cut to my salary, which contradicted my previous discussions with senior management. A senior person on the HR team literally apologised to me while informing me of this offer as it was so bad - but gave it to me anyway. What message does that send? I was then kept in limbo for several months while different parts of the company bickered over my pay and was told misleading and contradictory information by HR and senior management. A partner who had formerly mentored my lied repeatedly to my face about what was happening, repeatedly telling me I needed to be 'in post' in another country as a matter of urgency. I moved on to a company where I am properly valued and remain gobsmacked at the unprofessionalism and dishonesty exhibited throughout this episode. The aborted move had personal repercussions for me, including affecting my housing situation, which HR didn't seem to acknowledge or care about. While this was an extreme experience, I would suggest avoiding Buro Happold like the Plague as HR is incompetent and the partners are dishonest.
