That is likely to be state law driven - In which state do you live?
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Submitted 25 days ago...
Is it legal for the company to suddenly require an employee to obtain a "better-looking" vehicle in order to let them have a different position? Or, should the company have to offer a "company vehicle" if it's that important to them?
My husband is going to be moving to a different position within his company (branch sales to outside sales). He will be travelling to visit customers. He has already started doing some of it. He was originally promised a company vehicle... soon. Now, the boss is backing out on the company vehicle. The boss has made several comments regarding the age, appearance (due to age), style (small truck) of my husband's vehicle. It is a 1990 pick up. We own all of our vehicles & don't want to get into further debt, by getting another. I know that appearance says a lot about a company. My husband stays well groomed & well dressed. He is always helpful & has a good attitude. He already has a good relationship with his current (and most future) customers. My husband tells me not to worry about it. I am curious about the legality of the issue.
My question is: Is it legal for the company to suddenly require him to obtain a "better-looking" vehicle in order to let him have the position? Or, should the company have to offer a "company vehicle", if it's that important to them?
Answers
Answer 4 / 5 -
Submitted 24 days ago...
That's a good question. You could call the State of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries to get an answer. That's who I'd ask.
Awarded Answer (What’s This?)
Answer 5 / 5 - Submitted 24 days ago...
There's nothing in the ORS (Oregon Revised Statutes) that dictates that an employer can require a certain car for work, and there's nothing there that says they can't. Its one of those nice gray areas that the current law doesn't cover.
That being said, perhaps there is another option that you can look at, reimbursement for a lease payment for a new car. You would drive the car, pay for the car, and then get a reimbursement for the price of the newer car. That way the company would not have to carry additional insurance for another vehicle, and the expenses of running the car for work can be covered by itemizing your tax deductions for the year around mileage and expenses.
At any rate, it doesn't sound like they're asking based on the question you've asked, but they may strongly urge that you get another car, to make a better impression on newer clientele. I can certainly understand not wanting to purchase another car (I own my own car, I hate car payments and the insurance it brings), but sometimes a small investment pays out bigger dividends, especially with the reimbursement plan above.
Good luck to you and your husband in his new position.
This Question was awarded 24 days ago therefore you can no longer post an Answer. However you may post a comment below.
Comments
Submitted 24 days ago...
Thank you for your insight. I completely understand "making a better impression on the newer clientele". I will keep your suggestion (checking on possible reimbursement for a lease payment of a newer car) in mind if/when it comes to that point.
Thanks again.
P.S. I had forgotten to mention, the company has already purchased several new Priuses for their fleet. My husband was supposed to get one of the used ones (from 1 of the 2 guys whose job he is taking over). Oh well. I know, they belong to the company & they can do whatever the want with them. But, because of their purchase of these cars, they may not want to reimburse anything for another vehicle.
We'll just have to wait and see. I was just trying to get an idea of the legal ramifications, so my husband and I can be prepared ahead of time.
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