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Was I wrong to ask about pay?


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I’ve just started a new job and the wording on my contract is a bit vague about when I get paid in that it states ‘on or around the last working day of the month or on the 1st of the next month’

 

To put this in context I am a lone parent and I gave up my housing benefit to do this job (which I love but obviously I need the money like most people) so I do rely on my wages to pay my rent which is due on the 1st along with a few other bills.

 

This morning I had not been paid yet and I asked one of my coworkers which day we usually get paid. She said to me that if I need the money for tomorrow then I should let my boss know that I rely on it for my rent because she might otherwise pay it late.

 

So I politely told my boss that since I rely on my wages to pay rent ,please may I have it by tomorrow. She got very defensive and annoyed and said I shouldn’t feel the need to ever remind her to pay me. And that she always pays by the 1st. Which is fine but that is not what the coworker said! This is a very small business & there is no payroll - we are paid via BACS.

 

The last thing I want to do is make enemies at work but I’m new and I don’t know what to expect.

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Well see, I’ve lived in this house for 4 years and it’s kind of ironic that I’ve never had to worry when I was on benefits but now im working need to ask for extension.

 

This is really me asking if it’s unreasonable to ask your employer a question like this. And if so, why?

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I guess you insulted her. That's not good. I mean, it said "by the 1st," so not sure what the issue was you had to bring it up. But you can tell the landlord that you get paid on the 1st and it might take until the next business day for the check to clear. If there is an option for automatic deposit by your employer, do that so it goes straight in.

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It was not my intention to insult her. And I would not have asked her about it if my coworker had not told me that she sometimes pays late. I did explain this to her btw. Since she pays via BACS personally if the money was not in my account by 2.30am tomorrow my council tax bill would bounce.

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Sounds like you might need to take a second little job and get yourself caught up so a late check won't make you bounce. Even if it's only babysitting at night or weekends or something. Spread the word with neighbors, get some money flowing, cash money.

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I have three children to look after at home when I’m not working so I would not be doing babysitting when I have them to look after. And no husband. And when I’m at work I work very hard and also the money is pretty good - I am not complaining about the salary.

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I think you should have just asked the boss "just wanted to check which day the pay will go in?" rather than "where is my pay? I need to pay the rent"

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Tomorrow is the first... so she should pay you tomorrow...

 

Don't worry about making enemies.. if your boss counts that against you then you will have other issues.

Your coworker might have been hired under a different pay scheme than she uses now so maybe thats is why they were wrong.

 

Anytime you have a pay issue or questions relating to vacation/ins/HR anything business related talk to your boss not your coworkers...

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I think bringing up issues of pay are completely reasonable, if it is brought up in an appropriate manner. I know at least in the U.S. working for a small business can be tricky proposition . At least initially, it is important to make sure you not shorted on checks and paid on time.

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We are all paid personally via BACS. There is no system that automatically pays you at midnight or whatever. Hence my concern.

 

The very reason I asked my coworker is that I didn’t want to mention anything to my boss unless it was necessary. The coworkers response was ‘oh, make sure you tell x if you need the money by tomorrow. Otherwise she may pay it later than that’. I am sure the coworker wouldn’t lie.

 

Generally I like my boss and I think she’s pretty reasonable. I am quite sure she would always pay us. I did not mean to imply that she might forget. But the other girls don’t rely on their pay quite so much because they have a husband who has his own job and pays all the immediate bills.

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I'm a boss and I totally 'get' cashflow issues in small business ... however, as a boss, you need to pay your staff, on time, every time and without any hint of there being some ambivalence.

 

If something truly unavoidable happens, and I can't think of a good enough reason right now as I write this, but assume something totally out of your own control happens and pay is going to be late, I would feel it my duty to let the staff know, as soon as I know and also volunteer to pay any 'late fees' that they can demonstrate they had to pay because I was late.

 

As the boss, one needs to trust employees, and they need to trust you as well. Its the very basis of the working relationship.

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I was paid yesterday afternoon in the end. However, my colleague at work told me that she has not yet received hers ?

 

So it seems my instinct was correct that things are not as straightforward as you would expect.

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You need to stop talking to your coworkers about your pay... this would be a no no in the workplace. tell your boss and ask your boss those questions.

 

You do realize that if you had just gone to your boss instead of a coworker you wouldn't have had all the anxiety built up that you did.

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By mentioning that you got paid and your coworker saying she didn't you have now possibly created the idea you are going to be favored in the coworkers mind, money is something you don't mess with...

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You need to stop talking to your coworkers about your pay... this would be a no no in the workplace. tell your boss and ask your boss those questions.

 

You do realize that if you had just gone to your boss instead of a coworker you wouldn't have had all the anxiety built up that you did.

 

I did’ just go to my boss’ and I got my head bitten off! As I’ve explained. Oh so I’ve created the idea that I’m favoured even though I’m not the one who controls when we get paid?? There is nothing whatsoever in my contract which states we don’t talk about pay with each other. Nothing at all. And my coworker will know I’m not favoured - it was she who advised me to ask about it quite simply because I rely on this money.

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There is nothing whatsoever in my contract which states we don’t talk about pay with each other. Nothing at all. And my coworker will know I’m not favoured - it was she who advised me to ask about it quite simply because I rely on this money.

 

I can tell you that talking about pay with your coworkers is the easiest way to create workplace drama.. and it already has..

It's an unwritten rule and one you will learn someday.

 

You should only have talked to your boss about your pay.. not your coworkers..

If you got your head bit off then that is still between you and your boss... don't tell that to your coworker...

 

As a boss myself for almost 35 years I can tell you that if your boss thinks you are trying to undermine her authority by going to coworkers with issues that should come to her she will promptly get rid of you.

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No... undermining her authority would be asking them to deal with it. Not just casually asking them ‘when do we usually get paid?’ However, I do see your point that it’s best not to discuss financial issues with work colleagues. Though everyone I know does this. Another work colleague asked me a few weeks ago what my salary is and there has been no fall out from that.

 

I don’t see how she can fire me for talking about wages. And if she does she’ll need to find someone else who will work every Saturday and stay behind to service clients out of hours ??*♀️ She has had nothing but praise for the work I’ve done so far. And I do work very hard and always do whatever I can for the business.

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I have just looked into this and the Equality Act 2010 legally allows employees to discuss their wages with each other and forbids employers from taking action against or penalising employees for discussing wages.

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In any event I will not be mentioning it again. I have made my boss aware of the circumstances I have and now I will just see how things play out I guess. I’ve only been there for a month.

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I think your boss was wrong to bite your head off for asking. There was one time that my boss forgot to approve my time card, and I missed getting paid for a whole week (plus had to pay rent late). He was mortified. That was the appropriate reaction. Employers need to understand that employees rely on their wages to live. We're not doing them favors by working for them.

 

Also, my coworkers and I talk about pay quite often. It's a good barometer to suss out any kind of wage disparity (especially between the sexes), and we can use that information to our advantage during yearly compensation reviews. So far it hasn't caused drama, just greater awareness.

 

Sorry you're having to deal with that kind of uncertainty. I know that would stress me out! Hopefully as you're there longer, you'll get a better understanding for how it all works. And your boss should not hold it against you when you have concerns. It's business, not a personal matter.

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