Hi all, I returned from mat leave in May and requested to drop my hours from full time to part time.

Anonymous

September 14,2022 at 12:45PM UTC

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Hi all, I returned from mat leave in May and requested to drop my hours from full time to part time. This was agreed however my line manager did not complete the required process as a result my annual leave and pay have been miscalculated.

I contacted payroll for the first 3 months to inform them that my pay was not correct but they reassured me that due to returning from mat leave, a pay rise and tax - my pay was indeed correct. And to expect my pay to start “normalising” after a few months.

Fast forward 5 months down the line, I have handed in my resignation and my manager has just notified me that my hours are wrong and that I owe the company money.

I fully accept this and have versed myself with the overpayment policy. Now I owe a whopping £8k (gross). My question is what is a realistic payment plan I could ask for. It’s a lot of money for me and I am questioning whether I could ask for a 3 or ; year payment plan or is that just plain ridiculous

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AnonymousSeptember 14,2022 at 1:35PM UTC
Hi! Are payment plans a possibility?
Orlagh CostelloSeptember 14,2022 at 1:47PM UTC
It's their mistake which you attempted to rectify several times. So, I'd say you can pay them back as it suits you to a certain extent. Can you work out what you can afford and give them that?
AnonymousSeptember 15,2022 at 12:22PM UTC
Frankly I would be furious at this "error" that you repeatedly tried to fix. I hope you documented everything and I would simply tell them that you can afford to pay them x per month until this overpayment is rectified. I would go on to say that this was not an error on your part and you made several attempts to mitigate this which was met with dismissal and you being told your pay is correct. To over pay by 8k and then tell you when you resign is unacceptable to me and I think the onus should be on the company to figure this out in the least impactful way to you. I'm so sorry this happened, it's outrageous in my opinion.
Crystal HowellSeptember 16,2022 at 12:37PM UTC
Contact a employee lawyer or paralegal, this is outrageous.
Do not pay, ask for a complete copy of your file and hopefully you kept the emails. Gather your documents and request an audit of your payroll, is it an outside pay service or internal. Have you spoken to HR, document all conversations, dates, times etc. CAll EEOC, such nonsense. If the line manager was told, emailed and didn't follow through, his fault. Let us know what happens.
AnonymousSeptember 16,2022 at 12:42PM UTC
You contacted payroll, they said it was correct. Contact an employment attorney and print those emails/gather your records. I wouldn’t pay a penny until a judge tells you to.
AnonymousSeptember 16,2022 at 12:46PM UTC
Why should you owe them. Money when you contacted them several times and were assured your pay was correct? I would get a lawyer this is outrageous
KathySeptember 16,2022 at 3:33PM UTC
Here in the US we have a government agency called the Labor Relations Board. It's possible to file a complaint with them against ones employer concerning issues such as pay.
Given you are in the UK, they must have a government agency with a similar function. Speak to your local MP or other official, perhaps they can help you find the proper agency.
The problem with a lawyer is they don't work for free so you would be paying them and it could become expensive.
I agree with the others who said not to pay a penny. Keep your emails, copy them to a USB drive or other media so you have the meta data that goes with the email to show they are authentic. Print them from your work computer and forward them to your home email.
Good luck!
AnonymousSeptember 20,2022 at 1:23PM UTC
Not sure about the UK but in the U.S. if this happens after an employee leaves, its a wash. I personally wouldn't be paying a cent.
AnonymousSeptember 30,2022 at 2:51AM UTC
I am not sure about in the UK, but you notified payroll for three months that they were overpaying you, so I'd say they need to write it off. If I were you, I'd consult an employment law attorney. Usually (at least here in the US) an attorney will do a 30 minute consult for free just to see if it's worth their time. Good luck.