Accounting tried to underpay employee for travel expenses — then their own policy tripled his payout
In 2021, the US Department of Labor owed $230 million to 190,000 laborers in back wages.
Reimbursement policies are designed for employees so that they do not incur any loss while they’re out there being efficient and proactive. A municipal fire department worker who goes by u/SkipJack270 revealed that when the accounting department tried to take them for a ride, they complied their way to victory. In a post shared on January 17, the employee revealed that they had spent $375 on various expenses to travel to a place for a task assigned to them. While asking for compensation, the department kept burdening them with changes per policies with the intent to underpay, but they got caught up in their own procedures and ended up paying way more.
The worker took up a training assignment that was a four-hour drive away. For this trip, they used their own resources and, "as instructed, saved all their receipts. Gas, meals, and lodging.” The amount totaled to $375, and the worker duly filled out all the paperwork and uploaded the necessary documents for the accounting department to review and revert. “Next day, I get an email from them. I need to recode the receipts and delve into how I did the form,” they posted. Since it was a money matter, the employee figured that careful inspection may be required. However, the accounting department decided to prolong the payment and stall it with unwanted corrections and additions. The employee did their best in keeping up, adding and updating whatever was necessary.
One of the emails they received noted that “instead of actual fuel used, they have a formula at some gas price, and I have to calculate it based on mileage.” Agreeing to this hectic procedure, too, they did the math and sent their data. That’s when the department’s act turned around and became a favor to the worker. “Instead of what I actually paid, I wound up being paid at least double,” they remarked. This play went on for a while, and with every entry to be reimbursed, the employee found that the sly act to underpay them had long flipped. “I went from getting reimbursed around $375 to being paid almost $900 for the training. I did exactly what the accounting person said and made almost three times what I spent. Plus my hourly pay. Crazy,” they gladly wrote.
A study by Catherine E. Connelly titled "Predicting wage theft in organisations," published in Science Direct, revealed that nearly 60% workers reported facing different types of wage theft even in economies with strict employment laws protecting workers. 50% employees were underpaid, and over 65% were denied overtime pay. In 2021, the US Department of Labor owed $230 million to 190,000 laborers in back wages. Wage theft is a global issue that is not just limited to the United States. Australian Senate Inquiry discovered that between 41-88% of Australian workers have been illegally underpaid. The official count for wage theft investigations stands at 8807 for Ontario. In Canada between 2009 and 2016, workers were able to recover only $19 million of the $47.5 million collectively owed to them. This shows that not all employees, like the individual worker here, have been fortunate enough to recover their wages.
“For employees, the most important thing is to save receipts and follow the company’s rules when submitting expenses. For employers, it’s about being consistent, fair, and fast.” These protocols are offered so employees are not “chasing payments” but rather building trustworthy professional relationships. u/nottakenby wrote, “Wins are hard to come by in government work. Take it where you can get it.” u/Geminii27 remarked, “Don't forget to charge for the time you spent doing the administration's job for them instead of doing the job you were hired to do.”
More on Scoop Upworthy
Employee maliciously complies with boss' 'mandatory 40 hours' work policy to teach them a lesson
Employee takes a stand through deliberate tardiness in reply to new management's unrealistic policy
Share on Facebook
