'My employers are stealing from me': Penny-pinching managers try to skim hours off of a receptionist's paycheck, they get caught red handed, facing labor board lawsuits

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Dec 10, 2023 1:00 PM EST

Working an hourly job makes you appreciate every second you spend on the clock. Depending on your hourly wage (and how bored you get on your shift) you might even know the mathematical breakdown of what you earn per second when you're on the job! So when the bean counters in the back start skimming quarters and dimes off of your daily shift, what does that add up to? 

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  • 01
    "My paranoia paid off!"
    via u/canva

  • In our next tale of workplace destruction, one employee found out that his employer was actually a total sham. After having a dispute over a paycheck, u/nebulochaos started looking a little closer at each paystub, finding some inconsistencies that effect the final dollar amount. 

  • Scroll for the entire story of how one employee caught his managers red handed when they started skimming hours off of his paycheck, and the labor board case he threatened to open afterwards! 

    Next on your reading list, here's another insane work story where an employer expected free labor from their workforce, bullying daycare workers to ‘volunteer’ their time to work a children's Christmas party. 

  • 02
    B. r/antiwork. Posted by u/nebulochaos 9 hours ago My employers just stepped in something they can't scrape off
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 03
    So a mistake on my last paycheck and an entire unpaid day of work they had to (and did) fix made me start aggressively tracking and writing the hours I worked when the time clock displayed it to me, and my paranoid paid off! Last
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 04
    pay period, I worked 79.62 hours. This paycheck is only paying me for 78.55. So I checked the history on the time clock, and what do I find? Oh, only that what I worked has been edited by a supervisor!
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 05
    Sometimes I work a few minutes after the end of my shift because my relief is late to work. No problem... as long as I get paid for it. I clock out when my relief shows up. But I discovered that, say I clocked out at 11:07. All of my times from the last pay period have been edited to say I punched out at 11:00 on the dot.
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 06
    How do I know this? Well, the time clock helpfully highlights punches that have been edited by a supervisor in red. My employers are stealing minutes from me, just to make a quick buck off my paycheck. And since the time clock very helpfully displays edits in red, there's evidence they changed my hours to back up that I should have more pay I'm owed.
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 07
    They screwed me out of 1.07 extra hours. The labor board will hear about this. And the best part? If they retaliate, I'll sue them for everything they're worth! Editing to add: Up until noticing this, my employers have NEVER practiced the rounding rule. This is a very new thing they're doing, and if they ARE practicing the rounding rule they're still in violation of it for the times I WAS later than 7 minutes after.
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 08
    Abzstrak 11 hr. ago Before doing anything, id check with all your co workers and see if it's happening to them too. You'll find one of two things 1. This is bigger than just you and they are stealing even more time 2. They are singling you out. Both are bad for them, but collect the evidence before it conveniently disappears.
    via u/Abzstrak
  • 09
    nebulochaos OP. 11 hr. ago I have access to the time clock records, so I'm keeping track of the evidence of the tampering of my own hours. I'll tell my coworkers to keep an eye on their hours and their pay.
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 10
    PlatypusDream - 7 hr. ago Screenshots and printouts, saved on your own device (not anything that work has access to)
    via u/PlatypusDream
  • 11
    HildaMarin 4 hr. ago Checking with coworkers is a very good idea since if you get a single other person in with you on this it is "collective bargaining" and highly protected under federal law and supreme court precedents.
    via u/HildaMarin
  • 12
    ohfucknotthisagain. 12 hr. ago Rounding to 15 minute increments is common and legal in many places. But they do have to be consistent. That means if 7 minutes rounds down to 0, then 8 rounds up to 15. Do with that what you will. If they rounded 7 down to 0, that means they're rounding to AT LEAST the quarter hour.
    via u/ohfucknotthisagain
  • 13
    Which means your check should always show hours ending in .0, .25, .5, or .75--- anything more granular suggests they're not always rounding. The state and federal departments of labor both have the authority to investigate wage theft. They can compel payment of back wages and assess fines. They can look back years, and they can look at all employees. I would encourage you to report this behavior to all agencies.
    via u/ohfucknotthisagain
  • 14
    nebulochaos OP 12 hr. ago Y'all made me curious, so I looked up the laws in my state (Washington). They're definitely in violation of the rounding rule, because they haven't at all rounded appropriately. It makes sense that they aren't, since I'm going uncompensated for an hour's worth of work. ETA: They DO NOT practice the rounding rule to start with, by the way.
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 15
    Wolfman01a 10 hr. ago Makes sense. It was consistent. I mean. If they stole 20 minutes a day from about 5000 people making approximately $25 an hour.. thats a ton of money. 1/3 of $25 is $8.25... x 5000 people...
    via u/Wolfman01a
  • 16
    Kira_L_Mello_Near - 10 hr. ago No you know why people don't want to work anymore. Many employers are wage theft masters. They cut hours off your pay, which is illegal. Call your state's department of Labor to fix the problem. Good luck.
    via u/Kira_L_Mello_Near
  • 17
    73738484737383874 10 hr. ago Yep my work pulls this too. Bring it up to HR if you must, they owe you the pay that you have worked regardless. Believe me if they can get away with it, they will. You gotta say something.
    via u/73738473738383874
  • 18
    nebulochaos OP 10 hr. ago We don't have HR we have the owners, a supervisor, 3 receptionists, 2 housekeepers, and 1 laundry lady. We're down to a skeleton crew and the owners are trying to lose what few employees they have left! No, I think the labor board will have a field day with this though :)
    via u/nebulochaos
  • 19
    Elipticalwheel1 . 9 hr. ago Yep, they're just not happy with paying low wages, they want too rob some of it back, how many other people are they doing this too. Ie it all adds up, probably where the supervisor gets there bonuses from.
    via u/Elipticalwheel1
  • 20
    ballsdeepinmywine - 6 hr. ago If they are using the rounding method, just make sure you clock out 8 minutes after so it rounds forward.
    via u/ballsdeepinmywine
  • 21
    Martegy 10 hr. ago If you are in the US working on a project for the Federal government, they can get jail time for this. For Federal contracts, supervisors can't change timesheets without two signatures (one of which must be from employee) and they are supposed to train you in this regularly.
    via u/Martegy

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salary boss worker employee hotel manager work coworkers working labor board employees hours lawsuit pay supervisor workplace paycheck payback coworker receptionist
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