Workers Share Times Their Employers Tried to Scam Them Out of Benefits

Signing bonuses. Health insurance. Paid time-off. A good job isn't just about the salary, and often benefits are the main draw of a job for prospective employees. That's why it's totally devastating when shady employers use loopholes to scam their workers out of hard-earned bonuses, holidays, and other promised benefits. Redditor u/FlabertoDimmadome was so indignant on behalf of their brother that they turned to r/antiwork to vent about how an Amazon warehouse was trying to cheat their brother out of a $3000 hiring bonus. Not only did others sympathize with the story, but many shared their own similar experiences.

Posted by Mel Dawn

“Amazon warehouse fires my brother 1 day before his $3000 hiring bonus” —u/FlabertoDimmadome

People share similar stories in the comment section

Although Amazon doesn't have the best reputation, they're not the only ones who treat workers like crap. The comment section was full of examples of workers getting scammed out of their benefits by shady companies they worked for.

u/Sinful_Whiskers chimed in with another infuriating story about getting cheated out of benefits. “Back in the mid-00s I got hired on part-time at Home Depot because even part-time got benefits after 90 days. I was a cashier and I fucking hated it. When my 90-day time was coming up I asked my boss about benefits because I hadn't heard anything about how to sign up. She was confused, and after checking said, 'you don't get benefits, you're Temporary Part-time.' Long story short: the HR guy at the time hired a bunch of people and lied to them, saying they were part-time but internally hiring them as seasonal with no eligibility for benefits.”

u/lezzerlee urged workers to always read the fine-print. “Please all, read your hiring contracts thoroughly & don’t take word only accounts of your benefits or obligations for everything! Have people send you written policy!”

“My dad was a union drywaller. During the 08'-10' recession he would get work then be laid off right before his benefits kicked in. I was a college student at the time and my parents had 3 other kids in school. So I never got any health benefits while in college or for like a decade after. That was fun. Now I'm fighting for them again.” Said u/Skinnysusan.

“File for wage theft at the labor board for the missing checks if it's been long enough in correspondence with your state laws.” Suggested u/kingleonidas30.

“I get the feeling those bonuses were supposed to be unachievable incentive to bust your ass trying. He may have been too good and didn't have a reason to fire him that they could put on paper." Said u/sphrasbyrn.

“Yep. I had this happen too, at another store.” Added u/sweetalkersweetalker. “Was ‘moved’ as cashier…and sent to deli department. Apparently my 4 years there no longer counted, which meant I couldn't get a holiday bonus, my accrued PTO vanished, and I was put on ‘new hire probation’ which meant I wasn't eligible for health benefits (for 6 months).”

“One of my coworkers at UPS got moved from tractor trailers to delivery trucks, which are different parts of the company. Lost like ten years of seniority. I'd lose my mind if that happened to me.” Said u/dethmaul.

“My job gave me a $25k signing bonus, but if I left before two years was up I would have to pay it back. At least that was up to me I guess. But yeah those bonuses always have strings attached.” Said u/Dudeman-Jack.

Read the original thread here.