To be incandescent with rage at my HR Dept

[Stangirl]

I am on maternity leave from a large organisation. It was agreed and confirmed about a million times that I would be put back on the payroll on 21st December (though with taking my annual leave I wouldn't actually be back in the office until late Jan). I have this morning received my pay advice for December that clearly states I shall not be put back on until 1st January - and have no pay for December. There is no one in HR today to tell me how this will be put right or when. there isn't even a message to say if anyone will be in between Xmas and NY. I based my financial planning for my maternity leave on the fact that I would get the last week of december pay. I am really upset by this and very stressed. Sorry - just needed to rant.

Oh that's just shit. I'm so sorry. I bet your payroll is outsourced and it's not been communicated or understood.

I'm so sorry. I know how stressful this much be for you.

Can't offer you practical help other than to suggest that you email as well as call your HR dept. Could your manager help you?

JBDAM - thanks for replying. I have done an email - though I don't think there's anyone there to read it. Since going on maternity leave my bit of the Department has been disbanded so I don't have a manager at the moment - no one to fight my corner. I shouldn't really be surprised though as when I joined it took them 3 months to pay me and when I hadn't been paid for the second month i spoke direct to payroll and they actually laughed and said "oh, that's really shit" when I said I couldn't pay my mortgage that month. I never received an apology.

That's shocking. The lack of empathy is outrageous. They wouldn't like it much if it were their pay.

I wish I could think of another way to help you. The only thing I think I'd do in your situation is contact the head of HR but I suspect you've already done that. I hope it gets sorted somehow.

I don't think there's anything more stressful than not getting salary when you're expecting it and companies' attitudes to this always stink. They seem to assume you've got loads of savings and/or credit so that you can just wait for the next pay run.

Stangirl - that is totally unacceptable. I am sorry that you have not had a proper professional service, as that is what your HR are paid for, they are employed because of people like you.

Can you email the head of HR, or do you know any senior managers that will have their Blackberry with them? If they have performed this poorly in the past then you may need to take it higher. As someone who has worked in HR I would be ashamed if any of my colleague reacted like they had, not paying your mortgage is a huge failure on their part.

Try not to worry about it now, and the next working day after Christmas ask them to do an immediate payment into your account.

Can you tell us who you work for, Stangirl? Is it public sector?

I would not reveal the company as that would probably be breaching some confidentiality agreement.

That's true, snowy. I was wondering if maybe someone who worked at the same site as pay just happened to be skiving MNing in their break.

My organisation has the ability to transfer funds in an emergency like this.

Small claims court should scare them.

OP, is there anyone at your firm you can call? Maybe someone is still in the office - they could possibly be better placed to corner someone?

You need to call an individual's number rather than the general pay/HR one. If anyone you know is still at work now, perhaps they could dig one out?

do you have it in writing that you would be back on the payroll in December? I would call and email everyone you can until you get hold of the right person.
Also, as they have not paid you when they should have, you will be completely entitled to ask them to recompense you for the additional expense and distress this has caused you. It's not acceptable.

Honestly, there really should be a way around this, but you need to act quickly as anyone in office now will be going home soon.

My organisation would be able to pay you.

I could have written your post a few months ago. Except my ire wasn't directed at HR. It turned out I had been allocated a new line manager but he hadn't done anything with my paperwork so I didn't get paid. My company was a multi national so big enough to know better.

Do you want to go back to work for them? This will effect how to progress.

Stangirl - your organisation will be able to get you fund quickly, even if it means giving you a cash advance (well it isn't really an advance). I hope you get hold of someone.

My employers would do a CHAPS transfer in this situation.

I found a very helpful operator who put me through to 6 different people in HR - but no one picked up. As most people are on group pickup I take it that means HR is empty.

I do have it in writing - several times - that I will be back on in December. The last letter I stressed how important it was for me and seeking assurance it would definitely happen - which I was given.

As I mentioned my previous team has disbanded - in most cases now working in a completely different organisation and the team I worked with before have all scattered as many have taken early retirement/voluntary redundancy so there is literally no one who I know how to contact who might be able to help me.

Stangirl can you ask the operator to find someone who will go and knock on the door of HR?

Feck. If you worked for my organisation, I'd nip over to see them. They're still in office.

And just another thought HR must have an out of hours number.

They just must be contactable over Christmas.

And not having detailed out of office replies on emails is a disgrace, especially for a large organisation.

You know what I would be tempted to contact the Head of Finance or the CEO of the company - as I bet they have to be contactable and the CEO should be able to get hold of HR.

(When we needed to get hold of a certain HR person at my old work we used to make the call from a PC to the Directors phone and funnily enough they would pick up ..even though they would never pick up from any other wage slave).

snowy - i don't think our operators are in the same building. The building I work in houses around 3.000 so people aren't willing to go and find people. Sadly.

Oh ok Stangirl.

Is there any department that is based next to them in the same location?

So frustrated for you.

I really hope you get this resolved.

Again when I worked with an on to it payroll team they always had a cut off of the 1st of December for any payments (and this meant they had time to act for any unforseen eventualities).

It's dreadful that HR aren't contactable. This is still a work day ffs! Do you have a welfare dept?

who have you to report to when you come back at the end of January - could they help?

is their a separate "finance/wages" dept that could help?

Any senior manager could/should be able to offer "payment"

i know this doesn't help, but happened to me in a previous job and took months to sort out, but ended up in my favour in the long run

hope it doesn't spoil your xmas stangirl

ps sounds public sector

I second Head of Finance or whatever the title. PAyroll cash transfers should not go wrong like this. They will definitely hhave a senior back up person to cover over the break .

It would also have the benefit of flagging up that the phones aren't manned - which would hopefully get someone a bollocking.