I didn't get cost of living payment from old company

[SisterAct123]

We were told late last year that we would receive £450 in two payments - November and January's payroll. The payment was for cost of living.

My last day at the company was early January. I therefore got my salary plus owed holiday. However no cost of living. I handed in my notice at the company by giving them the required four weeks - but I took the first week in January as holiday (was booked before I handed in notice).

AIBU in thinking I should have received the cost of living payment?

The payment is the same for all staff regardless of hours worked etc. we had to change our tupe contract to get it as well.

It's a discretionary payment and you weren't there at the point of it being paid, in every single instance of this type of thing happening I can think of, that would you mean you lose out.

Should have thought about the when negotiatinf your leave date I'm afraid OP. Lesson learned unfortunately.

I agree that you probably had to work all of January to be eligible. If it was Januarys payroll.

Sounds to me like you didn’t get it as you only worked 4 days in January and took a week as holiday.

They may or may not have specified conditions around receiving it. It won't hurt you to email HR and say "Hi, we were told on DATE about the £450 cost of living payment, but even though I was employed in January for holiday pay 1st-7th, I didn't receive the final £225. Please can you confirm if there has been a calculation error on my final pay? Many thanks".
If you aren't due it, they can say where the conditions on receipt were clearly advertised. If you are due it, then you'll be paid.

Have relevant experience. I expect there is a policy somewhere underlying the announcement. I would expect someone on your position to be ineligible.

I think you are being a bit of a CF to expect that you should get a payment even though you were only employed for a few days of the eligible month

It is well known that any discretionary payments, which this will be, won’t be paid if you are on notice period. Depending how long your notice was I am surprised you even got Novembers. In any job I have had it has been 3 months notice so wouldn’t cover November or January

Extra payments are generally at the companies discretion it's not a bonus. If you were in notice they can choose not to give you it.

A cost of living payment is normally made in advance so the Jan payment would be for Feb to April when you will not be employed. They were correct not to pay it. Sorry i know disappointing.

Of course you're not entitled to it if you've left by the time it's paid, it's not an earned bonus or commission, it's a discretionary extra payment for employees, which you're not.

Wow greedy much?
Like others have said you didn't work the full month, you resigned, it's very common for benefits, bonus etc etc not to be pain upon resignation

I appreciate it's probably much needed right now as it would be for many of us but you chose to resign, why would they reward you with a gift?

Unfortunately it happens. it’s an extra

I didn’t get COL as Tupe transfer. A couple of others that TUPEd from a different organisation and the rest of the office did. Rationale was that they were much lower paid. Union said it’s legal including discrepancies between Tupe. Bit shit as i obviously didn’t get the col that my original employer gave. I think one of the others might challenge. I’m ok with my MH at the moment and not risking the stress.

You don't get shit once you're in your notice period at my place. Bonuses stop. It's a common policy.

you’ve got to be kidding

HR here.
I understand your disappointment but it's standard practice to not receive discretionary payments and commission etc after handing in notice.

YABU. Companies have no responsibility to pay cost of living payments and are doing it as an added bonus. They are perfectly reasonable to have a rule in place about who gets it.

My old company paid a COL bonus in November but I left mid November so wasn't entitled to it.

the last organisation I worked for did pay awards in line with nationally agreed local government rates - the 2021-22 award was announced over a year after the date it applied from, 14 months by the time our board agreed it. Union advice was that if someone who'd left in the intervening period requested it, we should pay, but no onus on us to contact former employees.
It doesn't sound as if that would apply in this situation, but worth bearing in mind for anyone that leaves an organisation that participates in a nationally agreed scheme.

Where is the rule?

We don't get bonuses.... I guess this is being classed as onev

Greedy?

YABVU. You may have been “employed” until the first Friday but you were on bloody holiday!

So of course you wouldn’t get January’s payment. You didn’t work any days in January at all.

yes greedy. grabby. sulky

This is so uncalled for. OP asked a question and was given the answer, she obviously doesn’t like the answer but you don’t need to resort to insults.

I did work days in January. I was employed by the company until the 6th January.

Doesn't matter if I was sick or taking annual leave, the last day was 6th January.

Do you accept now that you weren't entitled to the payment, @SisterAct123?

Yep this.