Owing hours back

[wingingit987]

I work for a nhs/private dental practice mostly NHS. The NHS were still paying practices to pay their staff as long as we were available to work elsewhere in the NHS if need be.

However now we are being told that we owe hours we could not work we need to owe back to the practice. So now anything over our contracted hours we wont be paid for it would be taken off hours owed.

I worked as much as I could during lockdown which was difficult with children under 3.

I should add that the practice did furlough the private percentage but I was not able to be furloughed due to my work skill set I was needed.

Is anyone going through anything similar.

That would seem right. You weren't on furlough so.you should have been able to work your hours. You could ask for them.to be taken off your next pay instead?

If it was over your contracted hours and you didn’t even work it - but you were paid for it?

It makes sense that you need to pay them back. But it’s stupid that they paid you in the first place and gave you this hassle.

Surely they’ll just take a little bit off your pay for x amount of pay days?

”So now anything over our contracted hours we wont be paid for it would be taken off hours owed.”

So you worked less than your contracted hours, but are still going to be paid for those contracted hours.

They also paid you for additional hours, therefore an overpayment, but rather than deducting the overpayment from your next salary they are allowing you to work the hours at a later date so you don’t lose the money?

Sounds ok to me. If you’d rather it was deducted you could ask for that instead?

I don't think the op worked additional hours. I think she's saying she worked less than her contracted hours. Now if she works any overtime in the future she won't get paid for it until she makes up the hours lost during the pandemic.

So I think the key question is did you work less hours at their request? Or did you ask to work less hours because of childcare issues?

”I don't think the op worked additional hours. I think she's saying she worked less than her contracted hours.”

Yes everyone else is clear about that as well. No one thinks she worked extra hours.

” Now if she works any overtime in the future she won't get paid for it until she makes up the hours lost during the pandemic.”

Not at all. Her employer has been clear that she will get paid for her contractual hours regardless of the fact that she didn’t work them.

But as well as paying her for her contracted hours (that she didn’t work) they also seem to have overpaid her by paying her for overtime she didn’t work. It’s the hours she was paid for over and above her contractual hours that they are clawing back, which is eminently reasonable.

So I think the key question is did you work less hours at their request? Or did you ask to work less hours because of childcare issues?

How is this the key question? I can’t see the relevance here. They’re asking to reclaim anything over contracted hours - the OP will still be paid for her contracted hours (even if she worked less).

I took it that she did not work all her contracted hours, only what she could due to childcare issues, but was paid for contracted hours.