I think I may be getting cheated at work.

[Mr. Emoticon Man]

I just got my paycheck for the month... and it's less than I thought it'd be. I could have sworn that I had worked around 13 hours per week, but my check breaks down to be more like around 11 hours per week. Not a huge difference, I know, but it's something that caught my attention almost immediately.

It could be that I'm just mistaken, and I likely (and hopefully) am, but some stuff at work has put me on edge, and it makes me wonder if something might be up.

See, my boss asked me to only work 13 hours per week at the end of the last pay period because the new owners haven't been pleased with how many hours everyone has been getting (which is bulls***, but that's another issue). So, as can be guessed by my earlier statement, I've begun to try to work less.

Then, just the other day, she said she needed me to work even less: this time, she asked that I only work 11 hours per week for a while.

And now I get my paycheck... and my four weeks of work provide me with pay of only 45 and a half hours, which is little over 11 hours a week? That seems like a strange coincidence to me, and if I truly HAD only been working about 11 hours a week to this point, I question WHY she'd have to suddenly ask me to cut my hours to that amount in the first place.

I'm not generally the type of person to grumble about my paycheck. And, truth be told, it's not like I really need big paychecks at the moment anyways, as I live my life in such a way as to reduce my cost of living by as much as possible. But... something about recent events at work and this latest paycheck unnerved me. I don't intend to let my boss know that I think something's up, but I think from now on I'll copy down the information from my weekly time-cards so that I can keep a better track of my hours. And then, if my next paycheck doesn't match up with the hours I know I worked... well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

It'll be a shame if it comes to that, too. As I said in a previous thread, I love my job. Sure, some of the kids make me want to crack my skull open (or theirs), but I still greatly enjoy doing what it is that I'm doing, and I absolutely adore a number of the kids I work with. And though I've had my issues with the place in the past (namely being lied to for no good reason by my boss, and having my hours constantly cut at the expense of anyone else who happened to want more), it's never really been that serious. But this? I'm willing to take a hit for the business, as I honestly believe in it, but I don't like being cheated in any way, shape, or form.

Sorry for the unusually long and serious post... but this has been like a piece of corn stuck between my teeth; the more I think about it, the more annoyed and anxious I get. I just needed to let it out somewhere.

[bob]

keep your own records and if your hours don't match your paycheck call a lawyer

[The Raven]

What bob said.

Make damn sure you are getting cheated before you say anything to anybody, because I'm pretty sure getting cheated out of earned paycheck money is a federal offense, if you consider things like taxes.

You not getting the money you're owed means the government doesn't get the tax dollars they need from you, and they sorta frown upon that sort of thing.

[Mr. Emoticon Man]

Oh, I'm making sure that this doesn't get back to my boss unless I'm sure. That's why I commented on this here, rather than anywhere where it might get back to the wrong people.

[Shovelman]

What do you do in the first place

[Mr. Emoticon Man]

I work with kids on developing their reading and writing skills.

[Deadpool is Insane]

If you find out you are being cheated though, don't take it lightly, screwing you out of your hours, even if it's "only" two a week is no small thing and lord knows what else they are doing if they are willing to do that.

[Mr. Emoticon Man]

Trust me, if I am getting cheated, and I find out about it, I definitely will do something about it. Much as I love the place I work for, the kids I work with, and the cause I contribute to, I'm still not the sort to work for free. Especially not when I also have full-time college hours that needs my attention as well.

[Deadpool is Insane]

My brother had a simular problem with the Salvation Army when he worked for them one year. They constantly hosed him.

1) You can't leave your post until the superior comes to collect the bucket. Well, his boss would consistantly show up anywhere between 1-3 hours late.

2) They wouldn't give him credit for working during those 1-3 extra hours.

3) They would actually shot his hours on his check from even the hours he did work. One time he worked 20 hours in a week and they paid him for 10.

There were other things to such as they wouldn't allow him to take bathroom breaks or anything. Eventually one day, when he was standing out in the freezing rain and the guy was once again 2 hours late he called him up and said "I suggest you come here to get this money now because I'm quitting, and I'm leaving rather you show up like you're supposed to or not." All of a sudden the dude showed up in like 5 minutes.