working a month in hand....advice please

bossymommy

Hi there, i started a new job 2 weeks ago and have gone from weekly to monthly pay. Will be a struggle getting by untill i get my first pay but am able to just about cope. Anway, i have been told by other staff members today (have yet to speak to head office tomorrow) that i will have to work a month in hand meaning that i will get my first wage at the end of the second month!!! Does this sound right? I just thought that working a month in hand would mean getting paid at the end of the first month.

All i was told when i got the job was that it was monthly pay, and i havnt received a contract yet for me to refer to.

Any advice will be much appreciated

trevormax

Well I am not sure on the legality of having to do a month in hand but I recently started a job which required me to work a week in hand meaning I don't get paid for mjy first week until I leave. I too am struggling to cope until I get my first wage. I was only told this when I had started working and was told it was done in case I decide to leave and dont give them a weeks notice that I am leaving.

You can explain to them that this will put you into financial difficulty and ask them if you can have an interim payment.

bossymommy

I have been told that they could offer me an advance payment but obviously that will just get taken out of my wages when i do eventually get paid, and so will leave me short anyway. Just feel like theres no way around it :-(. I need to win the lottery!

2791trauts

In my previous job I was paid monthly and worked two weeks in hand. Working a full month in hand does sound unusual but like trevormax I don't know the legalities either I'm afraid.

SailorSam

I'm not sure but i think i've seen something about if if you were unemployed and getting benefits then take a job where you're not paid for the first month , you can still get some benefits. I'm certain someone will come along and either confirm this or tell you i'm talking rubbish.

cazziebo

It's not usual to be paid a week/month "in hand" any more. It used to be the case before there were paid holidays etc.

What is usual is that you are paid "in arrears" You work one week, but are not paid until the end of week 2. It's very unusual for this to be case for monthly paid staff, unless the employee starts after the cut off date for payroll.

Don't listen to your colleagues - get the information directly from your payroll department. If it does turn out to be the case, then if you are going to be facing some hardship ask for an advance of salary.

Horace

I would check with the HR Dept because if you worked a month in hand and the staff are saying that you would get paid at the end of next month then that's two months and not a month. Usually..you work for a month and get paid at the end of the month in which you worked. It maybe that the staff are confused.

CarolynH

I agree with Caz - having worked in payroll for umteen years, it's unusual (but not unheard of) for people to be paid a month in hand. Usually people just misinterpret what being paid 'a month in arrears' means.

Being paid a month 'in arrears' simply means that you work the month then are paid for it at the end of the month.

Check with your payroll department, they'll be able to tell you for certain.

bossymommy

Horace wrote: »

I would check with the HR Dept because if you worked a month in hand and the staff are saying that you would get paid at the end of next month then that's two months and not a month. Usually..you work for a month and get paid at the end of the month in which you worked. It maybe that the staff are confused.

This is what i thought too. Working 2 months in hand does seem a little strange, and yes i think that other staff members may be confused. Will find out for certain tomorrow.

I started the job on the 26th which was pay day for everyone else so hopefully i will get a full months pay on the 26th of this month.

mountainofdebt

bossymommy wrote: »

I started the job on the 26th which was pay day for everyone else so hopefully i will get a full months pay on the 26th of this month.

SNAP,lol !

As I understand it (and have been told by the woman who does the payroll) that I will be paid on 26th Nov for the whole of November plus for the period 26th Oct -31st Oct.

Savvy_Sue

mountainofdebt wrote: »

SNAP,lol !

As I understand it (and have been told by the woman who does the payroll) that I will be paid on 26th Nov for the whole of November plus for the period 26th Oct -31st Oct.

That is what I would do (I don't do payroll, but I do tell payroll what to do!)

Do check that the odd bit is calculated correctly. In our last batch of starters, I managed to miscalculate their payment per shift. Fortunately one of them noticed it and queried it. I've told the one who didn't notice to be VERY nice to her eagle eyed colleague!