Also please keep in mind that this did not come to my attention until they found the problem.
2006-12-06 07:13:08 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I'm not in any way sayin that I don't think the money is owed. What I am saying is I think it is owed by the person who made the mistake.
2006-12-06 07:33:53 · update #1
It is your responsibility no matter when you learned of it. You probably won't have to offer as they will just take it out of your next check.
2006-12-06 07:19:06 · answer #1 · answered by Michael 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ethically, it is your responsiblilty alone. You received compensation that you didn't work for. It is also your responsibility to keep up with how much you should have received. Would you have noticed it if it were reversed and they shorted you? Or would they have had to tell you that also?
Legally, it's their responsiblity to keep proper books, but as we all know, mistakes do happen. Therefore, it is their job to correct the mistake.
In this case, though it was their mistake, since you still work for them, they will probably take it out of your next check. If this will present a problem for you, then maybe you can go to the payroll coordinator and request that they take it out in increments over several checks. Keep in mind though, that they are not required to do that. If you decide to take the money and run (quit before they deduct back), then you have at that point committed a crime called "theft by conversion" or "theft by taking" because you knowingly took something that wasn't yours. If your last check will cover what you owe them, then you'll get nothing or the balance after deduction. If it won't cover it, then they can file charges or take you to civil court - their option.
2006-12-06 15:32:15 · answer #2 · answered by Goyo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is right to pay it back. I assume you work there because you have a reasonable amount of trust in them to get you paid for the job you do for them. So why make yourself look bad, or worse, lose your job, over a few dollars? They may have made the mistake, but you don't have to add one of your own.
2006-12-06 15:25:31 · answer #3 · answered by catarina 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They;ll take it out of your next check on a overpayment or if it is underpayment they'll pay you. That is labor relations law. I worked in payroll for Superior Oil and mistakes are made, there no one without mistakes and they are all corrected.
2006-12-06 15:20:52 · answer #4 · answered by Nicki 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are legally obligated to pay it back, just as the company would legally obligated to pay you back if it were the reverse. Plus, if you went back and looked carefully at all the paperwork that everyone signs at the beginning of every job, chances are somewhere in there you signed an agreement to pay them back in this situation.
2006-12-06 15:24:12 · answer #5 · answered by tabithap 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They will deduct any previous overages from your next paycheck. Unfortunately, it is your responsibility even though the mistake was theirs.
2006-12-06 15:21:23 · answer #6 · answered by Tami C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The money is not yours.
It frightens me to think that you would even have to ask a question regarding what to do with money that is not yours.
2006-12-06 15:22:59 · answer #7 · answered by MikeGolf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is your duty to pay that back. If they had shorted you, wouldn't you feel that they would need to make it up? I know I would.
2006-12-06 15:21:52 · answer #8 · answered by I know for sure 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Too bad for them. If they mess up with a customer, do they demand it back? If they are that concerned about their money, they should pay more attention to how they're paying it out. It isn't your fault they screwed up.
If they shorted you, THAT would also be their problem. It is their responsibility to keep their books properly, not yours.
2006-12-06 15:18:52 · answer #9 · answered by Goose&Tonic 6 · 0⤊ 5⤋
You have to pay it back. They will probably fire you if you refuse.
2006-12-06 15:15:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋