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Worked 4 weeks, got paid for two? I don't get the "in hand" system at all.

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  • 12-11-2017 1:59pm
    #1
    UpBack1234
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭


    So I started a job recently and the pay is fortnightly.But I only got paid in week four - for two weeks work.

    What is the rationale behind that? Do I get paid for the other two weeks when I leave the position? What if I leave in 25 years time? I think someone needs to break down this "in hand" system in really simplistic terms for me cos I don't get it tbh.. +Right now I feel like I've done two weeks work for free....


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    #2
    Toots
    Administrators, Business & Finance Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,905 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Toots


    I think they call it "back weeks" or something like that. I had to do it in a retail job one time and yes, I did get it back at the end when I left about a year later.


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    #3
    PMBC
    Registered Users Posts: 1,106 ✭✭✭PMBC


    A friend explained it to me as a way for a business to A hold on to staff who are considering leaving as they are concerned they might not get their two weeks money owed to them and B it generally means two weeks notice to quit; finally C it allows the business to postpone payment of wages upfront.
    IMHO for people who are on a weekly/hourly wage they should be paid weekly.
    Perhaps 'the wheel will turn' as the labour market tightens. Way back then, it was considered that you were almost superior if you were paid monthly - salaried, from the Latin for salt - which is laughable (monthly, not salaried) - at least for the person/business paying.


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    #4
    exaisle
    Registered Users Posts: 2,673 ✭✭✭exaisle


    PMBC wrote: »
    A friend explained it to me as a way for a business to A hold on to staff who are considering leaving as they are concerned they might not get their two weeks money owed to them and B it generally means two weeks notice to quit; finally C it allows the business to postpone payment of wages upfront.
    IMHO for people who are on a weekly/hourly wage they should be paid weekly.
    Perhaps 'the wheel will turn' as the labour market tightens. Way back then, it was considered that you were almost superior if you were paid monthly - salaried, from the Latin for salt - which is laughable (monthly, not salaried) - at least for the person/business paying.

    It might be a bit less sinister than that. It's difficult to work out how much is due to an employee if they're being paid on (say) a Friday and the working week ends on Friday, especially if their hours change from week to week. So, the employer insists on paying a week/fortnight in arrears so any issues with wages can be sorted out more easily.


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    #5
    TheChizler
    Registered Users Posts: 9,412 ✭✭✭TheChizler


    A few places do this if it's not the back week thing. You get paid on week 4 for weeks 1 and 2, paid in week 6 for weeks 3 and 4, and so on. Check your payslip.


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    #6
    GerardKeating
    Registered Users Posts: 7,533 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    UpBack1234 wrote: »
    So I started a job recently and the pay is fortnightly.But I only got paid in week four - for two weeks work.

    What is the rationale behind that? Do I get paid for the other two weeks when I leave the position? What if I leave in 25 years time? I think someone needs to break down this "in hand" system in really simplistic terms for me cos I don't get it tbh.. +Right now I feel like I've done two weeks work for free....

    It is fairly simple,

    At the end of each period (fortnight in your case) you get paid for the previous period.

    At the end of your first fortnight in the company, you got no pay, since you did not work there before you started. At the end of your second fortnight, you got paid for the first fortnight you worked. When you finish working there, you get your final payment two weeks after you leave, but some places might give the double period on the final day.

    This is very common when paid weekly or fortnightly, but tends not to be done when paid monthly.


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