Would be nice to be paid...(long)

[RichS]

As I mentioned in another thread, I was approved for an extension of my contract with the school I work for. The School Board approved the contract the last week of June. Not an increase in pay, but health insurance, sick/vacation days, and paid holidays - sounds great to me!

To provide health insurance, the school had to make a change of payment companies - the company that provides my pay. There's been nothing but problems with this new company, starting with the enrollment process.

The first part was that, when I was notified that they were ready to start the enrollment process, there was no vacancy listed for the job I was working for. The enrollment process needed one for me to continue. This was on the first week of June; I had to wait until the last week of the month for them to add my job on.

I was finally able to start on the first round of the enrollment process. I started on June 24th, and finished on the 25th. It was like reapplying for my current job - I had to complete an application, with professional references, experience, transcripts, etc. It took me awhile to complete. One of the questions was asked of where the criminal history record info, including fingerprints, where held at. I wrote where they could be found, which was at the school I was originally contracted through; I assumed that they would contact that school's office to retrieve the info.

Was I wrong...After waiting over a week for the second form of documents, I e-mailed them on the 10th, to find out that they were still waiting for 'district approval of (my) affidavit for Approval (based on fingerprints)'

It would seem to me that, after a few days of not getting any response, they would e-mail someone...anyway, the payroll director for the school I work at was able to get that information from the original contracted school and send it the same day. The payroll company sent me the second round of forms (tax info, direct deposit info, and insurance approval), and I had it filled out and sent on the 10th.

OK...so everything's filled out, I should get paid and get sent the insurance forms to fill out soon, right?

Wrong again. I had to send an e-mail to them on the 18th, which would've been when I was supposed to be paid 2 payments (the one missed on the 4th, and this one). I found out that they hadn't pushed forward my paperwork yet.

They put it in the queue, and it was approved. Now, I get paid soon...not.

I went into the superintendent's office to talk to the secretary on an unrelated family issue, and in our conversation, she asked if I had gotten paid yet. When I said no, she called the company into a conference call with her, me and the Personnel director - they and the superintendent were told that I'd get paid on the 4th, no problem, and that since I was salaried, it would be automatic.

When a rep from the payment company got on the line, they told us that, since I was 'hired' by their company on the 18th, as soon as hours were submitted (What? I'm salaried, they shouldn't have to submit hours, it's the same pay every 2 weeks!), my payment would be sent the next pay date...August 1st. Nothing they could do, even when a manager was on the line.

Now, the last pay I had gotten was the last week of June; August 1st would mean I wouldn't have received any pay for over a month. After the call, I let everyone know that I wouldn't be able to make it until then; specifically, I had insurance due that day, and I wouldn't have gas to get to work by the middle of next week. If it wasn't for a free food day, we'd be pretty empty food-wise.

They tried to contact the superintendent, while I waited in my office. A few minutes later, the Business Manager comes into my office. They called the company again, and were able to get a special payment arranged for direct deposit on Tuesday. She was able to give me a school loan for the weekend, which I was able to make the insurance payment last minute.

The last I looked at their payment website, they have me listed as salary, and the gross amount of what I'm supposed to be paid each week, but no approved payment yet. I had to wait to post this, I was so upset...I work for great people, this payment company has me worried, though.

I'm expecting to hear from the superintendent on Monday, I'm sure he'll have something to tell me about any conversation he had with the company, and I know he won't be too happy. If it takes this much effort to get paid, I don't know how much pain I'll have to deal with to get the health insurance I've been contracted for. Guess I'll see on Tuesday.

[TheSHAD0W]

There are likely laws in your state regarding paying employees in a timely fashion, you may wish to look them up.

[bainsidhe]

I agree it's weird. Why would you need to "apply" as if it were a new job application? Payroll companies provide financing, why are they involved in professional references and background checks? The payroll company may be awful to work with, but your organization is responsible for choosing them and setting the rules. Good grief.

[RichS]

I'm confused about why there would be any need to change the payment company in the first place, personally.

From what I was told, the old payment company didn't provide any benefits, while the new payment company does. It's supposed to simplify payments, also, which needs some explaining.

I was originally hired in under a contract from a school that provides tech services to 4 different school districts. Processing my pay involved the school where I work paying the contracting school, then them paying the payment company.

Now, with my contract approved from the school board of where I work, the school directly pays the payment company.

Little bit of an update; I was right, when I talked with the superintendent's secretary this morning, she told me that the superintendent was 'very upset' at the payment company. I'm sure I'll be talking with him this afternoon about the situation.

[sms001]

And I have never seen one organization ... use different 'payment companies' for different levels of employees,

Although I have, you're right about everything else. afaik, payment companies are essentially servitors of the organization hiring them, their 'customers' if you will. Customer company says "Pay this, this and that group on these days at these rates, and the others at these, with deductions for benefits of..." and that's what they're supposed to do. The whole resubmitting/reapplying type paperwork is super-duper strange!

[RichS]

Well, I found out that these third-party companies aren't payroll, they're staffing. That explains a lot.

My situation is a strange one; I'm hired by this new staffing company through the school for the new contract, but I still am administrated partly by the original contracted school's technology director, and partly through the superintendent of the school where I perform duties at. I might want to take a peek at this contract...

Anyway, I knew this was going to be a terrible day. First, there was this smell of death in my office...caused by a dead mouse. Custodian came in and removed it, and sprayed some cleaner - the cleaner is almost as bad as the mouse was!

Second, there was an Internet outage, which took awhile to fix; the Internet provider's switch here at the school was updating.

And, third, no pay. Just finished talking to the superintendent, he's been told that they mailed a paper check today, something to do with the bank needing some letter to authorize direct deposit. Based on their location, it could be here tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.

Good news is that the superintendent is offering to let me have a loan out of his personal account if we need it. Like I've said, I have no problems with the people I work for...

[RichS]

I finally got paid!

Now for the insurance; how come it feels like I've just won a battle, not the war?