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I recently started working for a new employer. I get paid by the hour and the work hours are not always consistent. A job lasted a lot longer than expected and in fact needed to be finished on a day off.

I am not asking for legal advice or help with my calculations. Given overtime pay, laws regarding minimum amount payable in a day, and a bonus, I would like to "double check" with the manager that he intends to pay me the amount I calculated. My question is what word should I use instead of "double check" as that implies I am not confident in my calculations. I do not want to suggest it's up for debate.

For example I am going to send the email:

On October 1st I worked 8 hours my base pay and 3 more hours at double time rate which sums to... On October 2nd... Plus bonus of...

In total this is $500

Are we on the same page?

How do I conclude the message without "are we on the same page?"

Update: there seems to be confusion with the answer/comments. In addition to over time pay, there was a "bonus" on top of that. The bonus was extra pay for agreeing to work on a day off. Perhaps this confuses some people but if there's a better word please advise.

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  • I personally would just wait for the paycheque to come through and then check it. Is there a reason why you can't do this?
    – Gregory Currie
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 3:46
  • @GregoryCurrie it seems it would be much easier to fix preemptively than wait for a pay cheque with the wrong amount and go back. Also the manager asked what hours we worked on a day, but there was never mention of over time pay even though legally they must pay the over time rate.
    – BitFred
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 3:49
  • Did they ask in person or in writing?
    – Gregory Currie
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 3:50
  • @GregoryCurrie writing, I think it was for official use as they weren't sure how long it would take us to finish the job
    – BitFred
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 3:54
  • @JoeStrazzere required in what sense? It's not required by law but it's required now that it was agreed to in writing. i.e. it was contractually agreed upon
    – BitFred
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 12:16

2 Answers 2

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How to preemptively tell employer what you expect to get paid when there's potential for confusion/miscalculations

There should be no potential for confusion or miscalculation. Your payrate, overtime, and bonus should all already be written into your contract/employment agreement.

If you are required to report your hours worked to your manager then you need to accurately provide this information.

You should already have all of this information, so you need to do the math and wait for your paycheck. If there is some sort of discrepancy you bring it up to the manger. They will either explain why you were wrong, correct the mistake, or ignore the mistake. If you encounter option 2, I would give them one more chance but repeatedly having mistakes with your pay is a huge red flag. If you encounter option 3, I would immediately start looking for a new company to work for.

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First off, I wouldn't call the overtime rate a "bonus", as bonus implies its discretionary.

Personally, I would simply wait for the paycheque to arrive. If they get it wrong, that's just something they'll have to spend time fixing.

If you were inclined to email them before the paycheque, there is no real way to do this without implying you don't trust they'll get it right.

Probably the softest way is to send a follow up email:

Dear X,

Just a follow up regarding the hours worked on October 1st and October 2nd.

I just want to confirm that you've noted that 3 hours on October 1st and 2 hours on October the 2nd were overtime.

For those hours I believe the overtime rate is $xx per hour.

Kind Regards,

BitFred

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  • I wasn't calling the over time rate a bonus, I was calling a bonus a bonus ;)
    – BitFred
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 4:09
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    A bonus is something an employer can chose to pay you or not based on your performance. I believe you said that the overtime rate is a legal requirement.
    – Gregory Currie
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 4:15
  • 1
    Overtime is overtime, and has legal requirements in some jurisdictions (# of hours worked in a week, # of hours worked in a day, breaks, etc.) Bonus is bonus, completely discretionary, and is strictly arbitrary. You generally cannot legally enforce a "bonus" unless it is part of a contract, like a sign-on bonus. Some companies do not provide such bonuses and you can't sue them to get it. If there is no contractual outline of said bonus, it is almost unenforceable.
    – Nelson
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 4:20
  • So basically the employer said "we will pay you an additional $x for coming in on your day off". To my understanding, it's reasonable to call this a "bonus". Just to be clear, are you guys saying if something is considered a bonus they might think they don't have to pay it after agree to?
    – BitFred
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 8:06
  • @BitFred In you question you specify that the overtime rate is mandated by law, and that the was not a "bonus" agreed to. A bonus is typically a lump sum if cash. "If they said: Just get the job done and we'll give you 200 dollars" you could probably call it a bonus. I'd call it a cash incentive. Typically where I am, bonuses are generally discretionary. In this situation, the overtime rate is not a bonus, or cash incentive, it's the rate mandated by law.
    – Gregory Currie
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 16:41

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