This story stinks like a rotting fish. In no way, shape or form did she not discuss pay. She's lying and it'll definitely bite her in the a$$.

This is going to blow up and might have legal ramifications beyond returning the excess pay.

There's zero way for her employer to claw this back. If some loser in HR says she needs to pay it back, all she needs to do is say "Nope."

I had am employer tell me to repay moving costs many years ago when I left after then moved me, but they had no basis to make that demand.

Whether or not she is "legally" required to keep the money, it's just really concerning behavior not to have inquired the first month. It indicates guilty knowledge...she suspected an error and hoped to get away by coasting.
It is no way to "keep your hand in" at work. Eventually if it is a mistake, managers will not trust her and will not continue a cordial relationship with her. And will give a cold but unactionable response if asked for a reference in the future.
What else does she pocket because she can get away with it? Other people's deliveries made to the wrong house? Wallets she finds in the street?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she still an employee? Or a contractor? Did she terminate? Does she even know?

As a contractor she could be charging $1000 an hour.
But she may have to pay back a lot of money. Does she get pay statements?

She is still an employee

Oh and she gets her regular salary pay stubs

If the paystub is saying she worked 80 hours then she is obviously going to have to repay it.

This. I’d check what is written on the paystubs. If it’s showing that she worked 2 hours a week but she’s getting the same amount, I wouldn’t worry about it. The company is free to pay her what they want. If the want to pay her full salary for 2 hrs of work, that’s their choice. So long as she is recording her hours correctly, she’s fine.

+1

Hourly work is silly anyway.

If they are willing to pay her this much, so be it. Why should she be excoriated for not saying something instead of someone who made the trot in the first place?

And since pay was not discussed, maybe this is what they want to pay her.

This would stress me out and I would clarify with my boss or HR. It could come back to bite her otherwise

I mean she's a salary employ and getting her salary which they did not inform her was being reduced. I would be nervous about the other shoe dropping but I don't feel like she's doing anything wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she still an employee? Or a contractor? Did she terminate? Does she even know?

As a contractor she could be charging $1000 an hour.
But she may have to pay back a lot of money. Does she get pay statements?

She is still an employee

Oh and she gets her regular salary pay stubs

If the paystub is saying she worked 80 hours then she is obviously going to have to repay it.

This. I’d check what is written on the paystubs. If it’s showing that she worked 2 hours a week but she’s getting the same amount, I wouldn’t worry about it. The company is free to pay her what they want. If the want to pay her full salary for 2 hrs of work, that’s their choice. So long as she is recording her hours correctly, she’s fine.

Yeah. WAS she doing timesheets and if so, did she put in 2 hours or correct the prefilled one showing 40? Something seems fishy here, OP.

This is a fair point, but plenty of companies have systems that don't really require any action on the part of the employee. My paystub auto-fills 40 hours each week and I don't have to approve, acknowledge or even sign into the system. It just automatically pays me for a full week unless I proactively go in and change it. Not sure sis is on the hook if that's what is happening.

Sis is on the hook to BE proactive and look and SAY something first time she got that full pay amount.
Come on, if it were reversed and she got less than she expected, would she stay silent for 4 months?

No one is arguing that OPs sister is in the right, but the question is about whether she could be required to pay back the money. A morally upstanding person would do as you suggest and alert the company to what is most likely an oversight. But at the end of the day she probably has no legal obligation to do so and is not required to point out their mistake.

Anonymous wrote:Unless they specifically told her that she would be receiving a different salary under her new work schedule, or gave her a letter/agreement that has a different salary, I don’t see how she would be required to pay back what she’s received.

And she never confirmed that ever in 4 months despite being in contact every week. Sure.

Unless they specifically told her that she would be receiving a different salary under her new work schedule, or gave her a letter/agreement that has a different salary, I don’t see how she would be required to pay back what she’s received.

Anonymous wrote:Paystub says:
Pay period dates
semi-monthly pay frequency
regular earnings
gross pay
Deductions
net pay
YTD earnings
PTO balance

And the numbers are...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she still an employee? Or a contractor? Did she terminate? Does she even know?

As a contractor she could be charging $1000 an hour.
But she may have to pay back a lot of money. Does she get pay statements?

She is still an employee

Oh and she gets her regular salary pay stubs

If the paystub is saying she worked 80 hours then she is obviously going to have to repay it.

This. I’d check what is written on the paystubs. If it’s showing that she worked 2 hours a week but she’s getting the same amount, I wouldn’t worry about it. The company is free to pay her what they want. If the want to pay her full salary for 2 hrs of work, that’s their choice. So long as she is recording her hours correctly, she’s fine.

Yeah. WAS she doing timesheets and if so, did she put in 2 hours or correct the prefilled one showing 40? Something seems fishy here, OP.

This is a fair point, but plenty of companies have systems that don't really require any action on the part of the employee. My paystub auto-fills 40 hours each week and I don't have to approve, acknowledge or even sign into the system. It just automatically pays me for a full week unless I proactively go in and change it. Not sure sis is on the hook if that's what is happening.

Sis is on the hook to BE proactive and look and SAY something first time she got that full pay amount.
Come on, if it were reversed and she got less than she expected, would she stay silent for 4 months?

Paystub says:
Pay period dates
semi-monthly pay frequency
regular earnings
gross pay
Deductions
net pay
YTD earnings
PTO balance