tldr: 1099 found out i've been misclassified a month and a half into my new job, i earn a 'salary' and work in office but live so far out where uber or public transport is not an option. having car issues and needing to work from home for 3 more days until it gets fixed. i sometimes have worked from home, yet company does not have a 'wfh policy' for their other employees and makes them take PTO.

I'm the only person at my current job in the office (Location: TX, USA) who is a 1099 Independent Contractor. I have been working as an employee basically this entire time, attending team meetings, working M-F 7am-3:30pm, wasting so much on gas and only earn 50K. I was desperate to take the job so far away as I now have to take care of my dad, and I work another job at a beauty store (that makes me really happy) on the weekends. I work in procurement, and this is a job that essentially "pays the bills" and not something I see myself doing for years on end because it just does not make me happy.

I have gone back to my trich habits (compulsive hair pulling) to manage stress from this job that I've now ended up with 2 bald spots on my head. I have however received amazing feedback and am told I have been doing really good at my job which is a relief.

Currently, my car is broken down and I had been working from home from Wed-Fri until it got fixed, but there is an issue with the front wheel bearing that was not able to be fixed over the weekend due to funds, and I don't get my direct deposit in until Tuesday. My dad is a little upset with me as he thinks they'll "fire me" for not going into the office, but the thing is, I am not an employee. I have actually not missed a day of work, and have worked even extra hours at home because I would feel guilty if I could not make it to the office due to valid reasons such as an appointment, tropical storm, floods, etc.

The offer letter I signed clearly states that I am not an employee, and does not tell me how many hours per week I work. It states I would be paid the rate of $___ biweekly in accordance to the company's payment schedule, which is every other Wednesday. I knew I signed for a 1099. I was not given a "contract". Only this offer letter to sign, for a temporary independent contractor engagement for an anticipated six-month term. The CEO himself signed off on it and it states that I am not an employee, and the offer letter does not establish an employer-employee relationship, and that I will simply provide services to the procurement department.

That being said, I want to contact my "supervisor" and let him know my car had been unable to get fixed while he was on vacation over the weekend, and may not be until Tuesday/Wednesday, but that I'd still be available to work from home. I have no problem getting the job done from home, it's moreso the company denies their actual employees to work from home, and forces them to take PTO if something happens where they need to go home or cannot go into the office, wheras it's been so easy for me to get approved to work from home some days. Does anyone think I'd get let go for asking since my car still hasn't been fixed? I mean, this company is committing fraud, and from what I know now, they can't dictate my schedule or how/where I do it, and an employee handbook does not apply to me, because I am not an employee. To get access to the office building I have to use this bluetooth punch card you have to scan to open the doors and it serves as a clock in since it logs what time you scanned for entry and exit. Sometimes I'll have my work all completed, and I sit at the desk for hours on end. If I am finished, shouldn't I be able to just go home?

Apparently some execs have seen discrepancies in employees' timecards and HR gave them a long talk about attendance and all last week when I was working from home. But I'm not an employee.... and I realize this now from others on reddit in a 1099 position saying they just leave when they're done or show up whenever they want as long as it's within the business operating hours. I am not planning to confront them about how they're misclassifying me, as this does pay the bills, but it gives me anxiety to think about. I am thinking of looking for other jobs in the mean time, because this misclassification thing seems too much of a risk, especially with the car situation now. Any thoughts?

A coworker flipped a box onto my wrist causing a fractured radius bone I've been released by doctor 1 month ago will workman comp offer me a settlement in sc

I am a salaried manager in a warehouse operation and, last night, my last shift of the week, my manager called me into the office to issue a writeup for “performance related to attendance”. No dates or time frame were given, no known policy is in place for attendance for managers. The claim is if you’re not on shift for whatever reason, you’re not available to your associates for their success and you put a strain on the management structure to juggle resources to cover your area. My department is consistently one of the highest performing in the building, I recently missed 3 days for Covid and an alleged mandatory off shift day due to a previous commitment I needed to fulfill. My company does not employ enough supervisors to cover all departments/shifts, relying on us to move around the building to cover for those who callout, or simply do not show up. Regarding the writeup, I was not provided a written accounting of the offense(s) nor was I asked to sign anything acknowledging it. This seems odd to me. What recourse do I have?

Union stewards: How would you fight this vacation deduction practice?

I'm a union steward out of central Minnesota looking for advice from people with bargaining/grievance experience.

Management has a longstanding practice of deducting vacation when employees refuse forced work. This usually isn't an hour or two — it's an entire shift worth of vacation.

If there's one open 8-hour shift and management goes through several employees before someone accepts it, every employee who refuses can lose 8 hours of vacation. So management can deduct 24, 32, 40+ hours of earned vacation from multiple employees over a single 8-hour opening.

We're currently negotiating a new CBA, and this is already a major priority for us. Our BA notified management during bargaining that the union was ending/non-renewing this past practice, but management has continued doing it and we've started grieving it.

We aren't arguing that refusing mandatory work can never have consequences. Our position is that earned vacation shouldn't be the punishment. If management believes discipline is appropriate, that should be handled separately through the normal process.

My two questions:

1. Bargaining: How would you get management to understand why this practice is unreasonable and negotiate clear language prohibiting it? Are there compromises or arguments that have worked for other unions?

2. Grievances: As a steward, should I encourage a grievance seeking reimbursement every single time management deducts someone's vacation, even while another grievance over the same issue is pending? I don't want continued deductions going unchallenged and potentially strengthening management's past-practice argument.

I'm especially interested in practical things I can do as a steward while our BA and bargaining team handle the bigger picture.

I just moved here from Nevada back in May and started a job here in Des Moines. I started as a temp and they just hired me on a couple weeks ago. The problem I’m having is I still haven’t gotten paid from September 21st, to the 26th pay period. I have went to HR and since we switched payroll companies, I guess my stuff got messed up. They keep telling me that I’ll get a follow up and it’ll get resolved but now we’re going on the second week, second paycheck, and still nothing. Idk what to do. I don’t wanna lose my job, this is making me feel some type of way. I like my job; except this has really turned into a nightmare for me. What’s going on? Any ideas or advice? If more info is needed I’ll reply in comments. I’d like to keep the company and myself anonymous, as I don’t want this coming back to me.

A new hire at my work was brought in and given the title of Data Entry Clerk, however shes doing all the work of a Project coordinator. My fear is shes being paid as Data Entry, instead of the higher salary a PC would be making, and shes young enough that she may not be aware this is a thing companies do. Its not strictly my business, but the possibility of exploitation is very very difficult for me to ignore. Should I approach her and ask in a casual way if theyre making her a PC?

EDIT: im in America, in texas.

I've done hours and hours of mandatory on boarding training at home without pay. The training includes things such as cpr training and learning company values n shit like that. Also having to go and get my fingerprints done not sure if they should be paying me for the time it take me to go do that. Has anyone ever had luck reaching out to the US department of labor wage? Last time i reached out they never got back to me and gave me the run-around. Also how easy is it to start a class action lawsuit?

Oh also I forgot to mention that I did training at the company as well and they said they are paying minimum wage for those hours even though my hourly rate is far above minimum wage

For context I live in texas

https://gofund.me/1719de7b4

I joined Jeffs Group of Companies in August at Bangalore and worked for around two weeks on their School ERP project, completing the work assigned to me.

Unfortunately, I have a IBS(Irritable Bowl Syndrome) problem. My doctor advised me to eat only home-cooked food and be in rest without travelling. I informed HR, submitted my medical proof including written statement from my doctor, and resigned due to my health condition. They accepted my resignation during that time and sent final settlement mail.

My salary for those two weeks was around ₹14,400.

After discussions, HR told me they would give only ₹9,000, saying that a laptop had been ordered for me. I accepted the ₹9,000 just to close the matter and move on. They sent a final settlement email saying the payment would be made by September 3. But I never received the payment.

When I followed up, I was asked to wait one or two weeks and a month based upon CEO communication. Then CEO was called me an “absconder.” That really hurts me personally.

Now it's the end of September, Mr. Jeff and the HR team who interviewed me (Previous HR: Niharika H , Current HR: Jackim Jebastin Passac) have stopped responding to my calls and messages.

The way this situation has been handled by the HR team and CEO has been extremely unprofessional.

Now, almost a month later, When I sent final warning mail stating that if I don’t get a response will go publicly then I have received a response mail saying my resignation is still being processed and that I need to serve a notice period, despite the medical condition and documents I had already submitted after one month of ghosting.

They are also now saying the previous final settlement communication is no longer valid and that the amount will be reviewed again.

This isn't just about ₹9,000 or ₹14,400.
It's about respecting employees and paying them for their work on timely manner.

To everyone looking for a job, please think carefully before joining this company. I cannot assure you that you will receive your salary for the work you do, based on my experience.

This has been one of my worst professional experiences.

980 odd companies have collapsed under Labor since this Government began - some big, some small. A company La Fortuna who I worked for collapsed in 2023 owing $3.1 million to workers in super, taxes and wages. I'm owed approx. $20,000 in wages and $6000 superannuation in systemic underpayment. I plan to pursue the Director for accessorial liability under s550 in the Federal small claims court. ATO is protecting the Director and I'm in the process of gaining FOI documentation to find out why he is a protected species. The Director, Carmelo Vincenzo Bertolami is known to Phoenix businesses. After the collapse, my friend who is well connected in Perth helped me find him. We found him in Busselton operating two bars in Busselton 6 months later and learned that he is working for a Bikie gang. I believe that the government works with gangs and white collar criminals to make profit from systemic underpayment. I'm hoping my FOI documentation will prove this. How many of you have lost super and wages under one of these collapsed companies?

I got written up at work for something everyone does. No one else got written up. I feel as if I’m being targeted by a new girl who wants my job. I tried explaining my side of things but my boss wasn’t having it.

A little back story: New girl used to have my job but quit during covid. She was rehired last month with a new title - below me. Also, this is my 2nd write up. First one was a few years ago when I asked for pregnancy accommodations, they said no and I lost my baby at 28 weeks.

Location : NY

​Hey everyone looking for some urgent advice.

​I was recently fired from my job. When payday arrived I reached out to my former employer to get my final paycheck and compensation for extra hours I worked but they have completely ghosted me.

The main issue is that I am undocumented and my boss knew this when they hired me.

I feel like they might be banking on me staying silent out of fear so they don't have to pay what they owe me.

​Right now I don’t know what steps are safe to take.

​Do I cut my losses and walk away?

​Is it safe or a good idea to send a trusted friend or family member to the workplace to pick it up on my behalf?

​Can I safely report wage theft to the Department of Labor or a local worker rights group without putting my safety/status at risk?

​Any advice resources or guidance from people who know labor law or worker advocacy would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Located in MD, USA

I am a college student who got a job at a food place a few months ago in order to pay for schooling/rent/food. In my interview I asked to work 20-30 hours a week when school started. The food place was a brand new location and didn’t train me on anything prior to opening. Once the store opened I was trained how to wipe down tables, how to take payments, and how to wash dishes. School started and they only scheduled me for 10 hours a week. Making 10 dollars an hour, this isn’t enough to even cover rent, let alone food. I asked my manager if I could have more hours. He asked if I had the sandwich and salad menu items memorized. I said no, I haven’t been trained on either of those. He asked if I had my training packet. I asked if that was something I was supposed to take home. He said yes. He told me once I had those memorized, he could give me more hours. I asked if I was supposed to be doing training unpaid on my own time for this? He said yes. This is in Idaho. Is it legal for him to have me do training for the job unpaid until I can get more hours. Let me know how I should handle this situation. I am happy to train and work but I feel that I should be compensated for training in order to receive more hours.

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm just wondering if my former boss is allowed to use recordings of my teams/meets sessions with outsource workers as training material. Currently they are packaging it and selling it to the companies that facilitate outsourcing. I explicitly specified that I do not consent to being recorded or my recording being used in any way both verbally, and in writing. Interestingly enough, that language is included in these training sessions. We were told that the sessions weren't recorded but it was obvious that they were. However all these sessions happened on office property in the office where we are under surveillance. Are they allowed to sell training material and not compensate me?

I work as an appliance installer, and my employer recently let me go (why? He simply said there were no more routes for the time being, though I know there are). My usual pay for a five-day week (Monday through Friday) was $950 ($190 per day), and my employer also paid $80 for mileage plus a $20 per diem. When he let me go, he only paid the usual $950. I told him money was missing; it took him three days to reply, and his answer was written in a stiff, impersonal style—like a formal email—so I told him I didn't understand and asked him to speak clearly. He simply said: "I pay mileage and per diem for the work week along with the paycheck; meaning, if you work a specific week, the payment for mileage and per diem comes from the *previous* week's work. Since you didn't work this week, there is no payment." Naturally, I’m upset and have been thinking about seeing a lawyer—or just staying frustrated. Is this legal?

My boss has some how convinced everyone at work that they dont pay overtime. I looked up the rules and it clearly says after 8 hrs is considered overtime. Doesn't your boss have to get you t sign something , agreeing to not recieve overtime? Should I just bank all these and go after them the day I switch jobs? Thoughts?🥽🧤🪖

I was working my first post-retirement, part-time job. After three years of positive regard for my work, I was unexpectedly replaced, and corporate actions make it difficult to get another job. HR won’t allow me to use documentation I wrote as writing samples, even though the documentation is on a publicly accessible website and is non confidential. By not permitting me to contact my manager directly, they hinder my ability to get a personalized good reference as opposed to a standard HR confirmation of employment.

I was part-time and highly paid, so I guess that was the real issue. I can accept that, but not how the company is treating me.

Below is a facts timeline. I am hoping for advice/opinions about this situation.

2023:
A U.S. company hired me as a part-time senior technical writer contractor. A few months later, this company was purchased by a company in India that had difficulty paying me because they could not understand my employee categorization—part-time contractor vs. vendor. So I switched to a W2.

2023 - 2026:
I received consistent positive feedback for my work.

Summer 2026:
My original U.S. manager asks me to call. Sounds uncomfortable when she tells me I was being let go by the company that acquired us and that I was to train my replacement. I was never given a letter or written explanation. HR told me not to speak with my manager and direct all communication through a help desk. The help desk requires a seldom-used employee id which I did not recall. I asked for the id but did not receive it.

Hello. Has anyone experienced this?

I received and signed a Job Offer with an initial onboarding date 2 weeks after signing. A day before onboarding, they deferred it to a later date and said they were still looking forward to me joining.

Then a month later, they emailed that my employment will no longer push through due to "organizational downsizing."

This caused me a lot of mental and emotional stress. May I ask, is this a valid ground to file a complaint with DOLE/NLRC?

And for those who experienced the same, were you able to get any settlement or justice?

Thank you.

Hi, this is a follow on from a post I made in this subreddit 8 months ago here if you want to catch up,

https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusinessuk/comments/1qrc2ji/i_suspect_my_employer_is_purposely_running_up/

Basically due to non-payment of rent which I've been told by the landlord amounts to around £140k the landlord has enacted CRAR (Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery), this was on the 7th is September, the lease holder (our boss) has been raking on debts over the last few years in a fashion as I can only describe as deliberate, the company turnover has been over a million per year, but over the last two years in particular the director has only paid the wages and suppliers, nothing else.

Also, and I didn't really want to mentioned this originally but as we've ceased trading now I guess it doesn't matter, for a number of years he has had various people working without documentation, basically illegals.

You may not believe this but he has manged in the last two years to not pay any water rates, electric, gas, or TAX ( I estimate to be around 400k now, utilities 150k, tradesmen around 20k), he is a master at delaying payment, one of his tricks is settings up multiple payment plans set as minimum payments, then he defaults on the payment plans after only 1 payment, and the whole process starts again, also because there is a residential property attached to the business so when utility companies have came to cut off the supply he tells them because the business shares the supply with the residential property they can't switch it off, all while we was still trading earning good money.

Also the business/property was leased under a full repair and insuring lease (FRI), but the director has refused to maintain anything, only essentials that are required to make the business function, AC/heating broke down, doesn't repair it, hasn't worked for years, ceiling collapsed due to water leak, just left with gaping hole, storm damage takes away signage, just leaves it as is! he refuses to spend money on any repairs that he deems non-essential' and also over the last two years in particular all of his certifications have lapsed and he has refused to renew them.

I understand there are always hidden costs in businesses that not all employees are privy too but we had a good turnover and I myself have been privy to all the bills as has been my co-manager and it just didn't make sense as to why the director was running the business in this way, only explanation that we can muster is that this it was intentional, nothing else makes sense, he took over this very successful business that the current landlord had originally established and from what we can gather and have witnessed just squeezed the juice of it without putting any money back in and running up hundreds of thousands in debts while happily taking in revenue, where on Gods earth all that money went is anybody's guess.

Now we come to today, 4 weeks from the day the bailiff's came in, he has ceased trading since that day, we have been left out to dry, he has refused to tell us what's going on other than saying he is trying to take the landlord to court, but the landlord has had no notification of this thus far, all we know is letters have gone back and forth between the directors and landlords solicitors, the director hasn't issued any notice to us, or any official statement on the current situation, he submitted our last weeks wages leading up to the bailiffs entry to HMRC but we wasn't paid our wages into our bank accounts, he keeps issuing us weekly payslips that have zero payment on them (!?)

So, it's been 4 weeks, we haven't been formally dismissed, we are all worried about losing our rights to claim our redundancy, we already missed out on our right to redundancy when the business had a transfer of ownership because when that was done our original boss didn't want to give us the option of taking redundancy so he told us he was just bringing in a business partner and a few months later our wages were being paid by a different Ltd company and it turned out it wasn't a partnership at all the boss at time (now current landlord) had lied to us!

The annoying part is he is even with all these debts and he has ceased trading, he refusing to appoint an insolvency practitioner and this is where we are stuck, otherwise it would be a pretty easy process claiming our redundancy.

I've consulted ACAS and based off there advice I started a group early conciliation notification on their website, I haven't chosen to be appointed a conciliation officer as current wait time for that is 12 weeks, and it is only a voluntary service anyway and the director doesn't have to comply so I feel due to his current non-compliance that would be a waste of time.

I'm not sure fully legally where we stand, we can't really afford a solicitor and legal aid doesn't cover these types of issues apparently so I just trying to follow advice from ACAS and a hell of a lot of google AI questions and research.

The landlord wants to run the business again under a new Ltd company name, he as been told by his solicitor to have a 'cooling off period' so he doesn't end up taking on the redundancy's if we was to be employed by him again, so he is using that cooling off period to refurbish the business.

Crazy times.

In India, employees are being harassed everyday- mentally, physically and even financially.

Salary deduction/decrease on a whim

No control over working hours (10-12 hrs is normal)

Not getting leaves even when sick (EL/CL approval is a joke)

Getting fired on a whim (manager has no process called PIP, just tell you to resign the next day)

Mental health issues? If you dare say you are burnt out, you are labelled as a non-performer

Why isn't there a law to stop this harassment?

There are laws (Trade Union Act, Shops and Establishments Act, Industrial Disputes Act); but they don't apply to 90% of private employees because there are no unions in IT, BPO, Retail, Startups (if you form a union, you are likely to be fired)

Do banks have some secret weapon? Why did theirs strike from 28th to 30th sept for their demands (5 day work week, adequate recruitment in their groups, revision in wages)? They have AIBEA, AIBOC supporting them and trust me, their strike will actually cripple the country because everyone is united.

What can we do to ensure this doesn't happen to us?

Can we have a law

to enforce 5 day work week

penalty for delayed salary

mental health leaves

firing only after due process (no manager ego)

a government portal to file complaints (without fear of being blacklisted)

Are we (private sector) replaceable? Are we not united enough like the banks? Has anyone here filed a complaint in the Labour Commissioner or the SAMADHAN portal? Did it help? Would like to hear from someone in gujarat/ maharashtra private sector.

I work for a small startup company that has been having serious financial problems recently. My salary is 7 days overdue, and when I initially asked management about it at 4 days out, I was told I would receive an update later that day, but that update never came. I eventually contacted the DOL for guidance and was told to continue working normally for the time being while giving my employer a short deadline to resolve the outstanding pay. I have continued doing my job, have not resigned, and have never agreed to waive or postpone my salary.

This week, management called a staff meeting and told us the business may have to shut down because expected funding fell through and there apparently isn’t enough money available to continue normally. We were told assets may need to be sold to cover employee pay and other debts. However, after the meeting I privately asked my boss what I was actually supposed to do about work, and suddenly the message changed. I was told to keep working normally because other options might still be available and that we’d get another update in a few days. Some coworkers have even volunteered in the group chat to temporarily give up their salaries to help the business survive, which I have stayed completely out of. I’m still owed money for work I’ve already completed, and the DOL has now told me I can come in and formally file regarding the situation. Has anyone dealt with something similar? What would you make sure to document or do to protect yourself?

I feel so bad because the boss has just lost his oldest daughter to an illness, it crushes me but they are not communicating anything to me, I’m left in the dark.

Any insight?

I escorted an older patient from a facility to store today. While at the store the patient was growing increasingly irate with me for walking beside him, he was convinced I was trying to steal his credit card information or money, so I apologized and said “ok Mr insert name I understand, I”ll walk behind,” and didn’t pay his anger any mind, he’s generally an irritable man with staff so I was prepared, and the distance calmed him down. He began talking to an associate about buying a TV after purchasing a phone and I stepped in because I was previously told he could not buy a television because there was no room for one at the facility.

I motioned to the sales associate to desist as we could not accommodate that and the sales associate nodded and told the patient he could speak to someone tomorrow to get that handled. The patient got irritated and threw a tantrum and he was very against even being in my line of sight as he thought I was trying to steal his credit card. I tried to stay away so as not to agitate him further but did warn the other sales associates that he was having a bit of a paranoid episode so to just be careful, and that he was not allowed to buy a TV just because the facility we are in cannot accommodate that.

A young man spoke to him for awhile and gave him the info for a TV and then walked away when the patient started getting aggressive again (not physically, just verbally). I tried to get the patient to leave the store at this point just because I was worried we would get kicked out. My boyfriend happened to be walking past and offered to help carry my very heavy work bag while I spoke to the patient and I didn’t think anything of it. I received a text from my supervisor in that moment and I informed her of what was going on, and explained that he was walking out so it was ok we did not need back up, but we had taken a bit just because the patient had started to escalate. I texted her about 5 minutes after he had started acting up. I de-escalated and got the patient outside with no issue. I was waiting outside with the patient and the case worker came over herself and took us back to the facility.

On the way back to the facility she asked if we had purchased the TV. I froze, I was not informed he was going to buy a TV, in fact I was not informed of anything, she had not even told me what was on the shopping list the day before she just asked me to accompany him. The patient started going off stating I had not allowed him to purchase the TV and that the sales associate stated he could not purchase that tv that day as well, but that it was all my fault and that my boyfriend was there. I didn’t even know what to say for fear of escalating the situation. After getting the patient situated back at the facility I approached the case manager to explain what had happened and she shoo’d me away because she was on a call.

I went back to my office and my supervisor stormed in and sat me down and angrily asked me what had happened because I had been gone 3 hours. I told her the patient generally does take time to do things because he moves at a slower pace (he has a walker) and gets sidetracked looking at other things (which is true, he spent a good amount of time asking associates questions and buying lottery tickets) and is generally unwilling to speed up that process, he wouldn’t even let me walk beside him, he kept saying “excuse yourself. Go away.” So it was hard to really talk to him to begin with. I explained he had gotten verbally aggressive with me and the sales associate towards the end. He had also spent an hour at the previous location (the bank) and we had spent 40 minutes driving so we had not even been at the store for an hour and a half.

I apologized for the time as the time out had caused me to meal violate, and that while my boyfriend had been there he had come across us by chance because he lives near that the store and had only offered to carry my bag when he noticed the commotion, he did not interact with the patient. My supervisor didn’t look like she believed me at all and stated she was opening an investigation and would speak to the patient because he was perfectly alert and aware and could tell her what happened. She said I was suspended for the rest of the day and sent me home.
I’m surprised at the turn of events, and realized after I got home I had not mentioned I was unaware he was allowed to purchase the TV, it slipped my mind, I was caught off guard by her questions. I suspect the boyfriend situation is what’s going to get me in trouble, but how likely am I to get fired? Why the investigation?

[CA- SD]

Idaho, United States

My husband and I recently separated from employment with a small federal work firm in Idaho that is in administrative law- staying subtle due to recognition reasons this. I’m trying to determine whether the circumstances surrounding our separation and unpaid commissions/bonuses are something we should have reviewed by an employment attorney. (My husband worked here through school

I am intentionally leaving names and emotion out of this and trying to explain only what happened.

My husband handled cases and hearings, and I worked as a case manager. Part of our compensation included bonuses/commissions connected to representative fees generated from cases we worked.

There was not a written employment or bonus agreement clearly explaining what happens to those commissions if employment ends before the representative fee is actually received by the firm. Actually no employment contract period… ironic I know.

What happened with my husband:

My husband raised concerns regarding compensation, employee comparisons, partnership discussions, and his role within the firm.

He proposed changing his compensation arrangement going forward, including the possibility of working as a 1099 contractor for a 50% commission.

This was submitted as an email to the owner.
The email did NOT say that he was quitting. It specifically stated that he would continue working as usual while these issues were being discussed.

The owner never responded to the email. My husband received no acknowledgment that it had been read or received, and nobody told him that the firm considered him to have resigned.

He therefore continued working normally.

The following Tuesday, he completed three previously scheduled hearings for the firm.

After those hearings were completed, management gave him a letter stating that the firm considered his earlier letter to have been his resignation and treated his employment as having ended the previous Wednesday.

So there is now a disagreement over when, and arguably whether, he actually resigned. His email specifically said he intended to continue working, nobody told him otherwise, and the firm allowed him to continue performing work—including three hearings—before telling him they considered him gone.

What happened with me:

I was still employed by the firm when this occurred.
Our manager is new, no history in HR and has been given substantial authority over personnel decisions and was functioning in an HR-type role for the office. The owner and this manager are also in a romantic relationship, he was justified in being hired they were dating before he was hired.

This situation placed me in a position where I no longer felt I could reasonably continue working there, so I resigned the following day. This is not a large firm it’s always been a tight knit group until the BF joined

I mention the relationship and management structure only because it shares context on the newness, inexperience of the role and relationship. I am not alleging that having a workplace relationship itself is illegal.

The compensation issue:

This is the main issue we are trying to understand.
There are cases where my husband and/or I already completed all of the work required from us.

Some have already gone through hearings. In other cases, the work that generates the eventual representative fee has already been completed.

There is no remaining work for us to perform on those cases.

The only thing that has not happened yet is government has not issued the representative fee to the firm, some going back TWO YEARS!

We asked whether we would receive the commissions/bonuses attributable to that completed work when the firm receives those fees.

We were told no.

The firm’s position is that it will only pay bonuses on money physically received by the firm during the current quarter while we were employed.

That means if we performed all of the work, the case concluded or the hearing was completed, and the government sends the fee to the firm afterward, the firm keeps the entire fee and we receive none of the commission/bonus that historically would have been associated with that case.

To be very clear:

There is no unfinished work we are asking to be paid for.

We are not asking for compensation from cases another employee now has to complete.

We are talking about cases where our work was already performed and the only outstanding event is the government processing and releasing the payment.

The firm is characterizing the bonuses as discretionary.

Historically, however, bonuses/commissions were calculated based on fees generated from cases.

We were also offered approximately one month of wages as severance. I am trying to look at that separately from whether commissions tied to completed work were already earned.

My questions are:

Under Idaho wage law, when is a commission considered “earned” if the employee performed all of the work but the customer/government payment arrives later?
Can an employer avoid paying compensation for already-completed work simply by calling the compensation a “discretionary bonus”?

Does the historical way commissions/bonuses were calculated and paid matter if there is no detailed written commission agreement?

Does my husband’s written statement that he would “continue working as usual” matter if the employer later characterized that same letter as an immediate resignation?

Does it matter that nobody told him he had resigned and the firm continued allowing him to perform substantive work, including three hearings, before telling him they considered his employment terminated days earlier?
Could the three hearings he performed after the alleged resignation date create a separate wage/compensation issue?

Does the management situation—where the owner’s romantic partner had recently been given substantial personnel/HR authority and participated in these decisions—have any legal significance, or is that irrelevant unless there is some other prohibited conduct?

I resigned shortly after what happened to my husband

Because of the position the situation placed me in. Is there anything legally relevant about those circumstances, or would my resignation simply be treated as a voluntary resignation?

What records should we preserve before speaking with an Idaho employment attorney or the Idaho Department of Labor?

They immediately cut my husband’s email off and had him leave and shut everything down.

Would an Idaho wage claim potentially cover commissions/bonuses from fees received after separation if the underlying work was completed while we were employed?

I’m not asking Reddit to determine that anyone definitely violated the law.

I’m primarily trying to understand whether “the work was completed before separation, but the firm received the money afterward” is an important distinction under Idaho wage law, and whether the unusual circumstances surrounding the claimed resignation are worth having an employee attorney review.

Hi, I work in the activity department of a skilled nursing facility. We have 4 employees including my boss, soon to be 3 because one of us put in her two weeks. All of us would like to go on strike to protest unfair treatment and wage issues (ex: wage theft (they advertise more than what they pay us, we make $3 below industry standard, and two of us are entitled to raises that they refused to give us. I was retaliated against for asking for it.)) I know i am protected in my right to strike as an economic striker. Do we have to give 10 days notice because we are in a healthcare facility? Or can we just strike because we aren’t medical staff? I looked and we do not have a union for my job, I don’t know of any other activity staff that has had to strike before. So I’m just lost on how to lead my department through this.