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Comment by Apreche | Hacker News Reader

I have a very strict policy. No pay, no work. Only once in the past was it nearly invoked. We'll see if this is the time.

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I made the mistake of doing this once and never again. I ended up deferring almost $20k into stock that never became worth anything. The company went under and I was so low on the list of people getting paid that I got literally $0.

That's a good policy.

Additionally, salaries are usually paid in arrears, which means you already did the work when payday comes so if it does not and you keep on working you're actually going deeper into the red.

I think it's reasonable when the employer is having trouble, but in this case it's the employer's bank, or the employer's payment processor's bank.

I would think it worth working at least Monday, then deciding how to proceed after the banks have opened.

Ultimately I think what matters is whether you think it's only a short delay because of a technical reason. If that's the case, sure keep on as usual but do remind your boss that you were understanding when the time comes.

Not sure about the particulars in the post above about "getting burned with deferred stock" but wages are very high in the priority of creditors. Unless your company essentially goes to zero, or the payroll is so big that insured savings wouldn't cover a pay cycle you should be pretty confident that you (and the government) will get paid. Also news flash: you get paid at the end of the cycle, so you're already working on credit.

I'm generous, so I might give them a week, and certainly Monday, but even if it's not their fault, if they can't get payroll running in a week, it is their problem. What else isn't going to get paid, etc.

Lots of stories about people working without pay start with explainable reasons and end with a huge missing amount.

I support this, but a policy that was never invoked cannot be strict - you will find out when it actually gets tested.

I also have a policy that i will never pay ransom, but 8f it happens, will I?

Have you had to use that policy in a situation where you were a direct employee?

I certainly feel the same way but never put it to the test.

The story of the one time it was almost used. I saw that the direct deposit was an incorrect amount. I communicated the issue and did not go in to work as usual. Turns out it was a payroll error that affected literally everyone. It was swiftly corrected, and I went in late. It did just end up being a one time mistake at that employer.

It was many years ago, but I vaguely remember I was hoping they really messed up so I could go to the beach or something.

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