You’re hired to do a specific job at a certain pay rate. Perhaps your employer says that you’ll be paid $30 an hour, and you’re excited to take the job. It’s going to pay you enough to accommodate your budget and it seems like a good fit based on the work required.
But after a few days, your employer is unhappy with your work. Perhaps they say that the quality isn’t what they expected or that you haven’t been productive enough. They tell you that they’re going to pay you less than $30 an hour. They’re just cutting your pay because they are dissatisfied with the results.
Now, you may honestly believe that you have done a great job and think that your employer’s statements are unfair. But, whether they are fair or not, is it legal for your employer to cut your pay just because they do not like the job that you’ve done?
Pay reductions only work forward
No, your employer cannot cut your pay in this situation. If you’ve already put in the hours, you have to be paid the rate that you agreed to when you took the job. It doesn’t matter if your employer believes you have done a good job or not. They don’t get to decide how much they’re going to pay you based on the perceived quality of your work.
That being said, if they feel your production numbers are too low or something of this nature, they could reduce your pay moving forward. They could tell you that, from now on, you’ll be making $25 an hour instead of $30 an hour. This gives you a chance to decide if you want to keep the job at a lower pay rate. But they can’t cut that rate if you’ve already worked those hours.
If you feel that you have experienced wage theft or other illegal actions by your employer, take the time to look into your legal options.
