Job not paying during tech issue.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

As an aside question on this, talking about labour laws and such. For a Canadian working for a US company like this, which labour laws would come into effect. I am assuming Albertas would as she is based in Alberta but I am not positive on that. Can someone answer that?

That's partially what I am wondering.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Rathji

That's partially what I am wondering.

It would have to be Alberta's laws. For instance, a company in a country that allows child labor couldn't just hire a 11 year old to work for them in Canada. I know that working for my company, an employee has different vacation packages depending on what state they live in (California requires rollover, Texas doesn't).

[Flamenspiel]

No comment

[cam_wmh]

Does she have hte option of working from the company's call centre here in town, in the interim?

[Rathji]

The company has long since not had a call center here. In fact all operations were shut down a year + ago, outsourced to an American company, who now pays about $5 less an hour to its employees than the same, work from home, position did at that time.

Its a good scam.

We have a workaround of using one of our personal computers until they resolve whatever the technical issue is, we are mostly concerned with figuring out if we can get them to pay her or whatever other options.

[oilyfan]

I believe you have three options:

1. Do nothing - this might be an option if your wife really likes her job and doesn't want to create any waves
2. Escalate the problem through the company management to try to find a negotiated settlement. Try to do it in writing with backup, be courteous but firm.
3. File a formal complaint with employment standards detailing the hours worked (with backup). Resolution can take months using this method.

[Locke]

Yeah, based on reading this thread I'd probably go for #2. Try and negotiate a compromise.

Initially I was under the impression that she was a contractor as she was working from home. In which case whatever time she was putting into the project should have been paid for so long as she was innocent of any screwup.

Someone else pretty well summed it up though, if shes working from home get paid for whatever troubleshooting time she went through, presuming the problem is the company's.

Unless this is a really good job, we're talking about minimal money and she feels like taking this one on the chin for the greater good.