How Can I Get Paid for the Days Before My Official Start Date Was Changed? Seeking Advice

I'm employed by an MNC as a contractor through a consultancy firm (Hyderabad-based), so I receive my salary from the consultancy. I had to relocate to Bangalore from Mumbai for this job. The joining date in the appointment letter was 11th Sept. The consultancy asked me to courier the hard copy of the signed appointment letter and a few other documents, which I did, and to submit any original mark sheet as proof to their Bangalore branch on the 8th of Sept. I got an email from the consultancy with the reporting details at the MNC for the 11th Sept. I met with the manager and my team members on the 11th, and my manager told me that my access hasn't been created yet and that I will be notified when it's done.

After multiple calls to the consultancy and the HR at the MNC, they finally asked me to collect my access card and complete all my joining formalities at the MNC on the 27th Sept. They sent an email with the revised offer letter with the DOJ as 27th Sept, which I still haven't signed or accepted. When I asked the consultancy whether my payroll would start from the 11th as mentioned in the original offer letter, they simply replied saying my DOJ is 27th Sept. So I got paid only for 27th-30th Sept, which I believe should have been 11th-30th Sept. I've escalated this issue with the consultancy multiple times, which was either ignored for weeks or replied stating my DOJ is 27th, and they got paid by the MNC from the 27th. The escalation mail is still in loop and is now in the ignore stage. I wanted to know if there is something that I can do to get paid for the period 11th-26th Sept or at least get paid for my expenses for this period (FYI I wasn't given any relocation assistance).

I met with the manager and my team members on the 11th, and my manager told me that my access hasn't been created yet and that I will be notified when it's done.

Discuss the issue with the person you mentioned. He will be helpful to you as he is the only person who can make the HR record that you have reported him on the date as mentioned by you.

The only thing you really can do is to try and persuade the management to take a fair view and avoid penny-pinching exercises with you. In theory, legal remedies exist, but in practice, the delays and issues that will come up if you take a legal approach make it counterproductive.

Seek a meeting with the HR head and try to convince him.

If you have joined them on September 11 and continuously worked with them (including transfer), you should be paid from September 11 to September 30. You can do the following:

1. Collect all evidence of working during the said period, like attendance records (if possible), mail communication in respect of work with team members and client representatives, etc.

2. Report the matter to your principal employer. They might apply pressure on your contractor to pay you in accordance with the actual date of joining.

3. Escalate the matter to the highest authority in the company with proper details and evidence.

4. Threaten your employer that you would lodge a complaint with the Labour Commissioner.

5. But firstly ensure that your original educational mark sheet is derived from them.

Regards,
Sumeet

Most of the employees give an offer letter to the candidates. After finishing all the joining formalities and checks, they consider that date as the Date of Joining (DOJ) and must inform the same to the associate, which is mandatory.

Note: You are lucky to get an appraisal. If your Date of Joining was October 1st, then you would have lost it. This is a common practice followed by most companies.

Dear LS, one thing is not clear to me—was 11th Sept. the actual date you reported to duty at your office, or was it simply the date by which you were supposed to join? What is the actual date you joined and punched your attendance or fed your biometric attendance? If these are different dates, there should be clarity. You are entitled to a salary from the date you actually reported. Did you submit any joining report, and was it acknowledged? It's normal for there to be a few days' delay in getting your access code or card. Often, attendance is linked to electronic data through biometric or access codes. It's possible the payroll system cannot overlook these electronic data. In short, it's the duty of your reporting manager, lead, or TL to rectify this error. Instead of you directly tackling this issue with your outsourcing agency, your TL or manager should address it with the concerned parties. Presumably, your outsourcing agency might not be pursuing your follow-up due to a lack of authentication from your HOD, TL, or Manager. Please try this route.