I've always wanted to share this story with someone but I felt guilty about it for so long, until I found this wonderful sub full of like minded people. I thought you would appreciate this one.
Around 5 years ago, the company I had been with for ten years put me on a PIP. I won't get into all the details, but essentially they had to let two employees go and I was an easy target. I was devastated. I saw the writing on the wall, started looking for new jobs and was inevitably let go.
Because of my years of service, they offered me a much lower paying position in a different department. I accepted, figuring some income would be better than none until I found something better. I could keep my hefty PTO balance and tenure at least.
First paycheck came at my old salary rate. Second paycheck came, same rate. Third, same rate. I said nothing to anyone. The paychecks kept coming, I was barley working. Because they never changed me from salary, I called in sick pretty much three times a week. I took long vacations. When I did work, I did my best to do nothing. For a full year, I did really nothing and just kept getting paid my old rate.
They eventually figured it out and I got a phone call from payroll and HR. I played dumb. They talked about an over payment and how they would deduct from future checks. I told them if they did that I would get a lawyer. I refused to admit to any wrong doing. They corrected my pay scale and I quit that same day. I got an offer for a great new job a few days later.
I'll never know why that happened, either a clerical error or (what I suspect) when they fired my program manager right after me, she looked out for me. We had always been close and I had her back for ten years. I think she got her revenge on the way out, as she would have known her fire day was coming when she transferred me out.
So thank you, M for what you did for me. I got away with it for a year and would do it again in a heart beat!