Most salaried employees don’t scrutinize their bank balance every payday, especially while stranded at sea on vacation. But one Reddit user says failing to notice a payroll mistake while on a cruise cost them their job. A post shared on the r/work subreddit has gone viral after an employee claimed they were fired for “dishonesty” following an overpayment error made by their own company. The employee says they were paid double their usual salary while out of the country and had no idea until payroll contacted them days later.
Payroll error occurred while employee was on vacation
According to the post, the employee was out of the country on a cruise at the time the paycheck was deposited and had no internet access. They returned home late Sunday and resumed work Monday morning.
At around 11 a.m. that day, payroll contacted the employee asking whether they had noticed an error in their Friday paycheck. The employee said they had not checked their bank account and immediately did so after the call, confirming the overpayment, ‘80 salary hours and not my typical 40,’ a typical double salary.
Employee says they cooperated and offered immediate resolution
The employee says they were transparent with payroll, explaining they had just returned from travel and had not reviewed their account. They reportedly offered multiple solutions, including allowing the company to deduct the extra amount from a future paycheck or repaying it directly. Payroll told the employee they would follow up.
Company fires employee over “integrity” concerns
Instead of a follow-up from payroll, the employee was called into a meeting with their manager the next morning and informed they were being terminated effective immediately. According to the post, the manager claimed the dismissal was not about the money but about “integrity,” accusing the employee of intentionally hiding the overpayment and attempting to steal from the company.
The employee said their explanation about being without internet while at sea was rubbished, with the manager allegedly laughing and responding, “Sure.”
‘Responsible people would have checked,’ manager said
The manager reportedly told the employee that a “responsible person” would have checked their bank account immediately, even while on vacation, and that failing to do so amounted to dishonesty.
The employee, who had worked at the company for about a year and said their paycheck amount never changes, said they were stunned by the decision and left the office shortly after collecting their belongings.
What Reddit users are saying
The post quickly gained traction, drawing more than 1,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, many criticizing the employer rather than the employee. Several users said payroll errors are common and that employees are not typically expected to audit their paychecks in real time, especially while on leave. Others suggested the company may have been looking for a reason to terminate the employee, possibly to cut costs or deflect blame from internal accounting mistakes.
As one commenter summed it up: “The company is inept and just looking for a reason to fire you.”
Some commenters also warned that situations like this highlight the importance of documenting all payroll communications in writing, speculating that the payroll department may have shifted responsibility to protect itself.