I worked for a company that was 100% travel. When I went to my first job, I was paid to drive 200 miles to the first assignment, and I was paid a certain amount per day to cover housing and food. They didn’t have another job lined up for me, so I went home (again, paid to travel) and took a retail job until the next assignment came up.
Two years went by before they reached out again, asking me to drive nearly 1,000 miles to the next assignment. I didn’t want to do the drive, but it was a lot more money, and it was in a location that I’d always wanted to visit. I spoke with the hiring manager to finalize the details before leaving. I remembered him from my first assignment; he said he was direct, but I remember him being an a**hole.
Me: “So, I go to [address] on the first day, right?”
Hiring Manager: “Yes, you will do your employee orientation there.”
Me: “Okay. Whom do I submit my travel expenses to?”
Hiring Manager: “All expenses go through [Payroll Admin]. She’ll be there when you arrive.”
Me: “Okay, I’ll be there!”
The drive took two very long days. I stayed at a cheap motel overnight and got to the assignment with fifteen minutes to spare. [Hiring Manager] was nowhere to be found, but [Payroll Admin] was in the office.
Me: “Hi, I’m [My Name].”
Payroll Admin: “Hi, [My Name], I’m [Payroll Admin]. Let’s get your orientation going so you can start working.”
Me: “Sounds good.”
I went through the paperwork.
Me: “So, how do I expense my travel?”
Payroll Admin: “That’s not a thing.”
Me: “Uhh… okay. [Hiring Manager] said—”
Payroll Admin: “I’m the one who does the payroll. I would know.”
Me: “Okay, then.”
I did my first day of work, and as soon as I got home, I dug up my first paycheck. Right there on my pay stub was a mobilization addition: fifty cents per mile. I took it with me the next day.
Me: “Hi, [Payroll Admin], I—”
Payroll Admin: “If this is about mobilization pay, the answer is still no.”
Me: “I have proof.”
I showed her my paycheck.
Payroll Admin: “Well, that must have been a mistake. [Hiring Manager] told me himself that there is no pay for first or last travel.”
Me: “Can you pull up my hiring contract?”
Payroll Admin: “Only [Hiring Manager] has the contracts.”
So, I was back to talking to that a**hole. And he wasn’t there, so I had to email him.
Me: “Good morning, [Hiring Manager], I am following up on travel reimbursement for driving from [my address] to [assignment address]. I spoke with [Payroll Admin], but she insisted that travel reimbursement has never been part of [Company]. I showed her my first pay stub from my last assignment, which showed that I was paid to drive there. If this is no longer policy, I apologize for pushing, and I understand that things have changed. If not, please point me in the right direction.”
There was no response for two weeks. I decided to go over [Hiring Manager] and email an upper manager I knew from my first assignment.
Me: “Good morning, [Upper Manager], I am trying to figure out if travel reimbursement is still part of [Company] policy. I spoke with [Hiring Manager], and he said yes, but [Payroll Admin] said no. I tried to reach out to [Hiring Manager] again, but he hasn’t responded. I understand if things have changed from my first assignment, but I would like to know either way.”
Upper Manager: “Hi, [My Name]! So good to hear from you again. I know a lot has changed since your last assignment, so I don’t know what is and is not covered anymore. Let me do some digging and get back to you.”
An hour passed before my phone rang. It was [Hiring Manager].
Me: “Hel—”
Hiring Manager: “When you have a question, you ask the person you want to ask. You don’t go crying to upper management.”
Me: “You told me to talk to [Payroll Admin]. She told me it was never a thing. I showed her my pay stub showing that it was. You didn’t answer my email, and quite frankly, I’m a little annoyed at this runaround.”
Hiring Manager: “I just got my a** handed to me because you want, what, $40? I’ll give you $40 right from my wallet to end this.”
Me: “Actually, it’s probably more like $500.”
Hiring Manager: “Are you f****** kidding me? I’m not going to keep going in circles with you over this. There is no mobilization pay.”
Me: “Then why did you tell me to go to [Payroll Admin] when we first spoke instead of saying it wasn’t a thing?”
Hiring Manager: “Look, things change. The answer is no, and this conversation is over.”
He hung up.
I packed up my things and left at lunchtime. I spent the next two days driving back home.
[Hiring Manager] called me the next morning, but I let it go to voicemail.
Voicemail: “[My Name], where are you? We are working on [project] today, and I don’t know if you’re aware, but that’s the whole reason we brought to you this assignment. If you’re still sulking about not getting paid to drive, you need to get over it.”
I saved the voicemail and sent it to [Upper Manager], the human resources department, and every other manager and employee I could think of.
[Upper Manager] called me a few days later to tell me that I had started an avalanche of drama. [Hiring Manager] had lied not only to me but to several other employees. There WAS a reimbursement at seventy-five cents per mile, but he didn’t want to pay it because every expense cut into his bonus at the end of the year. He is no longer employed at [Company].