“I've frankly felt gaslit”: Payroll issues leave Massey casual staff unpaid

Paid incorrectly, missing contracts, and timesheet errors -- these are just a few of the MyWorkplace errors affecting casual Massey staff.  

A student and staff member, Ruby*, has filed a formal complaint with the Tertiary Education union after dealing with weeks of unpaid hours, incorrect pay slips, and claims her timesheet entries are wrong.

“It has been so stressful, infuriating, and time-consuming, and I've frankly felt gaslit the entire time.”

In March, the university introduced the new pay system MyWorkspace.  

Having reached out for help with the new system, Ruby dealt with “Countless emails and phone calls, being bounced from department to department, providing documentation and so much stress and wasted time.” 

“As well as a busy life with work, study and volunteering, I also manage chronic health issues and neurodivergence, and I'm absolutely at my limit with this pay nonsense.”

A Massey spokesperson said during the first two main pays roughly 81 people experienced a pay disruption, which was largely associated with the use of invalid entry type codes on timesheets. 

“During the launch period, any issues relating to casuals’ pay have received the highest attention and resolution.” 

The spokesperson claimed issues have improved, with only seven casual staff encountering timesheet issues in the most recent pay run. 

They said when MyWorkspace launched, training and Q&A sessions were promoted to all staff. The People and Culture team has also provided many one-on-one ‘show and do’ sessions, which will continue throughout the year. 

This week, all Massey casual employees (1,400+) have the opportunity to attend an online ‘Fill My Timesheet’ demonstration session.

Speaking to the importance of weekly income, they said additional pay runs were implemented so that casual employees who needed to resubmit timesheets were paid as soon as possible.

On April 3rd, staff member Jax Watt posted to the Massey@Distance Facebook page: “How many of you have not been paid since Massey changed from MyHR to MyWorkspace? I heard this change has impacted casual staff across the board.”  

She continued in the comments, “I'm still trying to get paid for marking during Summer School, which I think has been fixed today with claims I need to wait another two weeks before the pay will be processed.”  

The post had 28 comments, with many casual staff sharing similar experiences. One commenter said they randomly found $25 and a few cents had been deposited into her account from Massey.  

A 2021 study by NZUSA found that many postgraduate students are employed on casual contracts. It revealed a lack of support and resources, deteriorating mental health, and concerns over job security, recognition, and compensation for casual workers.  

Ben Schmidt, Massey organiser at the Tertiary Education Union, said, “Casual and insecure work impacts on the wellbeing of working people, on their ability to plan for the future, their work-life balance, and their ability to provide for their families.” 

“Insecurity can also be an isolating experience for those worrying about their future, and unsure of the best way to progress in their career when the future seems so uncertain.”  

He said if casual workers are not yet in TEU and are paid less than $15,000, they should join their union for free today.   

“All members are entitled to their pay, and you don’t have to deal with it alone.”