WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Friday, LEX 18 shared one Clark County woman’s frustrations over delayed pay at Pearl Interactive Network.
Monica Lara claimed she hadn’t been paid in a month, and due to missing her rent, her family had been evicted.
After the story aired, numerous Pearl employees contacted the station to relay similar experiences.
“I was just getting tired of the excuses, being complained at, it was always a negative experience for me every day,” said Sheena Patton, who worked at Pearl Interactive Network until she was let go just days before Thanksgiving.
On its website, Pearl Interactive Network, a healthcare-related call center, touts a supportive environment. “Founded in 2004, Pearl Interactive Network is a social enterprise that reduces barriers to employment, including rural areas,” the website reads, along with “Our goal has always been to remove barriers to employment, provide opportunity, create a positive work environment, and champion and support each individual to help them reach their maximum potential.”
Patton feels that mission falls short of what she has experienced. She was supposed to receive her final paycheck on Friday, but it never came.“It's been going on for 3 months now, honestly, this is our 3rd time not receiving our paycheck on time, but this is the longest time it's been for us to not have received our paycheck,” Patton explained.
She said her family lives paycheck to paycheck and she’s responsible for rent. “I got a notice from the company that I have my home through, and it states that if I do not pay my rent by 6 p.m. today, which is Monday, I will receive an eviction notice.”
On Friday, company leadership told employees that they wouldn’t be getting paid until Monday due to unexpected accounting issues with the new payroll system.
According to Patton, this isn’t the first time they’ve received their paychecks late. By 4 p.m. Monday, several employees reached out to LEX 18 to share that they had been compensated.LEX 18 reached out to Pearl's leadership for follow-up information but hadn’t heard back by Monday night.
For Patton and many others scrambling to pay bills and make rent, the latest pay delay has left them fearing the same situation could happen again.
