Employees at the bookmaker Betfred have reported significant financial distress following a technical glitch in the company’s salary advance system. The issue, which persisted for at least two weeks, left many of the firm’s 8,000 staff members struggling to meet basic living expenses. The problem stemmed from a malfunction in Wagestream, an app that allows workers to access up to 40% of their monthly wages in advance.
This service, part of a new wave of “salary advance schemes”, is designed to offer employees greater control over their pay schedule and provide an alternative to high-interest credit options like payday loans. Internal communications reviewed by The Guardian,it was revealed the extent of the hardship faced by Betfred staff. One employee reported resorting to food banks and relying on the generosity of others to survive the fortnight. Others expressed concerns about missing bill payments and affording transportation to work.
The issue appears to have originated during Betfred’s transition between payroll management systems, specifically when migrating to a platform called Shopworks. A spokesperson for Shopworks explained that faulty data transfer prevented shift and pay information from being uploaded to Wagestream, effectively blocking staff access to their advance pay. Betfred, owned by the billionaire Done family, who have previously made substantial donations to the Conservative Party, stated that the problem has been “resolved”.
However, the company did not provide details on any measures taken to support affected staff during the system outage. This incident highlights the potential vulnerabilities of modern financial technology systems and raises questions about the responsibility of employers to ensure the reliability of such services, especially when workers depend on them for essential living expenses.
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