Is Honesty REALLY the best policy?

We've just received our payslips - and I noticed that there were two items on mine that didn't match up with what I'd claimed. To the tune of 1/5th of my salary!

How nice it would have been to have that little bit extra. I have quite a few out of the ordinary expenses to cover this month - books & stationery for my son's schooling for next year, brake pads for the car, summer uniform for the kid, the start of the usual Xmas shopping (though I'm making many of the gifts again this year).... Those few extra bucks would come in handy.

And yet I know they don't really belong to me.

So I traipsed off to our salary guy to ask what's what. And the guy whose name is alphabetically after mine is missing some cash. Pity. Was hoping it might be a "gratuity".

To correct it I had to write out a cheque to the company for the difference. Fortunately remembered I've also been taxed on that amount, so found out what it should be without the tax. But I will still be charged a fee by the bank for the cheque I've handed them.

It would have been a lot easier to just keep quiet about this. But I know it would have been noticed and adjusted somewhere down the line, leaving me that amount short for the month. That's something I simply can't afford. The other bloke is probably also budgeting on the amount he'll receive, which is now a few hundred bucks out. Things don't happen in isolation, but create ripples.

So I guess honesty has been the best policy, even if I've been a little shortchanged in the deal.

At least it's payday, after a rather tough month, and we eat again! :)