I have recently left a company where I worked for just over 7 years in a mid level management position.

My contracted hours were 47.5 hours per week. There is a report generated weekly which can be viewed by everyone at my level, and all management levels above me, which shows the weekly and cumulative difference of worked hours versus contracted hours.

Once I handed in my resignation, I reviewed this report, for the first time in a long time, and to my surprise found that I had a cumulative loss of hours of -1200 hours. I have been through my time sheets over the last 2 years (all that is available currently – I have requested all previous years from HR) and believe that due to errors in reporting over that period, this should sit closer to -600 hours (due to them not recording my hours properly during my sabbatical leave). I am confident that once I receive previous years timesheets I can bring this figure down further.

However, I am now filled with anxiety that if I can’t prove that the deficit is incorrect,I am going to be chased for thousands of pounds of overpaid wages. My salary over the years has changed several times ranging from £26k-£64k base.

Not once over the period I worked there did the company mention to me about the deficit of hours, despite it being part of my own job role to do exactly that for people I manage (something I did always and never had issue with), nobody had ever had those conversations with me.

They haven’t chased anything yet, but knowing the nature of the company, it’s inevitable and I wanted to post here to seek advice as to how to best prepare myself and to ask how the owed figure would likely be calculated due to the wide range of salaries I’ve had over the period (it changed every year over the period, mostly rising apart from one period when it went down due to a voluntary short term demotion).

Thank you all in advance.