Dock My Pay Meaning
Definition: To take away some portion of a person’s pay.
Origin of Dock My Pay
In many modern contexts, to dock is to join or bring together. If you dock your boat, you are bringing it to the dock. If you dock your phone, you are joining it or bringing it to your charger.
The use of dock in this phrase, however, comes from an Old English definition of dock: to cut something short.
A common use of the verb in this sense is when referring to docking a dog’s tail in order to make the dog look more in style. It is also used when talking about cutting an animal’s hair. This usage dates back to around the 1400s.
If a company docks an employee’s pay, it is usually a type of punishment for something.
Examples of Dock My Pay
This example dialogue involves a husband and wife that are discussing the husband’s new job.
Bobby: Wow! I learned a lot on the first day at my new job.
Jennie: That’s great! Did you like it?
Bobby: Well, mostly. The pay is really good, and I like the work. But they’re really strict.
Jennie: What do you mean?
Bobby: For example, for every minute late, they dock your pay one dollar. So if I’m ten minutes late, I lose ten dollars. Since I’m only paid ten dollars an hour, I lose a whole hour’s pay for missing only ten minutes.
Jennie: Is that legal?
Bobby: I think so. I agreed to it when I signed the contract. I’ll just have to be careful to never be late.
Two friends are out at a bar.
Andrew: Do you want another drink? I’m going to get another beer.
Aaron: No, thanks. I’m trying to cut back on my expenses this month. I didn’t get my full paycheck because my boss docked my pay.
Andrew: Are you serious? What for?
Aaron: He said I was wasting time surfing the Internet instead of entering data.
Andrew: Was it true?
Aaron: Yes, but I’m still angry about it!
More Examples
This excerpt is about a man who might lose his pay because of an emergency that he had to deal with.
- The aftershocks subsided and the family moved back into the house. Shreshta, 29, took his wife, Rubi, to the doctor to treat postnatal swelling. The condition subsided, but Shreshta has decided to extend his stay to two months, even it if means his supervisor will dock his pay. –LA Times
The second excerpt is about a man who volunteered to have his own pay docked.
- But today, before members of the House Financial Services Committee, Stumpf said that he recommended that the board dock his pay. The board announced Tuesday that Stumpf would give up about $45 million in compensation – a move Stumpf now says he volunteered to make. –LA Times
Summary
The phrase to dock one pay (also appears as dock your pay, dock my pay, dock his pay, dock her pay, etc.) is an expression that means to remove some money from a person’s earnings on their paycheck.
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