Is her boss one of the solicitors?
If not she should ask to see one of the partners. If she explains that she has not received the wages she was expecting he/she will (certainly ought to) understand how important this is to one of the staff without needing to be told and should accept responsibility for putting it right.
There should be no need to cause animosity by kicking up a fuss, it should be quite sufficient to point out the problem and ask what he/she will do about it. The partners must take responsibility for what is done by the firm, and (should) be sorry and embarrassed when things go wrong and anxious to put them right.
She should take her notebook with her and keep a note of who she saw; on what date, what they said they'd do, and when by (date).
If the conversation does not specify who (name) will do what by what date, she should ask again before the discussion finishes. This might be hard for a junior employee. But if for example the person says "I'll look into it" she should ask "And when will you tell me the result? What day?" If they say "As soon as I can" this is a non-answer, so she should ask again "What day shall I come back to you then?"
If the person says "That's not my job, I'll mention to to Mr X" she should say "Shall I go and see Mr X now then?" "If not now, when? tomorrow morning?"
Sadly this persistence and clarity is needed with anyone you deal with, not just the boss. Whenever anything needs to be done, you need to come away both clearly understanding:
- What is to be done
- Who by
- When by
If any of those things is missing then quite likely nothing will be done. If all those things are specified, then you know when you can justifiably complain if not achieved. they have to be agreed by the person doing the job. If the person's boss agrees them, then that boss is responsible for making sure that they are achieved.
Some people are highly skilled at avoiding making commitments by saying:
- I'll think about it
- I'll look into it
- As soon as I can
- I'll get someone to sort it out
Look out for any of these non-answers! And ask again for the three essential points. This can be done politely and the person may feel awkward at being pressed to give a straight answer to a straight question. Tough. Ask it again.
It is not a police matter.
She will do better not to walk out.
She should have a look at her terms of employment (given to her before she started work) - they will specify when she is to be paid and probably the grievance procedure.
