Next has apologized to its employees after the integration of a new computer system failed, leaving many of them underpaid for months.
The British retailer has been busy solving problems caused by outsourcing its payroll functions to US tech firm Oracle. There were difficulties in merging their software with their own.
As the Sunday Times first reported, the issues first emerged in February and affected both weekly and monthly paid employees. The publication reported that employees were being starved of up to £200 a month, leaving some dependent on food aid to make ends meet.
In response, Next reportedly deployed a dedicated team to spot errors and pay out the missing funds each week.
The Guardians reported the retailer refused to say how many of its employees were affected; according to a company spokesman, however, the number has declined since the peak.
“Over the last few months we have encountered a number of issues with our new payroll system which we have addressed with the utmost urgency. This is one of the few instances where Next has outsourced critical software, and we’ve learned some important lessons about integrating our internal applications with third-party platforms.”
“We are very aware of the problems these payroll errors have caused some of our colleagues. We sincerely apologize to all those affected and assure them that we are resolving these issues with the highest priority,” the spokesman added.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.