11. The Halacha that we have been discussing – that it is a transgression for an employer to not pay a worker on time – only applies when the worker asked to be paid. But if the worker did not ask for his wages, the employer is not guilty of this prohibition, even if the employer had available funds with which to pay. By not asking for his wages, the worker shows that he agrees and is prepared to wait to be paid. Nevertheless, the worker does not have to verbally ask to be paid; even if he merely approached the employer – in the manner of workers who approach their employers for payment at the end of a job – that is the equivalent of asking outright, even though he was embarrassed to say so.
Some authorities say that although the employer does not transgress any sin if the worker did not ask for his wages, nevertheless one must be careful to not withhold the worker’s wages and should pay him promptly.
