salary issues making me crazy

[Geri]

Have you been there long? The trouble when you stay at a place is that you tend to lag behind, because every year you are getting some piddly pay rise whilst people are coming in and getting offered more money as an incentive to join.

I've been in my job 8 years and people who join tend to be on quite a few grand more than me, I got really pissed off last year because I found out that my colleague was on 7 grand more than me!

In the end I got put forward as a special case to the remuneration committee and got a fairly hefty pay rise earlier in the year. Is there anything similar in your organisation? They tend to keep very secretive about them - I didn't even know there was a remuneration committee before then.

 

[equationgirl]

I got a pay rise recently on the basis that my boss has been off sick and I've been doing all his work AND the work of the other team member who was off sick but has now left, as well as all my own work.

It took me four months, repeated doorsteppings of HR and the boss, but I got in on the grounds that I had a huge amount of extra responsibility and therefore should be paid accordingly.

If you don't ask, you don't get.

 

[rioted]

...in fact i've been taking on loads of extra responsibility lately and wish i hadn't bothered..........

have you learnt the lesson??? :d

 

[8ball]

This is why a lot of companies now state that you are not allowed to discuss your salary with other staff. I don't know how well this would stand up legally, but my employers have a history of saying "Discussing other members of staff salaries is forbidden by your contract" if you compare your meagre earnings with that of the tea boy.

Yeah, they tried that at our place.

I 'replied all' with the short and sweet '£22,560'.

 

[Pingu]

our sales director tried this one and couldnt believe that when we said "the fist thing they will discuss with each other will be the rate\salary they are on".

he just couldnt get his head round it. "but we have told them not to discuss it!!!one etc"

so we just made sure we pay people a fair rate

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Yeah, they tried that at our place.

I 'replied all' with the short and sweet '£22,560'.

It's a pretty transparent attempt to prevent collective bargaining and I very much doubt tribunals would look on it as an acceptable reason to sack somebody.

Having said that I am always surprised and disappointed to see how many people actually won't tell anyone their salary. I don't give a shit, I'll tell anyone how much I'm earning - people should know what the relative salaries are and whether they're being fucked over. It's not like my salary is going to get lowered because somebody else is asking for parity - at least not without a bloody fight.

It does seem though that many people seem to think that they must have a higher salary than other people because management have decided they're "better" in some way (often caused by believing HR bullshit) and they have to hide that because the losers around them might be jealous.

 

[cesare]

I sdhall take my HR bullshit and piss off of the thread then

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I sdhall take my HR bullshit and piss off of the thread then

I am imagining your HR bullshit is not saying "you're a particularly valuable worker so we are going to give you a pay rise a bit above the usual this year". To everyone. Every year. (If it is you can certainly piss off )

 

[Pingu]

I am imagining your HR bullshit is not saying "you're a particularly valuable worker so we are going to give you a pay rise a bit above the usual this year". To everyone. Every year. (If it is you can certainly piss off )

the best one is

you are a lazy twat but you are the only one who knows anything about our key reporting systems so you will be getting a payrise anyhow

 

[cesare]

I am imagining your HR bullshit is not saying "you're a particularly valuable worker so we are going to give you a pay rise a bit above the usual this year". To everyone. Every year. (If it is you can certainly piss off )

I post my HR bullshit so you can judge for yourself

You get good ones and bad ones, like any other job. And you also get managers that prefer to let the HR dept front their decisions, so they can hide behind and try and stay popular. And you also get HR depts that are a complete waste of space. You get HR depts reporting into Finance that hold the purse strings, and essentially make the decisions leaving HR to front it. Etc. So many variables.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I post my HR bullshit so you can judge for yourself

You get good ones and bad ones, like any other job. And you also get managers that prefer to let the HR dept front their decisions, so they can hide behind and try and stay popular. And you also get HR depts that are a complete waste of space. You get HR depts reporting into Finance that hold the purse strings, and essentially make the decisions leaving HR to front it. Etc. So many variables.

Well, sure. That particular type of bullshit is generally to be found coming out of HR departments though, rather than any other department. (Also sometimes line managers IME, depending on how much influence they have over raises and bonuses and how much they think they're the next fucking Machiavelli.)

 

[cesare]

Well, sure. That particular type of bullshit is generally to be found coming out of HR departments though, rather than any other department. (Also sometimes line managers IME, depending on how much influence they have over raises and bonuses and how much they think they're the next fucking Machiavelli.)

I sense some disturbance in the Force.

 

[blues]

I wish I wasn't such a bitch and could grow up, but I need to rant.

Have just found out (because I do payroll) that an intern has been given a job here at the same salary I am on.

I like them so I'm not making any kind of fuss, but I feel totally dissed. I have over 5 years experience, I have responsibility for all the income and expenditure, for producing mgmt accounts, budgets etc and cannot believe I am worth the same to this place as someone with no experience who is given simple admin jobs and no responsibility.

If I could swap jobs with them I would, as it's paid the same but is significantly less stress. I am now hating the managers here, and am trying to stop myself throwing a massive temper tantrum.

Any advice?

I think that's something all of us who have to have the pay details of others struggle with, but to be honest, you have to just block it out and consider if you think you're being paid fairly irrespective of what anyone else is earning. Just cos someone else is overpaid doesn't mean everyone should be!

 

[myname]

I think that's something all of us who have to have the pay details of others struggle with, but to be honest, you have to just block it out and consider if you think you're being paid fairly irrespective of what anyone else is earning. Just cos someone else is overpaid doesn't mean everyone should be!

yeah, it is a difficult one, usually I'm not bothered. But I guess I think I am under paid for what I'm expected to do, so this particular pay issue got on top of me a bit.

 

[blues]

Fair enough, so address your feeling of being underpaid then. Compare pay in other comparative jobs and take it to your manager/HR. It's only worth taking on this battle though if you're prepared to accept there won't be any pay-rise and you'll either move on metaphorically speaking (accept it) or literally (change job)

If you make the case for a raise and it's refused, it can lead to the feelings of anger/resentment/being taken for a ride getting much worse than you're currently feeling so you need to be sure you can handle the result one way or another if it doesn't go your way.

 

[equationgirl]

Then, to be blunt, you have two choices:

Put up or shut up.

If you feel this strongly that YOU are underpaid for the responsibiities that YOU have, talk to your line manager and lay out your reasons. If there has been a recent increase in responsibility but no commensurate payrise, you have a good basis for putting a case forward. Most importantly, once you have done that, ask when it will be resolved, ask for a timescale. Be persistent but not pushy - for me this meant asking my boss every two-three weeks what the latest was, and when I would receive an answer.

If you're not prepared to fight your own corner, then accept it and move on.

Believe me, there's a complete muppet at work that gets paid twice what I do for doing fuck all, but that's between him and company, and if they're foolish enough to pay him for being an arse that's their business.

All I can do is make sure I get paid a decent wage for what I do.

 

[blues]

Then, to be blunt, you have two choices:

Put up or shut up.

If you feel this strongly that YOU are underpaid for the responsibiities that YOU have, talk to your line manager and lay out your reasons. If there has been a recent increase in responsibility but no commensurate payrise, you have a good basis for putting a case forward. Most importantly, once you have done that, ask when it will be resolved, ask for a timescale. Be persistent but not pushy - for me this meant asking my boss every two-three weeks what the latest was, and when I would receive an answer.

If you're not prepared to fight your own corner, then accept it and move on.

Believe me, there's a complete muppet at work that gets paid twice what I do for doing fuck all, but that's between him and company, and if they're foolish enough to pay him for being an arse that's their business.

All I can do is make sure I get paid a decent wage for what I do.

And I was trying to be polite

 

[equationgirl]

I got told I should be more diplomatic at work.

But I'm at home now, so it doesn't count.

 

[geminisnake]

And I was trying to be polite

Many Scots are renowned for their diplomacy. Eg went to the same diplomacy school as me

 

[blues]

I got told I should be more diplomatic at work.

You and me both, but hasn't stopped them putting me in direct conflict with the people we're involved in a multi-million legal suit with - telling it like it is isn't always a bad thing

 

[cybertect]

you are a lazy twat but you are the only one who knows anything about our key reporting systems so you will be getting a payrise anyhow

[ bookmark ]

 

[Cheesypoof]

fuck the bastards!!!

<loves paycheck>

 

[stretchy18]

what you need to do is not focus on what otehrs are being paid.

speak to your boss and base the conversation on what you feel YOU are worth.

what someoen else is being paid isnt really taht important. Its that you feel YOU are being underpaid for the role YOU do.

that is a much more compelling libne to take in a salary negotiation than "but X is being paid £y"

ditto with stuff like "my mortgage has shot up" etc.. thats of no real use in any salary negotiations. what you are arguing for is to be paid what you feel the role you do is worth

IME this is normally just a tiny tiny bit higher than what they would have to pay someone else to replace you (provided you know the systems well and are good at your job)

As above

Pay talks shouldn't be about money. They should be about your contribution to the company.

If you are pouring sunshine into your bosses office every day, hitting what ever objectives you are set, making them look and feel good and contributing to the success of the company, THIS is what you should be talking about to your boss

Twining about money, especially how much some one completely un related to your role is getting is mega counterproductive

You should however know comparative mrket rates for your role

DO NOT make even vague or good humoured ultimatums.........Unless you really have a new better paid position to go to (Don't point this out)

If your pay is insanely out of synch with what it should be, either you are shite at your job and nobody cares / nobody realises you are being paid less than the going rate / your bosses are riding you for cheap labour

Build up the feel good positive stuff
Have your acheivements and future objectives identified
Talk to the boss

May the force be with you

 

[EastEnder]

DO NOT make even vague or good humoured ultimatums.........Unless you really have a new better paid position to go to (Don't point this out)

Totally agree with this. Always resist the temptation to make demands, no matter how appealing it may seem. Keep it professional, stick to the facts, don't allow your emotions to get the better of you. It's much harder to argue with someone who's stating their case in a serious, courteous & composed manner.