No payrise in 5 years

shell820810
shell820810 Posts: 393 Forumite
in Employment, jobseeking & training
I have been with the same company for 11 years and have not had a payrise in about 5 years. 5 years ago I went on maternity, returned part time and had a second child and have returned again part time. During my first 6 years I had a promotion and got good increases because the market was booming, plus increases for professional exams.

Payrises are based on performance reviews and I have received a satisfactory score during my reviews. Employees with the same performance rating are getting payrises but I have been told I am on a good salary for what I am doing (because of previous payrises that I deserved).

Do you think there is an element of discrimation here? How would you approach this. It has been implied that I won't get any increases unless I apply for a promotion.
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Comments

  • Undervalued
    Undervalued Posts: 8,840 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    shell820810 wrote: »
    I have been with the same company for 11 years and have not had a payrise in about 5 years. 5 years ago I went on maternity, returned part time and had a second child and have returned again part time. During my first 6 years I had a promotion and got good increases because the market was booming, plus increases for professional exams.

    Payrises are based on performance reviews and I have received a satisfactory score during my reviews. Employees with the same performance rating are getting payrises but I have been told I am on a good salary for what I am doing (because of previous payrises that I deserved).

    Do you think there is an element of discrimation here? How would you approach this. It has been implied that I won't get any increases unless I apply for a promotion.


    I think, even if there is, you will have a devil of a job to prove it.

    Remember, only certain types of discrimination are unlawful. You would need to show that the discrimination (if there is any) was due to a protected characteristic such as gender. It is not, in itself, unlawful to pay two people different salaries for doing exactly the same job.

    Supply and demand when you were recruited may come into it. If at the time it was hard to find suitable people they may have had to pay a premium. A year or two on there may be plenty of people looking for the same type of job. They hire somebody equally good for less which makes you seem expensive! You therefore don't get a pay rise for a few years in order to equal things out. Maybe not fair but perfectly lawful.
  • boliston
    boliston Posts: 3,012 Forumite
    First Anniversary Photogenic First Post Combo Breaker
    This is why inflation can benefit an employer at the expense of their workers as an employer can legally reduce wages in real terms. It's a pity that wages cannot be legally rpi linked.
  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,293 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary
    What matters for potential discrimination is not the change in pay, but the absolute level. If you are on £15 an hour and colleagues doing the same job to the same standard get a pay rise from £10 to £14 you have no grounds at all to complain.
    But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,
    Had the whole of their cash in his care.
    Lewis Carroll
  • shell820810
    shell820810 Posts: 393 Forumite
    theoretica wrote: »
    What matters for potential discrimination is not the change in pay, but the absolute level. If you are on £15 an hour and colleagues doing the same job to the same standard get a pay rise from £10 to £14 you have no grounds at all to complain.

    This is essentially what it boils down to. People with shorter service doing the same job are getting paid less. But I deserved the raises I got and now my wages in real terms are going down. I suppose if there's no incentive to perform well, the company will pay for it in other ways, Less productivity etc
  • Nicki
    Nicki Posts: 8,166 Forumite
    That's cutting off your nose to spite your face surely. You are still being paid more than the others for the same job so why would you perform below the optimum? You won't stand any chance of securing a promotion that way. It sounds like if you left for another employer you'd be paid less than you are on anyway due to market forces but you'd also be leaving with a less than stellar reference if you start to deliberately underperform.

    Why not just be grateful you're being paid more than market rates for your current role or look for a different role at a salary you would like rather than try to flog this dead horse?
  • shell820810
    shell820810 Posts: 393 Forumite
    Nicki wrote: »
    That's cutting off your nose to spite your face surely. You are still being paid more than the others for the same job so why would you perform below the optimum? You won't stand any chance of securing a promotion that way. It sounds like if you left for another employer you'd be paid less than you are on anyway due to market forces but you'd also be leaving with a less than stellar reference if you start to deliberately underperform.

    Why not just be grateful you're being paid more than market rates for your current role or look for a different role at a salary you would like rather than try to flog this dead horse?

    Definitely not being paid more than the market rate, in fact there are a lot of leavers at the minute because of poor work/life balance and lack of reward in general. Its not a nice place to work but working hours and conditions restrict me from other roles at the minute while the kids are young.
  • Nicki
    Nicki Posts: 8,166 Forumite
    shell820810 wrote: »
    Definitely not being paid more than the market rate, in fact there are a lot of leavers at the minute because of poor work/life balance and lack of reward in general. Its not a nice place to work but working hours and conditions restrict me from other roles at the minute while the kids are young.

    In that case you'd be mad surely to turn a good reputation and good reference into a mediocre one for when you want to start applying for jobs elsewhere in a few years time?
  • shell820810
    shell820810 Posts: 393 Forumite
    Bogalot wrote: »
    On your current performance they judge that you are on the correct rate. If you want a pay rise you need to ask how to make that satisfactory review into an excellent one.

    All I want is inflation, so that it stays the same in real terms. At the minute its worth less to me than it did 5 years ago.
  • shell820810
    shell820810 Posts: 393 Forumite
    Nicki wrote: »
    In that case you'd be mad surely to turn a good reputation and good reference into a mediocre one for when you want to start applying for jobs elsewhere in a few years time?

    They only provide standard references stating service dates etc
  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,293 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary
    shell820810 wrote: »
    All I want is inflation, so that it stays the same in real terms. At the minute its worth less to me than it did 5 years ago.

    It must be very frustrating for you - but from what you have said here they are allowed to say no.
    But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,
    Had the whole of their cash in his care.
    Lewis Carroll
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