Wage query - how to tactfully raise issue?

gracie83

I am looking for a way to tactfully raise an issue without coming across as unco-operative or 'not a team player' etc.

Basically we are being restructured. Currently I am earning a wage which puts me firmly into band C and my two part time collegues are in Band B. After the reorganisation we will all be in Band B - I am being paid too much now but my pay is going to be protected for two years (HR don't know how this will work).

The pay issue is gutting as I had another 4 grand to go in my old grade and now I have already gone beyond the maximum of the new grade but there is nothing I can do.

My main issue is that my part time colleagues do very little work compared to me. We have the same basic job description but then mine has a lot of extra responsiblities written into it. Now we are in the same grade I don't see why I should have to do all the extra work I used to do while they just do the basics of our jobs. The view of work is that we just keep going as normal but I think it is really unfair. (The part timers work in the evenings and the extra responsibilies need to be done in the day when I work full time so they will not be taking any extra jobs.)

Any ideas how I can being this up to my manager? I am really rubbish at standing up for myself and get really upset under pressure!

katiecoodle

have you thought about asking your manager for a meeting and asking him/her for a breakdown of your actual job description. If it is the same on paper as your colleagues, and the jobs in reality are different, then why not try asking for a different job description? It sounds like the jobs you do may all have the same job title, but your duties are actually different, more is required of you. I'd try to argue that I was worth the extra money if I were you - if you weren't there to mop up after your part time colleagues, what else would the company do?

Liz_the_Whizz

hi gracie,

First of all, approach this in a positive way- you have pay protection for 2 years so there is plenty of time to sort this out properly, don't panic or act in haste.

You are bound to be feeling undervalued and taken for granted with the way things have unfolded, and it will only get worse if you leave it. Pluck up your courage for a 1-2-1 with your manager asap - stick to the facts, not how you feel about it. If you think you will get too emotional, write it down in advance for him/her to read before you meet.

Focus on the job description - you say you have additional responsibilities written into your role, but are they formally documented? If they are, does the job description give adequate weight to what you actually do? If everything is in already in there, the likelihood is that the additional items simply do not push the job into the next band - if that is the case, talk to your manager about the scope for taking on more over the next 2 years (perhaps as his deputy?) with a view to your role being regraded before the end of the pay protection period.

If all else fails, and you feel you are getting nowhere, you have 2 years to look for something else, either internally or externally. You could ask for the additional items to be removed from your job, but think carefully about how this might impact on your job skills on your CV.

And get HR to put in writing when your pay protection period starts and what it actually means in terms of the pay gap when it ends.

Good luck!