Secondment advice please?

cupcakefairy

Hello there,

I desperately need some advice.. I originally took a secondment for a period of 12 months to a different part of the business I work for. Since then it has been extended once by three months due to end this month. I have now been told it is going to end and I will be returning to my original role. My concern however is that I retain the higher salary I am being paid.
Is this possible? My secondment contract mentions nothing about the salary other than what it is.. also as I have now been receiving this for more than 12 months isn't an implied salary and hence I am able to continue on this?

Any advice would be gratefully received

SarEl

That's an absolutely fabulous piece of reasoning. Utterly won't work, but I really admire the tortuous nature of the logic No you cannot keep the higher salary. The salary is attached to the job and not you. You are returning to your substantive post which also has a salary attached to it, and that is the salary which you will be paid.

cupcakefairy

[Thanks SarEl for your swift advice In the time I have been away the salary for my old role has also changed as there was an incentive scheme which has been removed and the roles benched marked and raised. I have no idea how much my old salary would have been raised to as my backfill was then asked to cover two departments and received more money to do so. But was ovbiously just paid one salary.

Not sure what to expect...

MaidMarianofNottingham

Why not ask your employer?
It's an entirely reasonable question.

viktory

cupcakefairy wrote: »

Hello there,

I desperately need some advice.. I originally took a secondment for a period of 12 months to a different part of the business I work for. Since then it has been extended once by three months due to end this month. I have now been told it is going to end and I will be returning to my original role. My concern however is that I retain the higher salary I am being paid.
Is this possible? My secondment contract mentions nothing about the salary other than what it is.. also as I have now been receiving this for more than 12 months isn't an implied salary and hence I am able to continue on this?

Any advice would be gratefully received

LOL I am also leaving my seconded post to return to my substantive post and will also have to take a drop in wages. That's life, I'm afraid. I was mighty glad of the extra money - now I will have to accept I am going to lose it.

SarEl

cupcakefairy wrote: »

[Thanks SarEl for your swift advice In the time I have been away the salary for my old role has also changed as there was an incentive scheme which has been removed and the roles benched marked and raised. I have no idea how much my old salary would have been raised to as my backfill was then asked to cover two departments and received more money to do so. But was ovbiously just paid one salary.

Not sure what to expect...

As Maid Marion says, you can ask. But don't hold your breath. Look at another way - if you hadn't been seconded you'd have lost money sooner. Truth to tell, an employer who agreed to such a request is storing up trouble for themselves - others will want the same wage, and why shouldn't they have it if you do? Nechmarked roles should all have the same grade, so the only differences are within the grade for service etc - breaking the benchmarking would be a bad idea for the employer. But that's up to them. Just be prepared for an emphatic no and don't be too disappointed. On the plus side you have proved what you can do and it may open up some promotion prospects.

tizerbelle

OP, I was once in the same situation (although my secondment which was supposed to last for 6 months actually lasted for 3 years). Going onto the secondment project I got a 2 grade uplift (from G2 to G4) and annual pay awards while there.

When I returned to my old role, I had a word with the project director who in turn had a word with my business director - basically while I had been away there had been a lot of G3 posts created in my business area and I stated that there was no reason to believe that had I been in the business, I wouldn't have got one of these posts and therefore my salary would have increased. I also argued that although the secondment was temporary, after 3 years, you cut your cloth according to your measure and become dependant on the higher salary.

Anyway, I ended up going back on the secondment salary on a G3 grade and when my business manager decided I wasn't going to get an annual pay award until my grade caught up with my new salary, I complained, business director intervened and my salary was not frozen.

Now I'm not saying, you'll get to keep the salary or it won't be frozen but wanted to let you know that if you don't ask, you don't get. I was working for a large national company at the time and that may have made a difference - although I do know that the vast majority of people who went back to their old roles didn't get to keep the salary.

And to put the icing on the cake, I also got a very large and unexpected bonus at the end of the secondment and got to hang on to my lovely company car for another 3 months as well!

So my advice is to ask (politely). You never know, you may get lucky and you won't lose anything by trying.

cupcakefairy

Dear all,

Many Thanks for the advice. I am going to remain positive and as Tizerbelle and MaidMarion say if you don't ask you don't get.

Thank you for all taking the time to reply this is my first time on the forum and can see why it's so popular

Best regards
Cupcakefairy