My compnay are recruiting for a new person, doing half of my job for a higher salary!

LDee81

Hi,
I hope that someone will be able to give me some advice.
I have spent the past 2 years in a role within my company which was created for me when I returned from maternity leave. My bosses completely underestimated the volume of work required for the role; it was clear to me from the outset that the scope of the job role should be split between two people. After 18 months of struggling (and repeatedly expressing my concerns to management) I finally managed to get my boss to see that the job was too much for one person (the two main aspects of the job did not fit well together) and we agreed to split the role. My company is now recruiting for a new person to fill the other half of my job.
Imagine my surprise when I was contacted my a recruitment consultant via LinkedIn and asked if I would be interested in a role; only to discover that the advert was for the half of my role that I had just dropped and the salary package that they are offering is for over £10K more than my current salary!
Needless to say I feel very upset by this, especially as I haven't had a pay rise in 3 years despite putting in 100%.
I do not know the best way of tackling this issue. I expect the reason they are having to offer more money to the new recruit is because the job is going to be very difficult to fill (they have made the Job Spec very detailed), but it still makes me feel that the company have been underpaying me all this time, if they are willing to pay a new person £10K more than I am currently on, for doing half of the job that I was previously doing. What I am really after is an explanation as to why I am paid what I am and what they are willing to do to help me increase my salary.
I don't know whether to go straight to my boss (although he will probably fob me off and not commit to a pay rise) or to HR to discuss my concerns (although quite honestly I think the same thing will happen here).
Does anyone have any advice on where i stand legally and who I should speak to first? I don't want to risk being let go, as I am the breadwinner for my family, but I would like a chance to express my views and perhaps negotiate a pay increase.
Thanks is advance.

MissSarah1972

A company can pay anything they like to anyone even if you are doing the same job or less. Why not apply for the job if it's less work and more money?

SueC_2

As above.

Say to your boss something along the lines of "When we agreed to split my job into two roles, I didn't realise that one of them would be paying considerably higher than the other. Now that I'm aware of that, I'd prefer to keep the 'other' half of the job and let you recruit someone for the part that we previously agreed I would retain.

If nothing else it'll give you a wry smile as you watch them squirm!

But be aware - they're not obliged to let you have the 'other' role, or to increase your salary. An employer can pay whatever they want to different employees (so long as they aren't discriminating on recognised grounds), and it's down to each employee to negotiate the best possible package for themselves.

By all means use this opportunity to negotiate, but in my experience "I want a higher salary because it's not fair that so-and-so earns more than me" is rarely a good bargaining chip. Concentrate on your performance and what you bring to the company.

getmore4less

Above approach worth a try

Also consider
Applying through the recruitment consultant (anon to the company) as far as you can se if you can get an interview.

You say you had no idea it was your job the agent kept the company secret initialy.

if the job will be hard to fill they may anly short list you and then that would cause an issue.

SueC_2

Although, to be honest, I'd question the over all efficiency of the recruitment agency... they contacted you via LinkedIn (where presumably your current employer is clearly shown) about a job working for that very same employer. Not incredibly bright of them really!

KiKi

Also, don't forget that the recruitment agency may be playing up the salary to get you interested - only to find out that that's the top of the pay band, and the *actual* salary may be much lower, depending on experience.

But to attract people, they can offer more. Nothing you can do about that. You have to negotiate your own package, but by talking about your own contribution, not what someone else is earning.

KiKi

MissSarah1972

SueC wrote: »

Although, to be honest, I'd question the over all efficiency of the recruitment agency... they contacted you via LinkedIn (where presumably your current employer is clearly shown) about a job working for that very same employer. Not incredibly bright of them really!

I dont have my last company on view on Linkedin only the industry and a mini cv only showing what I can do.

RadoJo

LDee81 wrote: »

Needless to say I feel very upset by this, especially as I haven't had a pay rise in 3 years despite putting in 100%.

Have you asked for a pay rise and been refused? What reasons have they given for not upping your salary?

MacsReturns

I finally managed to get my boss to see that the job was too much for one person (the two main aspects of the job did not fit well together) and we agreed to split the role.

Bit late now, I suppose, but I'd have asked for an assistant and a rise for the extra managerial responsibilty.

SueC_2

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

I dont have my last company on view on Linkedin only the industry and a mini cv only showing what I can do.

I didn't know you could do that. Thanks. Will go re-look at my settings!

LannieDuck

Apply for it!