Boss Underpaying Me - Won't Acknowledge My Contribution

Icematikx

Hi all - here's the long story.

I'm now 23. I was self-employed from 18 - 22 with my own LTD company doing website development / SEO / digital marketing. I live in a city where there is literally no IT companies - and so finding a suitable position is impossible. At the moment of writing this, there is ONE digital marketing position in my city - with over 40 in Manchester and over 50 in Birmingham. My city is a dead-end for IT.

I got away from my own LTD company, and was offered a position at a recruitment agency on essentially minimum wage. I took it up as I thought I'd use them until another position cropped up in my city. Or, I was hoping they'd bump up my salary after I proved what my contribution can be.

I work directly for a recruitment agency themselves - handling their social media, raising their rankings in Google, improving candidate application etcetc. Since joining, I have generated them revenues of way above my minimum wage salary. I am now no longer happy with this salary - and I'm finding no jobs are cropping up in my city.

I today posed my employer to ask for a payrise. I was simply rejected - stating they can't afford. They acknowledged my contribution, what I bring, and how much profit I generate. How I have bought on new clients, and attracted thousands of candidate applications - yet they won't budge from minimum wage.

My salary works out around £16K with my hours. For the same position, in Manchester, I would be earning £24K - £26K quite easily. I know I can do the job, probably to a managerial level already. I have my Level 5 nationally accredited diploma in Digital Marketing (equivalent to a degree). Without sounding cocky, I know I can do the job and I can do it well. I've never been College or Uni because I picked it all up at an early age and got my own business at 18.

Now I'm at a strict dead end. I'm not sure if my employer is playing a mexican stand off with me, thinking I won't leave. That's what one of my colleagues thinks. Likewise, I'm entirely unhappy with my salary, and I have been poached numerous times by companies in Manchester / Birmingham etc.

Question is... Do you think there's anyway to force my employer to give me a pay raise? Or do I need to relocate... If I quit, I could take on 3-4 interviews immediately and relocate if I got them. I want to stay where I am - but my employer won't budge. It's a shame because my "manager" has told my employer that I'm more than achieving my salary, and have been one of the best contributions to the business....

Takeaway_Addict

No to forcing the employer, Yes to moving but get the job first before quitting

PasturesNew

You can't force anybody to give you a payrise, no matter how little you're paid and no matter how much you think, or can prove, you've brought into the company.

All you can do is suck it up, or plan to leave.

Icematikx

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

No to forcing the employer, Yes to moving but get the job first before quitting

I can't attend interviews if I don't quit. The only positions in Digital Marketing are out of the way - meaning I need to take whole afternoons off. I will relocate anywhere in the UK. I kind of hate the fact that I was born into a non-IT city...

If I quit, then it'll give me the option to attend interviews. I've applied for numerous jobs, and had agencies and employers ring me back wanting to schedule interviews. I just can't get the time off to go to them. On applying for positions, I'd say I receive an 80% interview rate. Without sounding cocky, I know my CV and achievements while freelancing are impressive for a 23-year old.

Problem is, I don't want to quit. I like it where I work, I like the environment, and I don't want to relocate unless necessary. I just need the "boss" to acknowledge my contribution as the whole agency do. My boss is so money-focused that he wants to reduce costs as much. My manager is somewhat furious at the fact that the boss is willing to let me go over a few thousand.

Takeaway_Addict

If you quit you may not get a job so soon.

Book half day holidays for interviews, if you're that sure you'll only need to book a couple half days and if your feeling particularly brazen tell them why you want the holiday, that will make them put up or shut up.

AbbieCadabra

Icematikx wrote: »

They acknowledged my contribution, what I bring, and how much profit I generate. How I have bought on new clients, and attracted thousands of candidate applications - yet they won't budge from minimum wage.

so they do acknowledge your contribution then?

what's the going rate for your job in your location?

sounds like they simply can't afford to pay any more to me & no, you can't force them to give you a pay rise.

from what you've said, i'd probably relocate & earn the money you think that you're worth.

what happened with your Ltd Co., why did you finish it? if you were the only one offering that service in your city i'd have thought you'd be in demand?

Icematikx

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

If you quit you may not get a job so soon.

Book half day holidays for interviews, if you're that sure you'll only need to book a couple half days and if your feeling particularly brazen tell them why you want the holiday, that will make them put up or shut up.

It may be so. I had a "mexican standoff" today with the boss. My manager is furious that he's willing to let me go over paying me a normal salary. My salary now is £16K. I've asked for £21K and for that I'll commit to a year with him.

His response was a blunt, "I can't afford". We all know he can afford. My manager has blatantly said to me, "I'm furious that he won't give it you. You more than cover your wages, and you have improved our revenue tenfold by being here".

My manager has said he'll have words with him tomorrow to make him understand the implications of letting me go. He's invested probably £10k in my salary so far, and an additional £5-£10k in marketing costs. If I go, he's lost all of that as social media / websites i'm developing will be none-existent projects.

It's a shame really because I'm as loyal as they get. I just can't deal with getting fobbed off anymore - earning minimum wage.

Icematikx

AbbieCadabra wrote: »

so they do acknowledge your contribution then?

what's the going rate for your job in your location?

sounds like they simply can't afford to pay any more to me & no, you can't force them to give you a pay rise.

from what you've said, i'd probably relocate & earn the money you think that you're worth.

what happened with your Ltd Co., why did you finish it? if you were the only one offering that service in your city i'd have thought you'd be in demand?

We're a recruitment agency, so we recruit for my exact role. In my city it's around £19-£24K. In Manchester etc it's £22-£28K I'd say. My boss knows I'm underpaid, he got me cheap. It was a win/win to start with. I wanted a commercial reference, and he wanted a marketer for cheap.

He more than acknowledges my contribution. I'm a website developer and digital marketer. I've built two websites for him thus far, and marketed them to the top of Google. The results are there. Profits are up this year since taking me on by 2x fold.

My manager is furious at the fact he won't pay me a decent salary. I'd honestly stay there on £20-£21K and lose the £2K or so I could get elsewhere; simply because I'm happy. Everybody sees my contribution, but my boss just doesn't seem to translate the profit I bring into giving me a somewhat normal salary..

getmore4less

IT's simple do they need you more than you need them.

If you quit what happens then?
How long before the IT infrastructure melts down.

They can't stop you going for interviews.

The other option is to go back to Ltd and offer them 2 days for the same money and look to fill the rest with other clients.


Seriously if you want to make this a career you need to be working for the companies with money not two bit recruitment agents.

£25k salaries become £50k just by being in the right sector for basicaly the same job.

Icematikx

getmore4less wrote: »

IT's simple do they need you more than you need them.

If you quit what happens then?
How long before the IT infrastructure melts down.

They can't stop you going for interviews.

The other option is to go back to Ltd and offer them 2 days for the same money and look to fill the rest with other clients.


Seriously if you want to make this a career you need to be working for the companies with money not two bit recruimnet agents.

£25k salaries become £50k just by being in the right sector for basicaly the same job.

If I didn't show up tomorrow, all of their social media channels become redundant. Their rankings would plummet. Their website would go back to 5 visits per day, rather than the 200 visits per day now. When I first joined, they were page 500 on Google getting 5 visits per day - it's now at 200+.

They would have no support for their e-mail infrastructure. Im building a new IT website for them - about 80% complete. It has cost them about £1K-£2K so far in my costs to build it - they'd lose that.

He has alot to lose, and I just can't distinguish if he's having a mexican stand-off with me, or if he's actually prepared to lose me. The more I think about it, he's stupid if he lets me go - because he's spent £10-£15K to lose it all back to how it was. It's plain to see that I've generated way more than he's paid me in salary.

Perhaps I just need to grow some balls and leave.

Gazzafatcityboy

Icematikx wrote: »

It may be so. I had a "mexican standoff" today with the boss. My manager is furious that he's willing to let me go over paying me a normal salary. My salary now is £16K. I've asked for £21K and for that I'll commit to a year with him.

His response was a blunt, "I can't afford". We all know he can afford. My manager has blatantly said to me, "I'm furious that he won't give it you. You more than cover your wages, and you have improved our revenue tenfold by being here".

My manager has said he'll have words with him tomorrow to make him understand the implications of letting me go. He's invested probably £10k in my salary so far, and an additional £5-£10k in marketing costs. If I go, he's lost all of that as social media / websites i'm developing will be none-existent projects.

It's a shame really because I'm as loyal as they get. I just can't deal with getting fobbed off anymore - earning minimum wage.

I feel for you I really do. I hate it when you work for a company you love and they the location but they dont pay you enough.

You got to think about number 1 here and screw the company if they dont want you then tough on them they will miss you once you are not there. In regard to taking time off for Interviews, it depends on what your policy is for sickness and if possible to do the other interviews during lunchtimes.

I would start taking sick days if you get paid that is and then they will realise you are looking for a new job.

good luck with it... hope you finally get what you deserve.