Male collegue earns 10k more than me

lala9

So my male counterpart appears to earn 10k more per year than me. We share the same job title but he is 1 grade above me, however I am more qualified in our particular field.


You could argue he is older by about 4 years, and has differing skills to me. However, we both bring useful and relevant experience to the table. I have been doing this particular job since August 2018 and he started a few months prior.


I consider myself pretty focussed and keen to skill up and get on whereas he doesn't seem that bothered and has only recently put himself forward for training because I am now qualified and probably feels he should.


So without going in to too much detail, how should I play this, do I have a case to go to HR with or is it a case of grade higher, bigger pay, end of?


I would really appreciate some advice please.

Socajam

We share the same job title but he is 1 grade above me

To me this says it all.

[Deleted User]

lala9 wrote: »

I would really appreciate some advice please.

Make yourself as valuable to the business as possible, through hard work, improving your skills and ultimately delivering the things they value.

steampowered

It's worth speaking to your manager if you think you are being underpaid.

It is also worth seeing if you can find out what you might get paid for a similar job with another employer.

Ultimately, if an employer can get away with paying you less than the market rate, they will do so.

Savvy_Sue

Does your employer do regular reviews, or have a structured salary scale? If so, worth asking what you would have to do to move up the scale.

If it's all down to negotiation, and he did it better than you did when you started, that's what you need to work on. But also look around for other opportunities.

asajj

Socajam wrote: »

We share the same job title but he is 1 grade above me

To me this says it all.

I think it comes down to this unfortunately. Do you know the grade scales for the pay? Are you being paid within the scale or below?

kazmeister

If you share the same job title why would they not be the same grade?

The only time I have known this happen is in Accounting when you hold the role title but as you get more qualified your grade would change as would your salary.

If you feel you you have a case fur an equal pay claim then you would need to call ACAS but you might want to first understand why your role has the different grades.

ohreally

Don't get hung up on job titles, in this context they're pretty much meaningless. Look at the requirements for the roles, does his require a degree that yours doesn't, does he have budgetary control or line management functions, does he have freedom to act that you don't, etc.

TELLIT01

lala9 wrote: »

So my male counterpart appears to earn 10k more per year than me.

What makes you think this, and how did you obtain the information? If it's based purely on gossip and speculation how can you be sure that is actually the situation. If you have been provided with what would normally be private information about another staff member how would you be able to raise it with senior management to support your claim?

nicechap

lala9 wrote: »

So my male counterpart appears to earn 10k more per year than me. We share the same job title but he is 1 grade above me, however I am more qualified in our particular field.


You could argue he is older by about 4 years, and has differing skills to me. However, we both bring useful and relevant experience to the table. I have been doing this particular job since August 2018 and he started a few months prior.


I consider myself pretty focussed and keen to skill up and get on whereas he doesn't seem that bothered and has only recently put himself forward for training because I am now qualified and probably feels he should.


So without going in to too much detail, how should I play this, do I have a case to go to HR with or is it a case of grade higher, bigger pay, end of?


I would really appreciate some advice please.

A few more details might help.

How long have you been there?

Do you do the same job (not just job title)? E.g manage the same budget, clients, products, people, area, etc etc

Do you do the same hours?

Is there a bonus or commission element to your respective packages?

What size employer is it? - e.g. are there females earning more than males on the same job title elsewhere in the company?

What does your union say? They would be the natural route to challenge pay grades based on gender. I'm guessing they would suggest asking for a role review with benchmarking against similar roles within the organisation and industry - where the £10k would then be exposed.

If you have been there less than 2 years and you came by this information underhandedly, you may find yourself looking for a new job.

Assuming the situation is as you've given and it is solely because of your gender, are you prepared to take your employer to a tribunal? Its not a quick solution.

Manxman_in_exile

TELLIT01 wrote: »

What makes you think this, and how did you obtain the information? If it's based purely on gossip and speculation how can you be sure that is actually the situation. If you have been provided with what would normally be private information about another staff member how would you be able to raise it with senior management to support your claim?

I understand the points you are making, but having worked in the public sector for virtually all of my career I've never been able to get my head round the fact that many (or most?) private sector employees don't know (and aren't meant to know) what their colleagues earn. It always strikes me as distinctly odd.


OP - do you know what the grade structure is? (ie how many pay points on each and what they are worth, how you progress - if at all - within a grade). What distinguishes the grade you are on from the grade your colleague is on? Assuming you are "allowed" to know what grade your colleague is on, you need to build a case arguing that your role should be on the same grade. Or that you personally bring so much to the role that you ought to be on a higher grade.

Do you work for the BBC...:)