Paid less than industry standard yet too scared to go elsewhere

D1ss1lusioned

Marcon said:

D1ss1lusioned said:

Hey all,

I have been in my current job for about 5 years now and when I started my salary was way less than I had before but had to take the job as had been unemployed for a year and needed something. I was told it would go up after 6 months with a review but didn't. Ever since then I have been struggling to get a payrise and now am only slightly above minimum wage yet my role normally fetches a fair amount more. Not long ago they employed a new person on an salary that was "attractive" according to the ad and I exceed the requirements for the role and have far more than the experience they require for it. I know quite a few people have left my place as the money is bad and got better money elsewhere.

The thing is I'm scared of aiming higher as have had trouble keeping jobs and feel like many places get rid of people in the first year if they don't 'fit in', e.g. go out and get drunk with them at the weekends etc. If you get a better paid job then they might expect more and there's always another person waiting for the job. Where I am they know it would be hard to replace me for the same money so get a fair amount of lenience with things and flexibility etc. I have heard from one colleague that left that they were started on much less than the role initially offered so it seems they might be doing that.

I feel insulted although don't know what the salary is they are on but don't know what to do about it as it would annoy me if for the need of taking on someone new they had to start them on more money than staff that have been in the role for years and have much more experience.

I was going to say 'don't believe all your hear', but in this case it seems to be a case of don't create scenarios in your own mind which are doing nothing but annoy you! An advertisement is hardly going to say that a salary is 'as low as we can get away with'.

If you are so sure you are being underpaid, than nothing at all to stop you job hunting and finding out if anyone else is prepared to pay you more - although whether they will also offer the same 'leniency' is quite another matter. What is important to you?

My issue is that I don't know if the company is keeping me on despite not having that much money coming in as they say or if they are stringing me along and I personally feel as though I'm just leading the directors to have bigger bonuses/dividends at the end of the day by them paying me less. I think feel dispondent thinking 'why am I just working to pay for them to have nice holidays if I can barely afford to live' and it winds me up.

D1ss1lusioned

ushjr said:

I was in the same boat as you. The best thing to do is leave.

There were some things I seemed to be the only one capable of doing. There was a lot of lenience too. At the same time I didn't think any other employer would give me a job and if they did I thought I'd be found out and not make it through my probation.

It was all a false sense of security though because I ended up being made redundant. I've since found another job and passed my probation.

Trying to resolve your issues at your current place is all very well, but it won't take away your fear of moving elsewhere. I was with my previous employer for much longer than 5 years and the fear just gets worse as time goes on.

When one good employee left they then offered him the salary he was getting at the new place but too little too late as he was intent on making his move to the new place. The probation element is scary definitely as I know I'd have to be on my best behaviour and act enthusiastic even if I'm not. My job can be done mostly at home although there is some requirement for a bit of travelling. There are no doubt a number of home working similar roles that can come up working for companies that before would have meant a long commute. With that in mind they might be more open on concentrating on staff retention as most staff are local and don't like a long commute so could favour roles working remotely for businesses further away on more money.

D1ss1lusioned

MattMattMattUK said:

When I used to work for other people (for 18 years, I run my own company now) I was only ever offered a pay rise unprompted three times. However I asked for a pay rise in various roles at least once a year, and sometimes more often as an evolving role or promotion merited, I was only once declined a pay rise (2008). If you want a pay rise then ask for one and make a case for it, if your work refuses and you genuinely feel you are worth it then find another job that pays you what you are worth. 

D1ss1lusioned said:

The thing is I'm scared of aiming higher as have had trouble keeping jobs and feel like many places get rid of people in the first year if they don't 'fit in', e.g. go out and get drunk with them at the weekends etc.

Aim as high as you want, but accept that does involve changes in job roles. Whilst "go out and get drunk" is not usually required, an element of out of work socialisation usually works wonders for the prospect of promotion and team integration.

You should aim to find a workplace you feel comfortable in, you do not have to have a passion for your job, you do not even have to enjoy it, but to find somewhere you do not hate and resent would be a good place to be. 

Sounds fair, people have suggested I go the self employed route but I feel there you can find it more difficult to get personal time and holidays even though in theory you have more control over it. When working for a company you can take holiday and someone else fills in as such but if on your own then your customers may need you outside of normal working hours etc.

I think at my place they have high or unrealistic expectations to give pay rises, they demand so much more than previous roles. In bigger companies you seem to just have a review, tick a few boxes and a form goes off to HR and then change the value for your pay on a database and it's no impact to them. A smaller company seems to be the case they pay people based on how much they like them.

The socialising element I have done in roles before, it can be a bit of endurance especially after being with my colleagues all day and I think, what else is there to talk about with them...

The job isn't too tricky and often can be quite relaxed and easy but can be swings and roundabouts. Going somewhere else is liable to involve picking up everything all over again, getting to know loads of new people and processes and all sorts.

Might see what happens in coming months...

coffeehound

Are there any opportunities to work as a contractor in your function?  Although it comes with some of its own problems, it does free you up from feeling trapped in a company and can pay well while giving you more control over days/hours you choose to work.

74jax

You say when someone left they then offered more money for them to stay. But then also say they have told you there's no money for increases as its 'hand to mouth'. It can't be both.

Plus do want to work somewhere that (according to them) is so low on money.

They don't want to pay you more, so aren't. And getting away with it. You are looking at the worst scenario in moving jobs (what if you fail probation / what if you get fired within 2 years / what if you aren't happy)...... Well you aren't happy now so that's just the same. Have you ever failed probation or been fired within 2yrs?  Flip the coin - what if you love it, get paid more, are respected and appreciated?  You have ONE life, try it and see. Otherwise in 6months you'll be in exactly the same position. 

ian16527

You have to decide if your current work life balance is worth the low wage and no commute.

I don't know what you do so cannot comment on if what you get paid is the national average. I worked for a small firm once and the pay was poor, but he had to increase the wages after people started leaving.

I was in a position where I needed a job after being made redundant and off work for 6 months. I was glad to get a job at a lower wage, but the company was great and I liked it there. I could pay the bill but had no spare cash.

I left after 2 years as the company was bought out by a competitor who then closed it after 2 years( same as the previous one which was closed as well). I did get a 35% pay rise when I moved. 

Probation period is standard. Don't worry about it. You seem to have a confidence issue which gets better as you get older so make a jump and stop worrying. Experience and adaptability is what many companies look for.

 There are 25 vacancies at my company currently so things are looking up.

Thrugelmir

D1ss1lusioned said:

Thrugelmir said:

D1ss1lusioned said:

The thing is I'm scared of aiming higher as have had trouble keeping jobs and feel like many places get rid of people in the first year if they don't 'fit in', e.g. go out and get drunk with them at the weekends etc. If you get a better paid job then they might expect more 

With increased pay comes increased responsibility. Sounds as if you need to work on your self confidence and assertiveness. Don' t under estimate yourself nor your abilities. A secure job is worth hanging onto. Take your time and move at your own speed. Keep learning and gaining experience. 

The MD really does work people to the bone to get the maximum he can out of them for minimal reward. 

These are challenging times. Don't underestimate the pressure the management is under to keep the business alive. Being on the other side of the door isn't easy. Everybody wants to be paid more money. To do so the company needs to remain profitable and most importantly generate the cash to do so. Employees rarely know how fragile the company finances really are. 

silverwhistle

Thrugelmir said:

 Employees rarely know how fragile the company finances really are. 

 If they're that fragile you should be looking for a new job anyway.  You're talking about near minimum wage: there are plenty of jobs near that level. Hospitality is crying out for new workers if you ever need an interim job to tide you over.

Jami74

The thing is I'm scared of aiming higher as have had trouble keeping jobs and feel like many places get rid of people in the first year if they don't 'fit in', e.g. go out and get drunk with them at the weekends etc.

Why have you had trouble keeping jobs? Is it the norm in the industry you work in to socialise with colleagues outside of work hours?

The job security is the main thing as I know up to 2 years anywhere the only case you have is for discrimination against a 'protected characteristic' of which I don't have a case. 

You sound like you expect to get dismissed unfairly. Do you feel like employers discriminate against you?

The probation element is scary definitely as I know I'd have to be on my best behaviour and act enthusiastic even if I'm not.

How do you normally behave at work? Aren't you normally on your 'best behaviour' in front of your colleages? 

I wonder if you managed to get another job offer for more money, then maybe your current employer would offer to match it.

I once emailed my manager to say that I was having a particularly bad day at work and the role should really be done by someone on a higher pay grade than me. Twenty minutes later I got a reply stating that my pay rise would be backdated to the beginning of the month.

epm-84

I was in a similar situation for many years.  In my case I wasn't offered a good salary initially but the company was local and I had just done a job centre approved work placement with them so I couldn't exactly reject the offer as that could have meant I was no longer eligible for out-of-work benefits.  They promised a review after 3 months, that didn't happen and I was a bit scared about pushing for one.  Less than one year after being in the role the company (and industry in general) started to struggle and there were some redundancies and those remaining were asked to take pay cuts.  I remained and wasn't asked to take a pay cut because my pay wasn't that much more than the minimum wage so if my pay was cut by the same level as everyone else they would have been forced to reduce my hours as well.

When the business situation improve and I asked about a pay review I was told the company can't afford to increase payroll at the current time but said a lot about valving my contribution and understanding that my pay was low for the type of work I did.  What worked for me was further down the line the operations manager asked me to add two job vacancies to the company's website.  I did that and when it was done I replied to the email saying it was done and reminded the operations manager about what had been said previously.  It didn't get me a salary which was average or better but it got me an improved salary.