Salary Grievance 9 May 2022 at 5:39PM in Employment, jobseeking & training 31 replies 1.7K views

swiftgan

Hi all. I have just been made aware that a trainee new starter is being paid the same salary as myself. I have been with the company 4 years. I'm obviously not happy about this and would like some advice. Thanks

JGB1955

Get a new job?  Ask your employer 'why'?

[Deleted User]

swiftgan said:

Hi all. I have just been made aware that a trainee new starter is being paid the same salary as myself. I have been with the company 4 years. I'm obviously not happy about this and would like some advice. Thanks

Demonstrate your value to the business so you're in a better position to put a case forward for a rise at your next appraisal.

elsien

Before you tackle anyone about it, you've been made aware how? 

74jax

swiftgan said:

Hi all. I have just been made aware that a trainee new starter is being paid the same salary as myself. I have been with the company 4 years. I'm obviously not happy about this and would like some advice. Thanks

Some advice on getting a payrise? Or some advice on why this happened? Or some advice on what to do in general move jobs etc)? 
Getting a payrise = what happened last time you asked? Was it a flat no? Make sure you can show how you met targets, improve profit, what you bring to the role etc.  If its still no, ask what you can do to be in a better position to ask in 6 months. 
Why it happened = better qualified, better qualifications, better at negotiating, you have never asked, they had to pay above and beyond. 
In general = if you want to stay discuss with management. If you want to leave negotiate well on your new salary. 

swiftgan

I asked the new employee

JCS1

It's not illegal to pay the new employee the same as you, so what is the basis of your  grievance?

Jillanddy

swiftgan said:

I asked the new employee

Why? It was none of your business,  and it was inappropriate to ask. A new person,  and a trainee at that,  could have been intimidated into giving you information that is really nothing to do with you.  

Tahlullah.H

I would say it could be because of your organisations pay structure.  Not all organisations enjoy a system where you can go and ask for a pay rise, demonstrate good deeds and get a pay rise.  Others have a set salary rate for the job and it doesn't increase beyond the annual cost of living or the annual increment, assuming you are not at the top of the scale.

Perhaps you and the new starter are on the salary level for the position, nothing more, nothing less.

And some employers welcome an open and frank discussion about money, salaries etc, to ensure there is no bitterness or assumptions about levels of pay.  Perhaps, your company is one of these, so a discussion about the pay scale is not a negative thing.

tacpot12

First thing to consider is whether your role is one where your experience makes you more valuable to the company. If not, you may not be able to argue that you deserve to be paid more. 

Then consider if you provide your employer with anything that is unique; something no body else doing that role provides. It might be that you are the most experienced, that you train new starters, speak a foreign lanuage, or that you are first aider. You need to understand your value to the employer, and then make sure that they understand it. 

The next thing is to remember that your employer expect that everyone's salary details are kept private, so you can't say "I've heard X is getting more than me". However, your manager is allowed to know what his staff earn, so you can expect that they will check how much other people are being paid, if you ask for more.

Then you have to consider whether you are prepared to resign if they won't give you more money? If you are, I would not recommend that you threaten to resign, just leave you manager wondering what you will do if they don't increase your pay.  

Own_Worst_Enermy

Ask, ask, ask the Employer.  Truly do not let it eat you. The new person may be coming in on harder terms, expected to hit ground running without mentoring/support etc etc.

I once worked for bit of a scatterhead of a company owner who genuinely went on to pay the part timer way above myself as the full-timer in probably a genuine mistake and there was a junior who didn’t last long - I wish we’d had a direct conversation about it which easy to say now, instead where communication wasn’t brilliant between either of us, I’ll always regret it but can’t deny he tried to make things right with a year-end bonus (I so didn’t get it at the time) if I were to be fair toward him.

Honestly communication is key in business. Ask to be rewarded for your loyalty.