Salary Grievance

TELLIT01

I've always felt that my salary is nobody else's business, and the salary of other people is no business of mine.  I was actually shocked at one employer when I discovered how little my line manager earned.  I had always assumed they were on a higher grade than they actually were until a chance conversation with them (grade bands were general knowledge).

ACG

It is a bit of a difficult one this. 
Arguably the trainee is doing the same job as you, they are just learning the role at the same time. Why should they not be paid the same? 

Unless you are the one training them, I think it could be argued you get paid the same. I suppose it depends on what you do though, a trainee accountant is a bit different to a trainee bar person. 

Jillanddy

ACG said:

Arguably the trainee is doing the same job as you...

Based on what evidence?

sultan123

Jillanddy said:

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.  

What do you mean not business? It is perfectly fine to ask, if the other person does not want to disclose that is up to them.

sultan123

Get an offer from elsewhere and get a counter

Jillanddy

sultan123 said:

Jillanddy said:

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.  

What do you mean not business? It is perfectly fine to ask, if the other person does not want to disclose that is up to them.

I meant exactly what I said. It was not the OP's business how much someone else was paid, and they should not have asked. This is a new employee and a "junior" or "trainee". So what would your advice be when the next post is "I have been accused of bullying a new employee because they say that I demanded to know their salary, and they felt intimidated by my request. They didn't want to tell me but felt that I was being demanding and they didn't know how to handle it so told me. I've been told that bullying is serious and I face a disciplinary now."?

There is such a thing as an imbalance of power, and there is no question as to the fact that this existed between an experienced employee of some years and a new trainee. There is no way of knowing how the trainee felt about being put on the spot like that, but it clearly isn't something that is appropriate or necessary. Or any of the OP's business. 

If the OP, or anyone else, doesn't like what they are being paid, then there are options open to them that do not include "Peter says he gets £XXXX and I want it too". 

Ath_Wat

ACG said:

It is a bit of a difficult one this. 
Arguably the trainee is doing the same job as you, they are just learning the role at the same time. Why should they not be paid the same? 

Unless you are the one training them, I think it could be argued you get paid the same. I suppose it depends on what you do though, a trainee accountant is a bit different to a trainee bar person. 

The fact that you are doing the same job is not and never will be an argument for getting paid the same.  You can both be doing the same job but one can be doing it well and another badly.

Possibly the new employee is getting paid more because they expect them to do the job much better when they are up to speed.

Ath_Wat

TELLIT01 said:

I've always felt that my salary is nobody else's business, and the salary of other people is no business of mine.  I was actually shocked at one employer when I discovered how little my line manager earned.  I had always assumed they were on a higher grade than they actually were until a chance conversation with them (grade bands were general knowledge).

I recently found out that my manager earns just about the same as I do, which explains why my manager has always been so keen to make sure I get good annual pay rises, even when I have told him I'm really not fussed and think I earn plenty already.  Every time I get one it's an argument for him to get one as well.

biscan25

TELLIT01 said:

I've always felt that my salary is nobody else's business, and the salary of other people is no business of mine.

Employers love this attitude! It's always worth having these conversations, otherwise everyone thinks they are the highest paid amongst their peers. Perhaps not to a new joiner though.

I don't see why the OP should suck this up. Salaries have been going crazy recently. Research the market rate of your position, talking to recruiters if needs be, and be prepared to justify your worth to your employer. There's always the option of going elsewhere if they say no and they will have this in their mind too! It's much more expensive to recruit staff than to retain them.

I would also say don't wait until your appraisal to do this. At these review points there is often a fixed budget for salary increases, and your manager will have other things on their mind.

I've had to do this on three occasions in my career so far. Only one was declined. I then got an offer from elsewhere, followed by the inevitable counteroffer from my then current employer, by which point it was too late.

uss_tish

@swiftgan many employers match or better the previous salary of new starters. Although a trainee in this particular role, they may well have skills and/or previous experience that enabled them to negotiate their starting salary.

This most certainly is not grounds for you to lodge a grievance.