Pay discrepancy

[itsme_calista]

I'm in a tizzy over this and so if you want to tell me to pull myself together please do as I'm not entirely sure I'm thinking logically!

I work for a large company and there are a total 6 PAs across the company.  I'm the newest, being here almost a year now (gosh that flew by).  I work closely with one other PA who has been here a long time, she used to do this job and had an assistant to help her and after a reshuffle her boss left and the assistant went with the PA when she moved to a new Manager.

I've just been told that I am the most qualified PA in the company and that 4 out of the 6 PAs fell into their roles.  My qualifications are also the most relevant.  My boss has told me this as part of a survey that took place.  He also told me that I am the least paid!   By a substantial amount!!!!   He is looking to give me a rise but it is unlikely to make up the near £4000 the next PA is paid.   I am in shock!

I spoke to the PA who did the job prior to me and she has confirmed that my starting salary was considerably less than she was on, and she had an assistant to help her!

Now ... to balance out my feelings, I came into this job for a considerable payrise from what I was on previously and after returning from a career break.  The boss I work for as not the boss she worked for and their is a massive difference in their work production.  Whilst there are the odd occasions, I don't need an assistant.  The job hasn't changed much since the previous PA.

I do feel very slighted!  Whilst I wouldn't anticipate coming in at exactly the same level as other longer standing PAs, I do feel my skills and qualifications are being ignored, and £4k is a lot of money!  The starting salary for me was a considerable amount less than for the previous PA which I think is unfair!.

Am I getting worked up over nothing?  Sensibly part of me is saying I should wait to see what rise my own boss proposes, but it's likely to be a few weeks away, by which time the unsensible part of me may have wound myself into the ground!

Callie

[Jackie G]

Ok, here's my 2p.

First of all, you say it was a big pay rise for you to move to this job, so you haven't 'lost out'.

There must have been a reason the company did the survey and for your boss to tell you that you are the best PA and the lowest paid, including in on a lower salary than your predecessor perhaps wasn't the best way of handling things, especially as they don't seem to be in a position to offer you an increase to balance things out straight away.

So, I would sit tight and wait and see what they offer.  (They may have felt, when employing you, that to add another £3-4k onto the offer would maybe seem too much of a jump in salary for you and that they would look at it once you'd been there a while, which looks like what they're doing).

Hopefully they will offer something close to what you would now expect to be receiving - possibly even a little more!  - I've just re-read what you said about unlikely to be close to the £4k to the nearest PA salary.

I would still sit tight and see what they offer.  However, you are now armed with some inside information and you need to be careful in how you use this to negotiate your pay deal, if you don't like their offer.

Keep us posted!

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

[msmarieh]

Salary negotiation is a two way street. They didn't offer more and you didn't negotiate for more. There are so many factors that go into a salary that it's rarely an apples and apples comparison (length of service, education, experience, responsibilities, past salary experience, etc.).

The responsibility for your current salary is evenly divided between the company making the offer and you for accepting it.

So, I would say you have learned a valuable lesson.

Going forward? You need to sit down with your boss to discuss your options and consider just how important this actually is to you. Is it important enough that you would leave and go elsewhere to receive a higher salary? WOULD YOU receive that higher salary if you did go elsewhere? Be very careful what bridges you burn, especially if you state your case in terms of - "she makes more than me". That could not only devalue your own case, but more significantly impact your image in the company.

Tread with caution, but this is certainly a battle worth fighting.

Marie

[gee4]

My 2p....

Bear in mind that over the years, those PA's who have been there longer, have received pay rises.  I know for a fact that the CEO's PA here earns more than me.  Now I have no idea how much but for what she does and the personal touches she adds, I know it.  I am happy with what I earn given the responsibility I have.  I don't need or want any more responsbility but a pay rise would be nice if I am still here after a year (Aug/Sept 07).

They probably evaluated your qualifications against others and realised you had potential to earn more and go up the ladder given your experience and qualifications.  How many more years' experience to they actually have?  Don't forget, climates change, bosses leave and policies sometimes remain the same.  For some of the staff where I work, we are on slightly different contracts.  Whereas I have only 20 days leave, someone else may have 25 days leave as the company policy was changed and anyone joining after a certain date therefore had 20 days leave instead of 25.  It's not anyone's fault just how things change and move on.

The others are correct in their comments - would you earn any more anywhere else?  You took this job as it paid more so you must have been happy to leave your last employer.

[spitfire78]

Hi Callie,

I was once in a similar situation.  When I was hired here (back in 1981!), they brought me on board for $10,000/year.  This was considerably higher than I had been making in my previous job and I was thrilled.  After a couple of years, I discovered that another secretary hired the exact same time as me and doing the exact same job with the same amount of experience as I had was brought on several thousand dollars a year more than I.  The reason - she was making more in her previous job, so they paid her more.  They figured I would be happy with less, so they offered me less.  I was pretty livid over it at the time, but because I shouldn't really have had the information to begin with could do nothing about it.  This is a large company, however, and they couldn't get away with it for long.  Eventually a review was done of all the admin salaries and it was discovered that I was being paid less.  In the course of maybe a 5-year period I received extra raises mid-way through the year about 3 times to "bring me up to the level of other admin staff in my area".

Now, obviously that couldn't possibly make up for all of the years that I was underpaid; however, it was gratifying to know that my division was caught red-handed by the main office and forced to even up the distribution.  Eventually, because I sought out extra duties and responsibiilties and took extra training, I became the highest paid secretary in the group.

[itsme_calista]

Thanks for all your comments

I would never dream of coming into a company and earning the same as the existing staff, however, I have always worked in companies where the job is worth £x and there is a grade to follow upon performance/service length etc.  The previous PA started this role 4 years ago on £xk, and progressed £3k in 4 years.  I started a year ago on £1k less than her starting salary 4 years ago.  The job hasn't been devalued in any way in fact it's been added to as the years have passed by all accounts!  I guess this is my main gripe!

I would have negotiated a better deal but was told at interview the salary we are offering is not up for negotiation and as I was better off I was happy to accept, but now feel that I've screwed over (for want of a better term).

In fact the reason I know what the other PA is on is because she told me and right now I feel very much like my face is being rubbed in dirt.

The fact that my boss has told me he can't offer me £4k isn't a big deal, as I've said, if I'd worked in the co for x no of years and a new person started on the same salary, that would upset me more.  I just feel like my skills and qualifications are being taken advantage of and the value of the job isn't important, it's what/who you know!  

I guess I need to brush up on my negotiation skills

Callie

[raindance]

I was in a similar situation when I started my current employment, but thankfully my situation was rectified after a couple of years.  Long time to wait, but patience brought me a lot of rewards.

Before you next meet with your manager to discuss any pay award, I would suggest you research the way your company awards pay increases and fixes pay levels.

You may have a case for a substantial upgrade in salary on the grounds that the work associated with your post has the same value as that of the other PAs in your company, and therefore you should not be disadvantaged on the grounds of length of service, gender, age or anything else.

There are a number of methods to evaluate posts and fix them within a hierarchy of posts within a company and a pay structure.  However, most methods would include some reflection on knowledge, skills, responsibility, contacts and complexity, and a nod in the direction of the market rate for that type of job.  

I would expect most posts with broadly the same characteristics to have similar levels of pay.  Some companies offer an incremental pay scheme where there are few "steps" up the pay spine, with the top of the pay scale being reached within three to five years (thus avoiding the possibility of allegations of discrimination).

When you meet with your manager, I would suggest that you listen to what he has to say and then state your case.  It is unfortunate that your colleague discussed her salary, and in some companies that would be a disciplinary matter.  However, it is to your advantage because you have some ammunition.  And unless your boss is the owner of the company, remember that he is an employee too and it isn't he who is offering you an increase; it is the company.

The alternative is to take whatever is offered if it is reasonable and use your current employment as a stepping stone to something with enhanced pay.  

I am sorry that you are feeling sore about this - I would be too - but I wish you well in your negotiations and hope you will let us know what happens.  

Best wishes,

Raindance

[itsme_calista]

Update:  After having a good heart to heart with my boss he agreed that my job was undervalued in terms of pay (not me the job) and has agreed to a substantial pay increase  I feel vindicated now

I am still paid less but feel satisfied with that a) because the other PA has been here longer, but mainly because b) the job was evaluated properly and that is ultimately what I wanted.

Happy ending and thanks everyone for the advice

Callie.

[raindance]

That is just wonderful.  Congratulations!

It doesn't, in some ways, matter what one is paid; what is important is that one is paid properly and fairly.  It sounds as though you have achieved that, and it must be very encouraging for you.  So, walk tall!

Cakes for tea all round then.

Best wishes,

Raindance

[spitfire78]

Good for you!