Advice Needed: Work salary issue.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I had to go into the office a couple weeks ago to fill out some paperwork, and I decided to hang out and talk to my bosses for a little while. Nothing specifically work related, just general stuff. I get along with all of them pretty well, and I genuinely enjoy talking to them. So, one of my bosses, who is in charge of scheduling and hiring, is telling the group about all these annoying e-mails she has been getting from a perspective employee. She’d been getting all these long, detailed messages asking her a multitude of questions about the available position. This person would be doing the same job I am currently doing.

So, she begins detailing what one of the more annoying e-mails she received said. She begins by recounting how the perspective wanted to know exactly what she would be paid, etc. She then tells us how she told her she would be making X amount/hour. I am shocked to hear this, because this is more than I make. I think to myself that I must have misunderstood some of the details, so I ask her if this girl was applying for the job I do. My boss tells me that she is. I didn’t say something then because I didn’t want to interrupt her story, and because she was telling this story to a group of people. Now, this is a company that bases hourly wages on customer feedback, so it is natural to have some wage disparity among those doing the same job. However, my feedback is literally as good as it can be, and I had a lot of experience coming in.

At this point I am both angry and disappointed. I am pissed that I am currently being paid less than a perspective employee, but I am more upset because I have really made a sincere effort to do my job well, and to make their lives easier. I fill in for people at the last minute, I volunteer to work extra hours, etc. I haven’t been working there long (about 6 months), but I can’t figure out why a new employee should make more than I do.

At this point I am lost. I don’t know how to bring this issue up to my boss without it making things weird, but I feel I need to express my dissatisfaction with the situation as it currently is. Should I say something to her?

2

Aren’t salaries supposed to be confidential? One of the bosses revealed to you another’s salary? Hooboy. That sounds like a no-no to me.

3

I’m running into the same thing at my job. I’m being paid x, and their expectations for someone filling this position are XXX. I was mostly okay with it when I thought people in a similar level of job were making about the same (except I should be making more, because my job requires more expert knowledge and experience), and then I saw a proof for a current job ad, and the parallel people will be making 12% more than I am as new hires. Feeling like you are being taken advantage of is a very uncomfortable feeling, I know. And it seems like the only cure for it is find another job and quit.

You might want to talk to your bosses and bring up the points just like you did for us, how you are a good worker etc., and ask them if they can give you a raise to better what a new hire will be getting. Their response will tell you all you need to know about your future with the company.

4

Oh, I should also point out, in case you hadn’t figured it out for yourself yet, that in my experience, companies/supervisors rarely notice or appreciate extra efforts. If you’re going to make extra efforts, make sure that the reason you’re doing them is to make your life easier, not from some misguided sense that you’ll be rewarded for them some day.

5

of course, I’m not at all in the professional world yet…I work at a hotel and (until saturday) a carry-out…

Now, a carryout is pretty much a basic job…most start at minimum wage…it’s relatively simple…like you have to wait on customers, work in the cooler, basic stuff…

so I worked there for 11 months, most of the time I worked 30-40 hours…often more…I never had called in sick…and I found out we were going to be hiring two new part time clerks over the next few months…
and then he hired one…and I was making minimum wage, just trying to pay rent and have a little left over. I was appalled when I found out the new guy made more than me…by a good bit…like .60 more an hour…He lived with his family, had no bills other than car insurance, and was in school to be a nurse…this made me angry because I have been in college the whole time I worked there…even had to miss classes cause I couldn’t leave work on time (read: people who are employed there still did not show up, call, or offer explanations at all) and I had to stay…but this guy came and went as he pleased…he’d call in 5 minutes before he should be there and say he was too busy to come in…and he told the owner when he started that he wouldn’t be there more than 6 months…
This made me so mad because I worked there and was never late, never called off, never did anything…had great remarks from customers and coworkers on my behalf, and of course, it was shitty…

Finally I asked my boss about it and he said he “thought he had given me a raise”…I don’t understand how you don’t know this stuff (he is the owner, manager, and works every weekday…) and finally he gave me a raise…so after a year, I’m making the same as the guy that’s been there a month…and I’m a little angry about it…

To make things worse, he hired a new person and again paid them the higher rate…Given, this person needed the job, and planned on staying for a while…and guess who was given more hours…new worker number 1…even though he was planning on leaving and everyone knew it, including the owner…

Given I quit, and they knew it was coming also, because I’d asked off 3 days to work at my other job and they scheduled me to work 5 hours by myself each day, the same hours I told them I’d be at my other job…but even when I quit, I noticed that the newer guy who was replacing me was making the same I made after I’d been there a year…

The best thing I can suggest is to discuss it with a higher up to try to get it taken care of…but if they won’t listen or don’t want to hear your side, I’d say to start sending out resumes as soon as you can…

6

But they have pointed out to me on several occasions that I’m doing a great job, and that they appreciate all the extra effort I’m putting in.

Good point, although I didn’t do it get a reward.

7

Not enough to pay you for it.

Good thing.

Seriously… the thing about doing extra work (for free, especially) is that not only is it not appreciated, but eventually it’s expected. And I mean “expected” as in “added to your job description”. There always comes a point where instead of being thanked for doing it, you catch shit when you don’t.

Don’t work for free. People don’t value what they don’t pay for.

8

It is usually considered bad form to use information about a co-worker’s salary to ask for a higher salary for yourself, but that is, I think, because such information usually comesz from the co-worker, who is not supposed to discuss such things. Your case is obviously different, because the info came directly from your boss. If I were in your position, I would ask her to explain the difference in the salaries. I wouldn’t put it in terms of “I demand to be paid what the prospective new-hire will be paid”. I would perhaps say something along the lines of: I was really glad to hear that my job can potentially pay as much as you are offering the prospective new-hire, and I’d like to do whatever I can to earn that much. What can I do to make myself worth that much? Is there some training I can take? Proceed gently, but proceed.

9

Ooh, what Crotalus said. That’s extremely good advice.

So, when you did the extra stuff, what were you expecting?

10

I agree.

Nothing really. Why is anyone nice when there is little incentive for them to do so?

11

Go with the obvious: apply for the open position. Walk into your supervisor’s office, hand them your resume and tell them you’re applying for the open position that’s listed. When they ask why, tell them you’d be crazy not to, since the pay is better and you’re the absolute #1 most qualified person they could find.

12

First off, your boss was WAY off base discussing salaries.

I would go with Crotalus’s advice, but XJETGIRLX made me giggle too. Talk about putting your boss on the spot!

At my last job, the printer was in my office. It was behind my desk, so people had to walk behind my desk to get stuff off the printer.

One day, I was busy working on payroll stuff when someone came in to get something off the printer. I was engrossed, and didn’t notice this person except in a oh-there’s-another-person-in-here-why-isn’t-this-overtime-adding-up-right sort of way. He glanced at my computer screen and saw info he shouldn’t have.

He raised a stink, and while my boss and I fought it (he was looking at info he shouldn’t have been looking at) he and a few other people got raises out of it. The printer was moved from behind my desk, and I learned to shut my door when I was working on payroll.

13

I just started at a place a couple of months back and I’m in this situation as well. Only difference is that the % difference is a LOT higher than that. A friend is going for the same position and the quote he was given was like a sock to the gut for me. Then again, I’m the one who screwed up the interview like that, so I mostly have myself to blame. Still doesn’t stop you from feeling like you’re being taken advantage of.

14

Unfortunately, this isn’t at all uncommon. In my industry, times have been tough for the last 4 years, with layoffs and very small or non-existant pay raises. Now, things are turning around, and it’s not at all uncommon for new positions to pay more then people already with the company, doing the same thing. That’s what it takes for my employer to hire the people they want.

What it leads to is, my company and it’s main competitions do a major employee exchange, as everyone figures the easiest way to get a raise is to go work for the other guy.

15

To put this all into perspective, the person you are talking about is a prospective employee, but pay/wage transparency is not necessarily a bad thing. At least this gives you an opportunity to get some more money. It’s mostly in the employer’s, not the employees’ best interest to keep salaries a secret.

16

Yup - and that’s why so many employers have absolute “don’t ask, don’t tell” rules about discussing salaries, often with firing being the consequences of discussing salary with a co-worker. It’s harder to take advantage of informed people.

brickbacon, if you just do the extra things to be nice, why did you bring them up in this discussion? I’m not trying to be a dick here, but I feel like we’re getting a mixed message from you; that you feel there should be some recognition for your extra efforts, but you also say that you don’t do them for any reason than to be nice.

17

I’ve never worked at a place that gave raises for extra effort. Raises are for ever - so bonuses or some other type of reward is much better. Those who did the job at the next level higher tended to get promoted, though.

When I was doing salary reviews, new people did sometimes get offered more than current people. The reason for us was markets - when hiring we competed against everyone trying to hire that person, and so had to be competitive, but when a person is on roll, he or she is competing against other employees for a too small slice of the salary pot. The philosophy of a lot of companies is to reward stars. Since they don’t want to take away money from bad performers, people who are not quite stars often get screwed.

I’m not condoning this, just explaining it. Most of the managers in our department would have loved to give out a lot more money than we were able to, but the pot came from corporate, and we were stuck with it.

18

The reason that newer employees often make more money than long-standing employees is simply that in the interim, the market changed.

As a rule, prices don’t go down over time. When you took that job in 1998, it payed $50K. In 2006, it pays $75K. That’s what it takes to get someone in the door. However, no company will ever give you a 33% raise to retain you. It just Isn’t Done. If you want $75K, you’ve got to leave and get it somewhere else. Sad, and to my mind, not necessarily economically sound, but true.

19

And of course I meant 50% raise. :smack:

20

brickbacon : is it a large company you work for with many divisions? It may be that your manager/supervisor doesn’t know/realise the pay difference. I don’t condone this, but have seen it in large companies.
If I were you then I’d do as Crotalus suggested and speak with your boss about the wage disparity. At the least it would show you as someone savy and confident- traits that should be looked for in future management. I would never promote someone who didn’t have the confidence to look out for themselves. However, I also wouldn’t promote someone who would so casually discuss wage rates with someone they were supposed to manage. I currently work for a small company (25 employees). In my 6 years with them I have only received raises/reviews after going in and asking for them. Hopefully you’ll have luck with this.