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Urgent advice needed re move from temp to employee!

10 replies

blossomhillbilly · 20/03/2013 11:13

I have been temping at a large multinational for a couple of months, providing admin support (a bit of a step down from my previous experience but due to some personal trauma last year I wanted a role that wasn?t too challenging, just while I got back on my feet again). It has suited me perfectly, I love the company and they seem very happy with the work I am doing.

There is now the prospect of a more medium-term role (maternity cover), as the colleague I was working alongside has moved into a permanent role. I have been offered the position and have expressed that I am very keen to accept.

However, we seem to have reached a bit of a stalemate regarding salary and I don?t know what to do!

Until now, I have been employed by a recruitment agency. Having checked with them about how we?d proceed if the company were to take me on as their own employee on a fixed term contract (preferable for me as they could afford to pay me more then, rather than paying commission to the agency on top of my hourly rate), they have confirmed that a finder?s fee would apply.
My boss hadn?t mentioned salary and seemed to think I would just carry on with the current arrangement. However, I am aware of how much my predecessor was earning, as she gave me her old contract to file!

I asked for a meeting with my boss yesterday and showed him how much we are paying the agency for me and what I felt I should be getting paid for the new role. He is quibbling over the sums. Basically, he?s calculated what it would cost him over the seven months to employ me via the agency on my current (measly!) rate, against what it would cost to pay me a salary plus the finder?s fee. The second option comes in slightly higher, so he is now saying he can?t afford to pay me the salary I am asking for. He said if I can knock the agency down on the fee they are asking for I?ve got a deal. Otherwise, I think he is going to try and railroad me into a much lower salary to cover the additional costs he will be incurring. I don't feel that their recruitment costs should have to be covered by offering me a lower salary Hmm especially when I have it in black and white what the previous person was on.

So I reluctantly approached the agency and, although they sympathised, they said they already offer the company a greatly reduced rate. I?ve also since found out that VAT applies on top of the fee, so will be even more money that my boss will want to take off my salary? I've not told him this yet, dreading it!

We agreed to both sleep on it last night and discuss again today. I don?t really know what to say to him or how we resolve this! I am grateful for the opportunity to step straight into this role without any interview process or competition for it, but at the same time I don?t want to be taken for granted or seen to be a doormat. I should mention my financial situation isn?t great due to being out of work for a few months, so the thought of being on a much better salary than I?m on now makes me want to do cartwheels round the office - I don?t want to screw up this chance by appearing greedy!

Any advice gratefully received!

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blossomhillbilly · 20/03/2013 11:15

Sorry, not sure why all the question marks!

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MoreBeta · 20/03/2013 11:21

The simple answer is you say no to your boss and stay on the temp arrangement in your current role if he will not agree to pay you what your colleague was paid in the new role that you are discussing.

Your boss has a problem and it is not up to you to solve it by reducing your income or working harder in a bigger role for the same money.

He could put you on a permanent contract and just dump you after 6 months anyway. You owe him nothing.

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blossomhillbilly · 20/03/2013 11:24

Sorry, I should have made it clearer, even if I take a bit of a drop in salary to compensate for the fee they are paying for me, I will still be earning a lot more than I would via the agency. It's just the principal of the fact that I know what my predecessor was on and don't see why I should earn less just because they need to pay a fee for me to become a company employee.

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blossomhillbilly · 20/03/2013 11:26

i.e. if the fee does come out of my salary, I will still be earning several thousand more than what I am currently on. But not as much as I think I should be earning!

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Flibbertyjibbet · 20/03/2013 11:28

I think some regulations came in last year that if you are temping in a job then you have to be paid the equivalent of the salary for that post.

Might be wrong, but my friend got a massive rise from minimum wage to nearly double that when some rule changed last year (or maybe the year before) and said it was because she now had to be paid the going rate.

Hopefully someone will come along who is more knowledgeable.
I did a lot of temping, and was quite often kept on for a long time, but as a temp, because not only does the company have to pay the finders fee, but they also then have you as an employee and are subject to all the regulations for that. It suits a lot of companies to keep the flexibility of week-to-week temping.

Also, if the company is vat registered then that won't affect the 'price' as they will be able to offset it. But at the end of the day they are running a business and will have budgets for staffing etc - finders fees to agencies are £££. If they keep you on the temp rate you can always keep looking for something else.

Oh and btw your post is the reason I NEVER enquire (or nosey) at other people's salaries.

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Flibbertyjibbet · 20/03/2013 11:30

Are you going to tell the boss that you know what your predecessor was on?

She may have been there a lot longer or had a lot more experience than you?

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MoreBeta · 20/03/2013 11:34

OK I see the issue now.

Your boss is clearly trying to cover the maternity leave cost within his existing budget for salary that he paid your colleague. He doesnt want to pay the extra recruitment fee so he is in effect going to take it out of your pay.

Tricky situation. You feel you are not in a strong position and want to increase your income but it sounds like you might not really have a job after the person on maternity leave comes back?

The truth is most bosses just dont want to talk to their boss about increasing budgets. He prefers to put the pressure on you for obvious reasons and for obvious reasons you feel he is not being fair.

There isnt really a right answer here. Its down to whether you want to play hardball. I suspect he will buckle if you made a stand. It is hard to get good employees at short notice and you clearly are very good. I really dont think you should set a precedent by accepting a lower wage - all recruitment costs money and that is a cost business just has to bear.

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blossomhillbilly · 20/03/2013 12:10

Thanks for all your replies, really helpful.

Re me knowing what salary my colleague was on, I was given the contract to file and the amount was staring me in the face. When I had the meeting with my boss he also asked "do we know how much X was on". Before proceeding to do the sums to see if he could pay me the same amount, as well as the finder's fee and keep within the amount he is currently paying the agency for me.

I am just wary that if I get too difficult, he'll say let's keep to the current arrangement of me being employed by the agency, in which case I won't gain anything. Hmm...

Oh and my predecessor had been in the role for about four months - I will be doing it for seven. She was new to the company and as far as I can make out, I have much more experience.

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NormaSpoonOeufEggcher · 20/03/2013 15:24

Surely if he has to find maternity cover for her he is going to face recruitment costs anyway? How much he is paying you now shouldn't matter. You are not replacing yourself as a temp with you on fixed term contract, you are replacing her. So how much you currently cost him is irrelevant. How much you cost him as a temp is only relevant to how much your temp replacement will cost.

If that makes any sense.

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Bluelightsandsirens · 20/03/2013 21:50

I would ask him to calculate how much it would cost him in recuriting some one to do the maternity cover and off set that against the finders fee.

He will be able to lose the finders fee within the budget without compromising your salary.

Have you hunted around and checked the contract salary is roughly at the going rate for the role?

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