they are trying to demote me! what can I do?

[demotedreally]

I found out yesterday in a team meeting that a me and a number of colleagues are being demoted. I am really angry it is totally unfair as I know I am good at my job and I work really hard. Sometimes I feel like I hold the whole place together tbh.

the reason given is that there are other people in the organisation being paid the grade below but our job descriptions are basically the same, they want to make sure they are paying us equally.

can they do this? I reckon they are tying to get rid of us and am prepared to fight it.

[flowery]

Are you being demoted or having your pay cut?

How long have you worked there?

[EggysMom]

I think they can revise your 'grade' as that is completely arbitrary and only relevant to your particular employer.

But in simplistic terms, they cannot reduce your pay.

[Bombardier25966]

They've done a regrading exercise. That's not unusual. Do you agree that the people on the grade below are doing the same job? Have you been told what the implications for you are regarding pay?

I trust you're all in a union?

[MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly]

They need to increase the pay of the other workers, not cut yours (if that is what they are doing). I've had my grade "aligned" previously and they actually increased my pay as the benefits of the lower grade were slightly less generous.

[demotedreally]

its a pay cut. they are putting me on the grade below. apparently we are going to the top of the band and there is a bit of time before it kicks in, but i need to pay my mortgage and I dont agree that my role is the same as the others. on paper they might be but I deal with much more confidential stuff that the other PA - who has only been one for a short while. i know I am a lot better than her.

[demotedreally]

they cant increase the pay of the others because they arent doing the same sort of stuff as us nor are they as experienced.

[Thesnobbymiddleclassone]

It sounds like you're having a pay cut rather than demotion to equal your counterparts who have the same job description

[demotedreally]

but can they do that? it seems so unfair

[cinders15]

I would ring ACAS for assistance

[Bombardier25966]

How long is the bit of time before it kicks in? Will the top lower band have caught up with your current pay by then? What is the pay difference?

This is normally done by protecting your current pay until the lower pay has caught up.

And the union?

[EggysMom]

i know I am a lot better than her

Ego, much?

they arent doing the same sort of stuff as us nor are they as experienced.

our job descriptions are basically the same

So are they doing the same thing or not? Job description says they are. Companies have to have some standardisation, else everybody would have an individual JD and pay basis. I work in an organisation with 50k positions, believe me, we have to have common JDs or it becomes unmanageable. And reorganisations to standardise, such as this, are very common. My industry is unionised and even we couldn't fight the process.

[flowery]

Can you answer my question about how long you’ve been there?

[demotedreally]

4 years flowery. I am in the union and I used to be the workplace rep so they should be careful.

[fuzzywuzzy]

My work place tried to do this. And I have a very shitty manager who refuses to recognise what I actually do he has re-written my job description to seem I do very little.

I’m amusing myself by sticking rigidly to his job spec and watching him struggle to fulfil parts of my role that I apparently don’t do. He hasn’t the expertise or knowledge to do it.

I did fight it and got a ‘promotion’ but I intend on leaving pretty soon and look forward to seeing him attempt to replace me, the going salary rate for my job is about £15k more than I’m currently on and they couldn’t find adequate maternity cover for me last year (hence I returned to a shit show and was expected to make corrections going back to last year!).

I’m unionised but can’t be arsed to fight it. It’s more stress than it’s worth and I utterly detest my line manager now and nothing is going to change that.

It’s a pity as the current team is highly skilled the line manager just doesn’t appreciate it or see it as he was promoted without any previous experience or knowledge of the team.

[demotedreally]

well it is sort of the same stuff if you think that all minutes are the same but of course they are not and I do the more complex stuff. I have been a PA for years and I dont want to do the more junior bits of the role like basic admin. There is more to being a good PA than just diary management

[User212787555]

When you say it won’t kick in for a while, can you fully explain?

I have done pay reviews for organisations several times, and after a market comparison exercise regraded roles. However those being paid above market were ‘red ringed’ which meant their pay was not cut, but they did not receive any incremental increase or other payrise until their banding ‘caught up’ with their current pay. It could be years until that happened so effectively a pay freeze.

Are you sure that’s not it?

[Bombardier25966]

I used to be the workplace rep so they should be careful.

As you're having to ask on a forum for advice, I doubt they've much to be careful about.

Please answer the questions about pay above. It's difficult to advise when you're drip feeding information.

[flowery]

”those being paid above market were ‘red ringed’ which meant their pay was not cut, but they did not receive any incremental increase or other payrise until their banding ‘caught up’ with their current pay. It could be years until that happened so effectively a pay freeze.”

Yes that is what usually happens. If you are unionised I can’t imagine they’d get away with just literally cutting pay rather than doing the above.

[MrsGrindah]

Well your colleagues standard of work is irrelevant. Sounds like the job descriptions are being standardised across the board which is the right thing to do by the sounds of it. And they are setting a common level of pay which is also fair. You should definitely contact ACAS but don’t be surprised to be told a pay cut in these circs is legal esp if they’ve consulted throughout the process. They’d be extremely stupid to do it without checking it’s legal but you never know

[demotedreally]

it will be protected at the current rate for 3 months and then at 50% for another 3 months and then we go to the top of the band below. it is about 3k difference. It is what the policy says but I dont see how that makes it right

[MrsGrindah]

I can understand your distress but that doesn’t mean that it’s not right. Get on the phone to ACAS or try their website. But if you can’t afford the drop you might need to start looking for something else.

[Bluntness100]

You need to I think accept the new terms, or resign, or they need to look at redundancy. They can say the role at the current salary is no longer available and the business can't sustain it. As a business decision this is fine.

However if you don't accept they need to pay you off. As you've only been there four years it won't be much, but I think this is their only option.

You have two options. Accept or refuse. If you refuse, I think they need to then make you redundant, if no other role available.

[demotedreally]

they reckon that the regrade means that the jobs are suitable and they are not therefore offering redundancy. I dont really want to leave but might consider it if they would pay. can that do that?

thanks for al lthe help so far i am really annoyed by this but know it isnt your fault. its my bloody employer.

[TrippingTheVelvet]

They won't have to pay you off. Either you accept or resign in this situation

[Bluntness100]

I'm not sure they won't have to pay her off, but it's just a months salary.

Id speak to Acas.