Direct report makes more than me

No. It’s that often men ask for more as they have a higher opinion of themselves. Women are penalised for asking for more (perceived as greedy, pushy etc)

@houwseevryweekend I’m sure it’s been mentioned upthread. But contact ACAS. If this isn’t resolved within a few months with back pay: get your cv polished and get applying for new jobs

Yes. This.

I clicked on this thread to confirm my wild guess that you are a woman and your report is a man...

I hope you get this resolved op.

I don't think it as simple as 'crap' or 'excellent' at salary negotiation.

For men negotiating, they will often find that the door they are pushing at is opened far more readily than it is for women.

Women negotiating will find they are considered 'pushy', 'difficult', 'antagonistic' etc. Anything other than meekly accepting terms offered will be perceived as negative.

Often the only recourse is to leave. This can have upsides as you are recalibrating to tge market each time. The downside is the loss of any job security.

Four options... you're not as good as you think, they're way better than you think (I.e. your position is in danger), you were crap at negotiating salary, they were excellent at negotiating salary.

I would expect any increase to be backdated too.

I work in HR and we absolutely decide what pay someone gets. We have pay bands and manager these as well as any retention payments. Managers can request but we have to approve it and part of that is looking at what the rest of the team are paid in order to prevent situations like this.

I would ask HR to review it on the grounds of equal pay. Your male direct report is earning more than you and his salary was increased to more than yours at the time you were made his manager. It might be a similar role with the same tasks and skills but it’s not the same job as you are his manager. It’s poor practice and asking for an equal pay claim.

There’s no need to go all guns blazing either way. I would definitely lodge a grievance if your request is rejected though as well as getting legal advice in that situation.

One easy way to frame it might be that you’ll apply for one of the vacancies then, to a more junior role to get more ££ because that’s what they seem to be saying can happen. Perhaps the absurdity of that could spark some action.

It gets difficult if he is on above market pay and was recruited in a better market - but when thats the case payrises are usually suspended until the pay falls in real terms in line with market and it doesnt sound like they are doing that.

I wouldn't put up with it. I'd calmly explain (preferably with references to market pay for my own role) that i wasn't happy with the pay and would be seeking opportunities elsewhere if it couldn't be resolved.

This is why pay secrecy is a problem. Men nearly always demand higher pay and are often given it (especially where they were higher paid in a previous role)

I have seen legit cases where direct reports get paid more; usually because it’s a niche skillset or something.

In this case what you’re describing sounds a lot like unconscious (or otherwise) sex discrimination.

Oh this is very typical of the way the sex pay gap happens.

There is research that suggests that men are rewarded for asking for more salary - it’s expected that they will. Whereas women are not expected to negotiate salary upwards and when they do, they are punished for it - because they are contradicting sex-based stereotypes of femininity.

TL:DR - women get screwed either way.

Just raise a grievance!! Stop all this fannying about.

Before you jump in, let your line manager try to rectify this before going to HR. She has said “leave it with me” so give her the chance to sort. It’s appalling BTW - women are paid less than men for the same work (and this isn’t even the same work!!)

The patriarchy is alive and well.

You sound really switched on @houwseevryweekend
All the points you've raised are valid. I think at the very least your employer needs to review its pay award system so this kind of anomaly is avoided in future. I do think you have an equal pay claim. Speak to Acas.

I would demand a pay rise and leave if I didn't get one.

To you and any other woman in this situation - please read "Lean In" by Cheryl Sandberg before you decide on your options. I can't bear Cheryl Sandberg or what she stands for either, but the book is essential reading for any woman in the corporate world. Very, very helpful.

@LordEmsworth isn't the burden of proof fairly light for OP?

If the only differences between her and her colleague is that she is female and non white and her colleague is male and white then the ball goes to the employer to prove there wasnt discrimination.

Employers are shit but you do often find that the 'normal' way is based on a bedrock of discriminatory attitudes some of which can be waved away (don't like redheads, certain accents, people from a particular part of town) but others can't such as race, sex, disability.

Companies should be held to account.

It is absolutely sex discrimination, and even if that easn't their intention, this is certainly something you can use to get things corrected.

"The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate between men and women in relation to their pay and other terms of remuneration in their contract of employment, where they are doing the same or similar work."

"Your employer could be liable for a direct discrimination claim even if there was no intention to discriminate against you."

He is a man and he is being paid more than you for work of equal (or less) value. Once this has been brought to their attention, if they don't rectify it, you have a case and I'd be seeking legal advice - and letting the commpany know this.

Loads of companies try to wheedle out of sex discrimination using justifications - but how often is it that women are paid more than men? Rare to never. Funny, that.

I think I would speak to ACAS and get their thoughts on it. It sounds like lunacy to me - who awards a better payrise and bonus as a consolation prize for not getting a position?! Mental.

OP, you’re very good at exposing on here and communicating the issue so I hope you’ll be the same with your employer. Do not let this drop and don’t accept anything less than a bump which takes you 5 or 10% over his pay (or whatever the difference is between other direct reports and their managers) and include back pay from the time of the promotion. Really don’t let it drop, be forceful in a professional manner and mention the buzz words of discrimination under the equality act and start CCing HR into your emails.

Don’t back down.

I'm not making ugly crying faces. I am rolling my eyes at people not actually helping the OP.

It is fine, legally, for one person to be paid more than someone else, for doing the same or a junior role.

It is not fine if that is the result of discrimination. But the OP would have to prove discrimination. Where is your evidence for shouting and yelling about discrimination? Where should the OP start? Because going to HR and saying, this is discrimination, is likely to be a painful and unsuccessful route, unless there are any indications that there is discrimination and not just poor management.

It is impossible to conclude, based on what the OP has said, that there is discrimination at play. You will be shocked - shocked! - to hear that sometimes companies are just shit in a normal way, not in a discriminatory way.

I don't think how the pay differential has been arrived at is important.

The fact that you can compare yourself with him in terms of your work being comparable and of at least equal worth to the company is sufficient for you to be paid at least the same, but likely more, due to the line management responsibility in addition to the comparable technical role.

When you have stopped shouting, jumping up and down and making ugly crying faces.

A man and a woman, as in your example, doing the same job and getting the same pay is not sex discrimination.

But the situation the OP describes isn't that.

Two people start at a company doing the same job. The woman is paid less than the man.

Both go for a promotion, the woman gets a promotion, with I expect, a pay rise, but that is still less than the man.

The man who is now her junior not only gets more pay he gets and even bigger pay rise.

Why is he paid more for doing the same job?

Why, when the woman is promoted above hom does he get even more money?