Colleague earning more than I do

[thewreckofthehesperus]

Hoping to get some advice from people, especially from anyone in HR.

I recently accidentally got sight of a document that clearly showed my colleague is earning 20% more than I do, how do I address this?

There are three of us in the same role/position. On my discovery we had a chat and realised we are all earning different amounts, our dept as a whole is campaigning for an increase (8 people total) The issue for myself is that if we all get a blanket increase it's still not going to pull me up to where my higher earning colleague is.

We are hoping to meet with HR to discuss a raise soon, would you point out the pay difference in the group setting or ask for separate meeting to discuss individually. Any help appreciated as I'm abit useless at this kind of thing.

I probably would speak to them individually but not mention other people's salaries at all. Management don't take too kindly to people comparing salaries unfortunately even though you legally have that right.

What you need to do instead is ask for a raise, explain why you deserve it. Give clear examples of where you have gone above and beyond in your role. If people are on different salaries they may have negotiated more when they were hired or they may have been hired when the business was making a lot of money. It won't do you any favours to focus on the unfairness of the situation (which is obviously unfair). Don't make it about them, make it about you. Present a business case for a raise and see what they say. Absolutely make an appointment individually or go in as a group if you feel more comfortable in numbers but not with a percentage request, request a specific amount.

Oh and if you can compile a list of similar roles in different companies in the same industry and their respective salaries that proves the average is higher than what you are on, that would help your case.

Thank you for your response. Yes I was worried about discussing salaries with others. I wouldn't want to give them any ammo to use against me or wind up in hot water.

Do you work in a job which does EXACTLY the same thing as your colleagues? For example, do you work on a factory production line? If not, then you are not automatically entitled to the same salary as your colleague.

Each person has different experience, skill sets, attitude that warrants different pay. Did you negotiate your salary before starting? I also go back and ask for more when they give me the initial offer.

I would also be very careful as some employment contract prohibits people from talking about salary with colleagues.

Your best bet is to arrange a meeting with your manager and explain why you deserve a pay rise. Give them concrete evidence why they need you and what you've delivered.

Also check out the website Glass doors. It shows salaries of companies, perhaps even your company if it's large. This could help your case.

I earn at least 20% more than half of my colleagues, some of them have a vaster skill set than I do. I'm the second highest earner on my team. Absolutely do not bring your immediate colleagues pay into this. It's irrelevant.

The main reason for our disparity is historical contracts. Forget your wage disparity with your colleagues, concentrate on whether you have wage disparity for your job in the industry with the added extras you bring to the role and seek a rebalance on a personal level.

Acknowledge there's a wider piece of work going on around blanket pay rates, but make clear you are seeking to align your renumeration with industry standard for reasons X, Y & Z. Try to make X Y and Z about the additional value you bring to the team.

If the industry rates are 30% higher than your current rate then shoot for the stars. They probably have a 10% cap on in year increases but that doesn't stop you negotiating a rolling 2/3 year deal to bring your wages up to the industry standard.

This is all so helpful. Thanks so much

How did you get sight of their salaries? Could be a data protection breach so I'd be reluctant to bring that up.