To think I should be paid more than the cleaner?

[orangeredpink]

I really dislike my current job so my general annoyance may be U because of that and I'm desperate to leave. I started a few months ago after being made redundant, during the interview I said I wanted £xk salary, they offered £xk-10k, this was a 20k drop in my pre-redundancy salary but I figured any job at the time is better than eating my way through my redundancy payment.

So I went to think it over and in the meantime received another offer for £xk-5k, my now employer wouldn't match the salary, they were adamant they need to keep salaries low for the business sake, but it was supposed to be a better role, no commute, more responsibility etc.

Today, the finance director who sits next to me was talking to someone and mentioned the salary for the cleaner, which works out at over £10 an hour more than I get and pretty much double any rates I've ever seen advertised for cleaners. I was pretty much gobsmacked and the more I think about it the more annoyed I'm getting.

I fully accept I made a mistake when choosing the job, and it was severely mis-sold however the salary issue is really bugging me. My business function, 10 years of experience, and spending the last few months increasing their revenue and rectifying stupid mistakes they've made because they hire people with no experience and no idea how to train them because none of the management team have worked in the business function I do, to keep their salary costs down, brings far more value to the company than the cleaner. AIBU to think I should be paid more?!

Lovemusic It was the FD telling the new payroll asst. because she wanted to confirm how much the cleaner was getting paid. Not really a shit stirring issue.

MrsTP summed it up very well with the supply/demand comment.

Anyone's salary value, is truly only ever going to be what someone else is prepared to pay them.

It's why it irks me with these tiresome arguments about professional athletes getting paid £M's.... FairPlay to them.

At the end of the day, there are only 3 things a business can do. Make, do or sell. And employers will pay what they can to attract the right talent within their budget.

brings far more value to the company than the cleaner

All employers need a cleaner, don't knock them. I'm glad to hear the cleaner's being paid a good wage for a hard job. Cleaning and caring jobs are completely undervalued and shouldn't be.

received another offer for £xk-5k, my now employer wouldn't match the salary,

If you received a higher offer , which your current employer would not match, why didn't you accept the other offer?

Unless your role is similar to the cleaner's, their renumeration is irrelevant. Use the market to your advantage, research, find and accept a higher offer.

I am a small business owner. I have a shit hot cleaner and I pay her £12 an hour. She is like quicksilver and actually works out cheaper than previous, cheaper, cleaners. I am in a tourism business so the cleaner is actually one of the most crucial aspects of the job - our reputation hangs on whether she has done a good job or not.
Our business is small and fairly new. I dont earn what she does, but I dont resent her the wage - her speed and ability mean we are not rushed and hectic and I know everything will be in order when our guests arrive. I bloody love her!

Comparison is the thief of joy OP.

Focus on your salary and what you can do to get a raise.

Why do you think that a manual job is worth as much as yours. You are the Digital Product Manager - the cleaner may be the Housekeeping Manager. Both roles important to the business.

You may be tuning you know what they heard, but it's possible that there is a misunderstanding somewhere.

For example, they may have been doing a FTE calculation (full time equivalent) - I. E. Working out what she would be paid if she worked full time. There are certain aspects of payroll where this can be required.

Is it possible that the cleaner works more hours than you know about - maybe in other premises, maybe in the bosses houses and they pay her through the payroll?

But why didn't you leave for the better offer? They will never offer you a pay rise now, you've shown you will stay without one, so they know you are bluffing if you ask them to match a competing offer.

Well clearly the job is within the market corridors of what it's worth, you accepted it, the other job wasn't too far away in terms of salary, your last company couldn't sustain as it went out of business.

The cleaner is also being paid the market rate. Even based in the salary differential you're not willing to do her job, are you?

Find another job if you're unhappy.

For info, I know a very successful and very wealthy busInes man and his office cleaner gets paid a lot of money, why? Because he likes her, she brings him little gifts, has a horrible home life, has some mild learning disabilities, takes the time to ask how he is, never asks him for anything, does her job incredibly well, she's just one person, has been with him for years. So he pays over and above, s form of altruism. However extending that altruism to the rest of the business would see him go under. He needs to pay market rate. If anyone knew what the little cleaner was paid, they'd also wonder why.

They can't be very good business people if they are paying someone way over the odds, whoever that person is.

Are you sure there isn't more to it - is the cleaner a relative or friend?

I think you need to unfocus on the cleaner and refocus on your role - if you feel the jd and so on are not right start there so get the jd and ps rewritten. Collect real info regarding that type of role from elsewhere, put a case for an increase together, make sure you document your successes and savings to the business, give them a case they can't refuse, if they do refuse take that information with you and leave find somewhere else

You didn't take the other job, so they figured you are prepared to stay there, at your current salary., rather than move elsewhere.

So they are unlikely to pay you more, whatever business case you make - if you'll work for less, why should they ?

Do the job adequately, but hunt for another job and don't bother asking them to match it - they either won't believe you'll leave, or they'll just string you along with vague promises again, until the other offer is gone.

I'm in a similar but not quite as leaky boat as you, op. I left I job I liked and had quite a bit of responsibility in when the company went through a reorg. My new role obstensibly should be the similar but I just can't engage in the product or the work in the same way and miss my old job terribly. It's like I am on a rebound relationship.

In your position you sound like you don't like the exec team or the company which will never change even if you get it a pay raise and they paid the cleaner less.

Keep searching! Oddly, i think my old company is looking for digital product managers so there is definitely work out there for you if you search for it.

Sounds like yours is one of those bullshit non-jobs for which pay is something of a lottery. If you're not happy, look for another firm which offers more money or nice workmates.

Find out what the market rate for your role is (I mean the actual duties, quals and experience needed, job titles outside the public sector can vary hugely!).

Then figure out if/how you can get that where you are or (I suspect) start looking for an employer who'll recognise your value and pay the Market rate.
That's the only professional, sensible, practical next step OP.

Are you really sure the cleaner get £45,000 pa? Not that it changes your pay.

Look for a cleaning job?

Does the cleaner need to pay for insurance and other business expenses.
If cleaner is an employee are they responsible for lots of other things like staff, ordering, deliveries, that type of thing.
Do they buy and provide their own equipment and cleaning materials?

The salary for my last job was the market rate, the other offer was only slightly higher than this one because the scope of the role was a bit smaller than normal. I have friends who are recruiters in the field and have all said id be able to get what I wanted elsewhere which they'd know if they understood what I do and how I fit into their business, I was just hoping to avoid leaving after such a short period although things like this are pretty much confirmation this isn't the right business for me.

We supply all cleaning supplies, she does the cleaning, nothing else.

I doubt the cleaner is doing the same hours as you at the company. She probably does a couple of hours after everybody has gone home, if you're in an area such as London I would imagine she would be on that rate to make it worth her while otherwise nobody would want to go out their way to do 2 hours cleaning.
If you're unhappy with your job I suggest looking for another one.

I agree with lemureyes
I cannot believe that the cleaner is getting a full time salary at £25ph.
Its most likely a set rate to do the job.

Cleaners do not get £25ph.

The conversation was "how much do we pay the cleaner?", "£25 an hour". There's no way to misunderstand that.

So the cleaner gets £45,000? That is more than most doctors (pre-consultant) and about entry level for a university professor. I still cannot believe that. How would the business survive?

About 7% of the UK have a higher income than this. Don't storm out unless you are absolutely sure these ludicrous numbers are right.

So you have to ask yourself what's the problem and what's the solution?

Ok, so how does the cleaners pay of £25 an hour affect you?

And how do prove you are worth paying more?

I bet the cleaner is a family member and co-owns the company or something. What sort of business can afford to pay someone 3x the market rate?