Manager making comments on my salary

[helenvellyn]

Straight off the bat I'll say that my manager and I don't always see eye to eye.

He is not a lot older than me and is openly dismissive of women he perceives as a threat to him. Although he is my line manager, he doesn't do my day job and so has little involvement in my actual work. I effectively manage myself.

He has before made little digs about my salary, saying that I get paid too much and that he doesn't see how I can have no money (when joining office collective groaning about January payday) when 'he knows how much I earn'.

Today I said I was talking to a colleague about how I saved £40 buying some boots in a sale. He butted in and said 'I know how much you earn and you don't need to be buying boots in the sale'. This was in earshot of other colleagues.

AIBU to think this is very inappropriate? I am well paid for my role but I negotiated this and the company were obviously willing to pay it.

I don't think it's appropriate for a manager to remind me that he knows my salary as it was negotiated with HR and not him. He seems unhealthily preoccupied with it and I feel uncomfortable with the comments in front of colleagues.

AIBU?

A good manager is happy for their staff to do well, and even wave them off when they move on to better jobs.

Your manager, however, sounds like a knob.

He shouldn't be passing any comments to anyone about how they spend their money. Also he shouldn't be shouting about your earnings in a room full of people.
I know of a millionaire who only buys her clothes from charity shops.
I'd be having a long conversation with HR

Seriously inappropriate comments!!! Report to HR.

Inappropriate and unprofessional, report him.

Its inappropriate and I would raise with HR that he is purposely creating tension in the team.

Does he do this to anyone else?

"This seems to be a bit of an issue for you, am I getting paid more than you?" accompanied by a kind smile and a head tilt.

He probably earns the same I imagine and so feels a bit resentful. However he should not be commenting on it & definitely not in that context or in front of others.

Op

Genuine question
Why did you post this? Surely you know That he is being inappropriate.

My line manager does this, I think it’s because a. He’s a sexist twat and b. I earn more than him (I’m old contract he’s a new contract) and c. I’m part time.

I’ve now raised this with his line manager and hr I’m bloody sick of it. Doesn’t matter how much I earn or who knows I’m just sick of the degroatory comments.

I am curious because I don't know if I just need to lighten up? He hasn't disclosed my actual salary after all.

I would talk to HR about it.

YANBU.

In one job (that I bloody hated) my line manager told me she thought I was underpaid. She began making moves soon after to get me made redundant. Tread carefully.

*OVERPAID. Stupid me.

You are not over-reacting.

His comments are totally unprofessional and he needs to stop immediately.

I'd be telling him between us if he mentions my pay to again he'll be repeating it in front of HR when I make a complaint of data protection breach.

He sounds like a wanker. Perhaps he is unhappy with your pay in relation to his? Not that it’s your problem of course.

You should consider speaking to HR. Behaviour like this would certainly contravene the bullying and harassment policy in my workplace.

No you're not overreacting and you don't need to lighten up. He's being completely unprofessional. I'd complain to HR now.

Nope. Not ivereacting and you need to report to HR.
As for ‘lighting up’ that’s what men say to women they want to squash down. You dint have to follow their lead.

It's inappropriate, but frankly so is talking about how broke you are.

Yes it's completely inappropriate. I wonder if you're somehow on more than him or nearly as much?

I don't have great experience of HR in these sort of situations. I would be much more inclined to head tilt and say something sarky back but I appreciate that's not terribly professional.

I reckon you're earning more than him and he's resentful of it.

"It's inappropriate, but frankly so is talking about how broke you are."

Not in January just after Christmas when everyone is broke and doing colleague-bonding over it.

In many workplaces, that's perfectly acceptable.

In my workplace people even refer to waiting for payday.

That would have been absolutely taboo in places I worked 20 years ago.

Different workplaces have different norms.

But it's never appropriate for a line manager to refer to the wage of someone reporting to them in the way the OP describes.

I'd tell him how you feel about first of all, and only go to hr if he doesn't improve.