To expect HR to have sorted my salary by now?

[hawleybits]

I'm not new to my role as school support staff. I joined in 2011.
Over the years, my job has evolved into something with more responsibilities. I have been happy to accommodate the extras, although not within my job description, as it has made my job more interesting, and I also had a very good HoD. I also work more hours, for which I am paid.

My problem is: I now have a new HoD, so when she arrived, I decided it was time to revise my job description, to include all the extras and ask for a wage review to reflect that.

Meetings were organised with the relevant people, and it was agreed that a resolution would be found. I was warned however, that there were other wage structures/academic redundancy issues to look at first. I accepted this and agreed to be patient.

This was in June 2018. I have reminded them about it and have received pleasant responses, saying they haven't forgotten, but still nothing has happened. All the while, I continue to support my new HoD with an extra workload that I'm not being paid to do, but to simply revert to my original responsibilities now, would leave her with a large volume of extra, time consuming tasks.

It isn't U to expect HR to have looked at this after almost a year, is it?

Would you not be better raising this with your HOD, as ultimately they get the final say in this scenario.

YANBU they are wank

I expect this is not an HR issue and suspect the following:

1. Someone in the business (eg HoD) doesn't want to do it for whatever reason eg budget, comparability to other employees etc.

1. Depending on the size of the company and the roles involved in the redundancy, they may perhaps be concerned that your bigger role looks like a newly created role that they ought to advertise internally.

In many companies HR is usually an advisor to the manager in these types of decisions, rather than the final decision maker.

I have raised it, many times with my new HoD, who 'has asked' but still nothing has been done.
She is new in the role and still learning. I am supposed to be supporting her!

well i guess you're looking at September as a good opportunity to either stop doing the extra or be paid for it. they'll be doing budgets etc.

or leave.

I'm also very aware that financially, the school is struggling and this is why redundancies were made. But, I'm still doing a valuable and very necessary job and they know it needs address.
To employ a new person to do my redefined role would be madness, and wouldn't help the new, overworked HoD.

I would look for another job. One with the extra responsibilities you do and an appropriate rate of pay.

If they were going to review your salary they'd have done it by now. Schools can move very quickly when they want to. I also work in a school.

I think at this stage you have to either accept your current conditions or go elsewhere.

Di11y, this was my thinking last year! Still I'm waiting!
I really cannot leave, it's such a convenient job within school.

Stop doing the extras. When it gets noticed say you’re not going to do work that you’re not being paid for.
If they wanted to they would’ve sorted it by now.

Been in this position. Drop back your duties as they are not going to pay you any more.

Your at the end of a very long list of priorities and your already doing work for free so why should they rush?

I’d recommend putting your request in writing direct to the Headteacher and copying HR in. State the date that you originally took on the additional duties and who requested that you do this (previous HoD?), also the date you requested a review meeting. Ask that they review your additional duties via job evaluation process, and that if it results in a high pay band/grade, this is backdated to when you commenced the additional duties.

It sounds like it might not be an HR issue but a sign off issue, HR can only process pay rises which have been signed off by senior staff at once they have that approval there would be no reason to delay it. And the HoD saying they’ve ‘asked’ sounds a bit off, if it’s their department why are they not pushing harder or asking why there’s a delay? It might be another higher up who is causing the block

A HoD in a school has absolutely no say in the salaries of support staff. You need to see the head-teacher.

So, stop doing the extras then.

Your HoD's workload is not your problem. If the school are expecting too much of her, she needs to sort that out.

Your workload is your problem. I think it's unrealistic to expect them to find additional money for you. I would talk to HR and explain that, as of September, you will be going back to your contracted hours/obligations. You can, of course, give a little leeway here, and be as helpful as you choose to be to your colleagues. But I really think that simply doing more and more voluntary work and then expecting to be paid for it is a mug's game. Especially somewhere like a school where you know there is no spare money.

The school probably haven't got the budget to pay you any extra tbh but that's not actually your issue .....

Put it in writing outlining the extras you are doing and the relevant pay scales and stop doing it. Are you in a union ?

If they are making redundancies I think it is unlikely that they have the budget to pay for this. They likely know that you are unwilling to leave as it suits you, location hours etc. It sounds like they already pay you for the additional hours that you do, so I think your only two options are to either carry on or say you will not do the additional duties. Either your HOD will do them or they will be split between a number of people. It seems like your HOD has beeb in post for nearly a year at least and would have resolved this if it was her priority.

You also need to find out who the budget holder is as this is the person that will make this decision. HR will advise on whether giving you more money will set a precedent for other staff and process the paperwork but they will not actually make the decisions.

I did initially have a meeting with the Head. She was the one who promised to give it consideration and pass it on to finance. I've since spoken to her and again, she said that she hadn't forgotten and then went on to explain the restructuring of staff. At the same time, she asked for my patience while the support staff salaries were sorted out.

I believe something is going to happen, but a whole year seems unreasonable. So, I have now emailed the Head; HR and the Bursar.
We're an independent if that makes a difference.

If HR were asked to do something, they would do it. The problem is not with them, but somewhere else in the decision chain.

I would start handing back the extra duties to the HoD.

My real problem, is that my pay scale is the same as the day I first joined the school, and I feel that with time and experience, it should have gone up. I also know that other support staff have much higher pay scales, implemented under the 'old regime'. We have a new Head; HR manager (in fact there have been several of these!) and a new Bursar.
It's all in the interests of transparency and fairness (their words).

They are stringing you along and taking the piss including this new HOD who is clearly not being honest with you, in probably a charming way. If you were going to get a payrise you would have had it by now.

YaBentBastard, thanks for your recommendation. I wish I'd asked the advice of MN before I'd sent the email yesterday. Still, I'll have your advice in hand for when (if) there's a response after half term.
Incidentally; how would you recommend I withdraw my extra duties if it becomes necessary? Should I put it in writing, and to whom?

Pay scales are linked to a job so you need to either change job or have your job regraded. Are any of the other support staff, who are on a higher scale, the opposite gender to you? If so you could have an equal pay case. It may be worth mentioning this to your Head and HR.

I wrongly assumed that a pay scale goes up in increments. I need my role redefined in that case.