Do you feel appropriately paid for your work?

[shivawn]

Do you feel that your wages fairly reflect your skills and labour?

I'm just curious how people generally feel after chatting with my own colleagues a few days ago. They were complaining that we're underpaid and that they will struggle to live on these wages as they get older and want to start families etc. We're all nurses on a public payscale so on the same or similar pay (working in Ireland where nurses are better paid than in the UK). I felt really surprised as I consider myself well paid for doing a job that I love, probably more than many of my friends in other professions.

Are you happy with your wage in relation to what you contribute to your employer or do you think you're worth more?

I think I am paid right- I am an agency social worker. If I took a permanent social worker role then no, I don't think I would be paid enough (which is why I won't take a permanent position!).

What jobs do the people who think they are overpaid do?!

Voluntary sector. I reckon I get paid in line with sector expectations but there is chronic understaffing/minimum benefits/no training budget/zero progression opportunities.

My sister in law work in clothing retail also in a management role and gets paid the same as I do...My husband works in a psychiatric function in a prison and earns less than my brother who is a plumber. We are both significantly more qualified than they are. We don't live in a meritocracy.

Er, you do. You just don’t like it much. I assume that the thing you object to is actually the concept of supply and demand.

That is a really interesting question. I work in the NHS (not a nurse, but on similar grades). I earn more than the average, so in that respect you could say I am paid well. And it is a decent wage although I am not rolling in dough. But having worked in health care for a long time, I am only in the last few years earning more than I earned 25 years ago when I worked in HR. so from that perspective it seems odd since I needed a lot more (expensive) education to do my current role. And over the last 10 years I have had negligible pay rises - now I am at the top of my grade there are no more stepped increments, so at the most i have had 1 - 2% pay increase. Which is outstripped by inflation. And because the nurses college had negotiated a faster progression through the pay grades, there are going to be people with a whole lot less experience than I who are earning what I earn soon. Which doesnt seem right. As you can probably tell, I am torn - yes it is a good wage objectively, but it is not giving me regular or cost of living pay rises or recognizing longer experience in the job.

I think I'm overpaid.

No. I’m a journalist with a post-graduate qualification, more than 20 years of experience, specialist in my field, award-winning, work 50 hours per week and get paid just over £25k. I haven’t had a decent pay rise in six years.

It’s a complete joke tbh. My brother is 22, a labourer on a building site and gets paid significantly more than me.

Well I wouldn't say no to more. But my role is not too stressful, it's interesting, varied and offers plenty of flexibility. I think I get paid well for what I do. I could definitely earn a bit more if I got promoted, but it would be longer hours and much more stressful. I just have no desire for this.... I don't have kids, and between us I think DP and I have a good standard of life so why bother.

No.... but then I work in the arts so I guess it’s not important compared to other jobs!

Immense amount of training from a young age though (musician).

I think my friends think I’m paying ridiculously high for my job and I do appreciate my wage.
I looked in to nursing and realised that it wasn’t the career for me based on wages !

I used to have a fairly demanding career in accounting, but packed it all in after dc and became a SAHM. Did a little bit of freelance stuff for about 10 years.

I'm now working part-time in a basic accounts role where I rarely have to exert my brain; and most of the time I pootle along in about 2nd gear. Occasionally I have to engage 3rd, but not often.

For the work I do at the moment, I guess I am paid more than the industry standard, but far less than what I could potentially earn if I wanted to.

@BungleandGeorge I work as a stylist for a soap 4 days a week and work 1-2 days as sort of freelance for things like fashion shows / west end / movies etc
I am pain very well and I know in our friendship group it is definitely looked down on.

No

Sorry Nannyamc I dont know what the community district nursing service is like where you are but I can tell you in Scotland it is in complete meltdown.
I feel overwhelmed by the pressure we are under.
I'm only a band 3 and could earn more in Tesco nightshift than I get. The skills and knowledge required to do my job well include phlebotomy, wound care, catheter care, continence training, vital signs and patient assessment, moving and handling, palliative care, working knowledge of several IT systems including Vision, Office 365, PECOS, MORSE aswell as reception and telephone duties and all office administration and even waste disposal, courier service, social work and generally anything else that has a patient in need at the end of it!
Luckily wee Nicola did give us £500 bonus this month even though it was taxed, as the 1% offer is derisory.
My team of 9 staff has been reduced to just 4 for a year as District nurses have left, retired and gone off sick and never been replaced. Every team in the locality is at less than half staffing levels and management want us to work til 10pm at night AND do Covid clinics on our days off. No annual leave as there is noone left to work.

Overtime was daily and unpaid at least an hour a day but we caused a stink and now get paid for it if we justify it. 1 nurse is now expected to visit 10 diabetics in the morning before starting the rest of their work, usually 3-5 pairs of full leg bandages, 2 catheter changes, a few palliative visits and several wounds.

The phones ring off the hook all day and emails pile in with referrals and we have no admin support.
RCN and unison have been completely useless and we have been told if we dont like it to leave, so the nurses have done just that.
There are so many covid jobs which are easier than ours the service is collapsing when the need is greater than ever.
Don't get me started on the Covid clinics. The clinical lead in charge of a clinic is just any band 5 they can get to do it. They are in charge of over 40 staff, every patient through the clinic (500 a shift), any adverse events, vaccine control and delivery, IT issues the whole shooting match, for just £15 an hour. I get £9 an hour for giving the covid jags, the opticians, vets etc sitting next to me are getting £66 an hour!
The management of the NHS is a complete disgrace and everyone I work with is ready to crack and leave.

Yes. I didn't for some years (small business) but now I do.

Not really, no. I earn around 30k per year in HSE, considering the shit I fix and the profit the company makes, it's not really correlative!

I wholeheartedly, and not just because of this thread, agree that nurses are underpaid and massively undervalued.

My job in the private sector would double my salary. At least. I'm disabled so probably wouldn't get a private sector role now. I was paid a lot more than I am now when I was in the private sector a long time ago.

These people who are overpaid, what do you do???

About £67 a week so not really.

Yes I think I am but there are some days I feel I should have a pay rise and others agree. !!

No. I’m a public sector worker, in a specialist profession, highly trained, very experienced, work on the frontline with vulnerable clients.

If I was single I wouldn’t be able to live on my salary in London, where I am from. My monthly salary wouldn’t even rent a small flat. That really upsets me, to be honest. That I’m not even worth a decent standard of living.

My DH earns much more than me, so we are OK. But it is frustrating that I don’t feel like my salary is anything like enough for what I do and the blood, sweat and tears I’ve put in over the years.

Nope. For the amount of shit, pressure and bad attitude I deal with I should be on a lot more.

I work for a very well known construction company.

Yes, I work in supported housing. My organisation follows the NJC recommended pay guidelines and we normally get cost of living increase every 2 years.
Other jobs in my sector are very poorly paid though - I'm lucky with my employer.
The pay for care and nursery staff is scandalous.

ICU nurse- I’m underpaid. I’m not saying all nurses are underpaid because they aren’t, but what reward did I get for the extra training and university course I did in my own time? Or for spending a year in ppe, constantly changing protocols, being short staffed. I’m paid the same as a nurse that works in outpatients or day clinic despite the skills I have. Well, currently. I’m leaving to move up to a band 7 non clinical job, 9-5 with no nights or weekends. More money. Less responsibility. And that’s one less icu nurse. We are leaving in droves. Good luck clearing the backlog of big surgical cases Hancock, all those empty beds mean nothing when you can’t staff them.