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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the real salary should have been advertised?

346 replies

littlepieces · 08/01/2022 01:27

I've just been through over four months of interviews, reference checks etc. for a public sector job. Yesterday HR called me to confirm details and casually dropped the bombshell that they're offering me a lower salary than was advertised. I was meant to qualify for a London salary uplift, as it's a London based role, but because the department is working remotely due to Covid that isn't happening now.

BUT, the department has been working remotely since the start of the pandemic, March 2020.

So why didn't they just advertise the remote salary? I would never have applied and wasted my time if they had. Without the uplift I'll be taking a pay cut. AIBU or would I be right to challenge this?

OP posts:
StarsAreWishes · 08/01/2022 01:29

Is the department going to be working remotely forevermore, or could it go back to office based at any time?

stevalnamechanger · 08/01/2022 01:30

Many companies - including mine have only just started hiring external candidates remotely and all none London based roles will have a regional reduction .

Very standard .

stevalnamechanger · 08/01/2022 01:31

Where will you be working from?

Purplependant222 · 08/01/2022 01:32

If they’ve gone through 4 months to get you I doubt they’ll be wanting to restart the process again.

Did you state your previous salary or is there anyway to negotiate? Did you know it would be WFH as I’ve saved a fortune working from home.

Sparklesocks · 08/01/2022 01:34

Very poor. Is this the first conversation there has been about salary? Did they ask about your current salary/expectations as part of interview? I would definitely challenge that you were expecting the advertised salary. I wonder if it was advertised in error, but they should’ve flagged if so.

If there’s no movement then drop out, but I would definitely challenge the discrepancy.

Original poster
littlepieces · 08/01/2022 01:37

Eventually they'd like to move to hybrid working, minimum of two days a week in the office. Likely back in the office this spring/summer if infection rate drops again.

They didn't ask me about previous salary, but you'd have to assume that people applying for a job are hoping for the salary that's been stated on the job ad.. surely?

OP posts:
Original poster
littlepieces · 08/01/2022 01:39

As it's public sector with set salary bands and starting salaries, I don't think there will be any room for negotiation.

OP posts:
Londonlassy · 08/01/2022 01:42

OP I think you have every right to expect the advertised salary and I think you should raise a complaint. Your potential employer should have put an accurate salary description in the advert and this should have been discussed during the interviews . The potential employer comes across very unprofessional

UpToMyElbowsInDiapers · 08/01/2022 01:42

What harm is there in having the conversation?

WhereYouLeftIt · 08/01/2022 01:42

A bit different as it was mentioned to me at the actual interview, but the HR bod on the panel did the 'you don't have the exact experience we're looking for so we cannot offer you the advertised salary' try-on. I responded that I couldn't possibly move to their company for less than the advertised salary - and left it hanging there. I got the job at the advertised salary.

I would just take that line. You applied for a job with an advertised salary, you will not be accepting less than was advertised. I swear it's on every HR's ticklist to try it on salary-wise. As Purplependant222 said, 4 months - they won't be wanting to go back to square 1.

Original poster
littlepieces · 08/01/2022 01:54

I told them the salary news was a surprise, I think it came across that I wasn't impressed. I strongly suspect they'll say no if I ask, but of yes I will ask. It's actually a mass hiring campaign and seems more like an exercise in getting bodies into vacancies than carefully hiring. I know they received tons of applications and have a reserve list, so I reckon they'll just pluck someone else out of the hat if I kick up a fuss. It's a very underfunded department and asking them to pay me an extra £8k than what they're offering me now seems unlikely.

OP posts:
redastherose · 08/01/2022 01:57

Tell them the salary that you will accept and ont take the job if it's not forthcoming. You are right that they should have advertised the correct salary from the start and I'd be wary of accepting a lower salary on the basis' that its working from home when we all know that if they want you in the office they can insist and you are then expected to commute without the London weighted salary!

Sparklesocks · 08/01/2022 02:01

If it’s a mass hiring campaign and other jobs are also advertised as one figure and they actually turn out to be another at offer stage - I doubt you’d be the first person to challenge it. 8k is quite a significant difference too

This is why it’s so important for some sort of salary discussion early in the process - before 4 months of interviews anyway. Doesn’t mean you need to negotiate it all at on day one but it’s important to check everyone is on the same page and you can stop the process early on if you’re not going to make it work. It’s just a waste of time on both sides if the candidate and company are not aligned.

user1471453601 · 08/01/2022 02:16

Having spent forty years in the public sector, and I'm pretty sure they will not increase their offer. If everyone in London has lost their London wheighting while wfh, why would they risk paying it to you when you are not actually paying to go into work?

When it became known (and it would) it would have set a precedent, so everyone wfh in London would/could demand the same.

On the other hand, if people employed prior to covid still get London whaiting, you may have a case, but if doubt it.

alisonsattic · 08/01/2022 02:26

I would publicly complain about this in some shape or other. It's wrong to advertise a certain salary then not follow through. A bit like advertising a certain product in a shop, but when you get to the till the item is more expensive.
Unacceptable

theNumbersStation · 08/01/2022 02:34

I would not have thought to begin discussions about money in my current job. Or any other job I’ve had come to that.

The salary was there plain as day in the advertisement and it was what I received. If it was to be different,I’d expect it to be brought up at the first interview. Not after 4 months.

Times have changed with remote working of course but the advertisement should still have had the correct salary. Working from home isn’t a new thing.

I’d be deeply suspicious of them after a stunt like that.

Spermysextowel · 08/01/2022 03:06

Local Authorities are under financial pressure through loss of revenue, increased workload (the grants to businesses aren’t administered by central government) so perhaps there’s an amended HR policy to cut costs by rescinding London Weighting. If you’d have to travel to work would that cost £8k? If so then maybe the salary is as advertised as you don’t have to bear travel costs, but even so the lack of clarity is crap. I hope that you haven’t handed in your notice yet.

ElftonWednesday · 08/01/2022 03:11

What a waste of yours and their own time to make a sudden change in their offer at the end. Really crap. I'd turn them down and look elsewhere if they were unable to offer the advertised salary, as it doesn't bode well for unprofessional attitudes while working there.

Monty27 · 08/01/2022 03:34

Will you have an expenses agreement when you need to travel for meetings and any working from home enhancements? Tax deductions and so on. You might want to read your potential contract of employment before you accept.
Congratulations it could be positive 👍🏼

hettie · 08/01/2022 07:27

My organisations HR department once accidentally put out a job advert with London weighting on (we were not a service based in London). It wasn't until the candidate queried their first month's pay that it came to light. HR told us we had to honour the advertised pay to be on the right side of employment law.
It's also currently a good job seekers market. I'd push back and tell them they need to honour the advertised salary (they will have budgeted for it for this financial year and next year's budgets are probably being argued about currently). Don't get into discussion around WFH costing less etc, just keep repeating advertised salary ...Be prepared to walk (if you've handed notice in can you reverse or temp?)

StrifeOfBath · 08/01/2022 07:33

@stevalnamechanger

Many companies - including mine have only just started hiring external candidates remotely and all none London based roles will have a regional reduction .

Very standard .

Yes, and fair enough.

But that isn’t how the OP’s job was advertised or what she was led to expect from the advert. That is the point.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 08/01/2022 07:38

How frustrating!

Good luck with trying to renegotiate.

TinySaltLick · 08/01/2022 07:41

I don't think you should worry 'they will just pick someone else from a list if you kick up a fuss' - until the point where you are actively declining a role once they have set out their final position.

However as public sector, as you state, there will be a level of robustness around salary banding. I would certainly ask for conversation on salary with the recruitment team highlighting the discrepancy with the job you applied for and make it clear you that it is not unreasonable to expect the salary to therefore match. You should at a minimum get explanation of a formal policy change which sounds like it occurred within the 4 month period they have failed to communicate - it might at least encourage them to share this with other candidates even if it is a position they won't shift from themselves.

You should certainly challenge this out of principle and I do believe they should feel they owe you some rationale here, its a significant enough figure.

TrophyWinner · 08/01/2022 07:47

Honestly it's something of a surprise that a publicly funded body has started to reduce salaries because of wfh already, I'm surprised they're that efficient, but it is good news in the overall scheme of things, taxpayers' money and all that.

They should of course have made that clear though. I suppose when they started recruiting no one had thought of it.

Also, I wonder how they think they will pay regional money if they want you in the office in London 2-3 days per week going forward?

Policyschmolicy · 08/01/2022 07:47

You absolutely need to ask for the advertised salary. Is the offer within a band on the advert or is it below the minimum on the advert? And what is the difference percentage wise.

I would calmly point out that it is not a great start to an employer/employee relationship and automatically puts the candidate at a disadvantage. That you expect them to honour the advertised salary.

Worth noting that public sector pay freezes mean that you will likely be stuck with the amount you agree for a long time (no uplift in 2 years here).