To think the real salary should have been advertised?

[littlepieces]

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?

You are not being ridiculous. Dare I say most men wouldn't suffer any second thoughts and standing their ground.

If you have passed one G7 (assuming here) interview, chances are you will be successful again in another Dept - should you really have to go down that route

If they only ever intended to pay bare minimum base starting salary, surely location should have read 'remote' and the London uplift details should have been removed.

YANBU. At all.

@Dontwanttolivewithmylover

Companies can always reinstate the London weighting when and if employees start commuting. You can't expect the allowance if you're at home and it's less hassle and cheaper for you to WFH so what's the problem? The company could have put a notation on the ad saying that WFH does not attract the allowance but as others have said, these ads are usually outsourced and haven't been checked by the business itself.

Why do you think the concept of an allowance exists at all?

OP does not sound like hard work. How dismissive.

There is a really painful attitude in certain parts of the public sector that you should be grateful to be paid at all.

If you don't ask you won't get!
Explain your current salary and that you applied for the job on the basis of the advertised amount.
Maybe they can increase the salary band if you have suitable skills and experience. What are the prospects regarding, bonus, annual increment, promotion? Would the salary increase over a short period of time?
I recently moved jobs and asked for a 5k increase due to experience etc. it was refused but we settled at 4k.
No harm in asking.

so they did mention the London uplift and made clear it was "subject to" Sounds like a misunderstanding to me.

First of all congratulations!

YANBU op

I’ve worked in the public sector both central (civil service) and local for the past ten years. You CAN negotiate salary and I have successfully done so in my last two roles; one within the advertised band and the other at the top of the band.

In your situation, unless it’s a role which rarely comes up, I would be seeking the advertised salary as an absolute minimum.

@saleorbouy

If you don't ask you won't get! Explain your current salary and that you applied for the job on the basis of the advertised amount. Maybe they can increase the salary band if you have suitable skills and experience. What are the prospects regarding, bonus, annual increment, promotion? Would the salary increase over a short period of time? I recently moved jobs and asked for a 5k increase due to experience etc. it was refused but we settled at 4k. No harm in asking.

was this job public sector?

[quote littlepieces]@cuck00soup The ad read exactly like this:

Role location: London
Salary range: £XX - £XX (subject to X% London salary uplift).[/quote]
The ad isn’t straightforward. They’re not wrong to offer the stated salary without an uplift. But equally the conditions for getting an uplift should be made clearer.

Also how did you not ask about salary earlier when there’s a range? Are you happy with the lowest figure?

Nothing wrong in asking, the worse they can say is no. But w.r.t to your AIBU. No they’re not quite being U.

I am public sector and have ALWAYS negotiated salary at interview, it has always worked in my favour,
Don’t be afraid to have this conversation.
This is one of the many reasons women are paid less…. We think we have to put up…. We think we are being awkward by having this conversation….. you are not! Stand up for yourself!
In fact, a previous boss said to me she was so impressed by my negotiation skills regarding salary she knew I would be good for the job.

Don’t put up with this shit! You can be polite and friendly but make your intentions clear…. And don’t move jobs for a pay cut!

@godmum56

so they did mention the London uplift and made clear it was "subject to" Sounds like a misunderstanding to me.

Also yes the word subject to always means it’s not guaranteed. Which you misunderstood.

I would challenge it. Really frustrating for you.

On the flip side while working from home long term its frustrating to know most of the other people in my team get much more for the same role while we all work from home.

@littlepieces

If they only ever intended to pay bare minimum base starting salary, surely location should have read 'remote' and the London uplift details should have been removed.

why? its clear that the salary is subject to london uplift ALLOWANCE which will be reinstated when you once again work in London.

@pixie5121

Everyone in London has not lost their London weighting, despite what people here are saying. They should pay you the rate they advertised, full stop. Contrary to what people are saying here, salaries are often not set in stone. I know people who were given uplifts for all kinds of reasons. I would absolutely not accept a lower salary than the one on the job ad, and I'd be looking at getting some legal advice.

Those working in the public sector will all have been treated alike (although the actual treatment may well vary from sub sector to sub sector) The ad makes very clear that the figures quoted are subject to Lonodn uplift.

[quote littlepieces]@cuck00soup The ad read exactly like this:

Role location: London
Salary range: £XX - £XX (subject to X% London salary uplift).[/quote]
I wouldn't read this as London weighting is definitely included.

I'm in the third sector, we are advertising currently. The job location is London (as we have to put something) but the job can be done at any of our regional offices (London, Leeds, Birmingham, Brighton, etc etc.) or remote. We use similar wording. Someone who took the job to work remotely wouldn't get weighting. If they were to go to the London office, they would.

Removing London weighting for WFH roles noy works if it genuinely doesn’t matter if the person lives hundreds of miles away.

If they want the person to be able to work regularly in the London office in future, the person they appoint needs to live in or near London (thus incurring higher living costs) and therefore the weighting should apply.

@Dontwanttolivewithmylover

You can't expect London weighting if you're working from home.

Why not? I get London weighting and I work at home. London weighting is given- an extra 3k in my case - to offset the costs of living in or near the capital, usually housing, but also other costs. Eg, a cinema ticket, a haircut, childcare, getting a plumber etc will be much more expensive. It has little to do with commuting costs. Your housing and sundry costs remain the same, no matter if you work at home or not. As the OP will have to work from the office at least some of the week, she will need to be within London or nearby, and therefore paying for expensive housing and other costs.

Rather than speaking to HR/the recruiters who are likely to be external consultants and will just repeat the official line, I would speak to the head of the Dept which is recruiting & explain the situation & say you are, not unreasonably, looking for the salary advertised.

The truth is that they may well say no it's this lower salary or no job. It's a shocking way to work but it won't be the first time this has happened.

If an HR department can't put the right salary in an ad and refuses to address their mistake when pointed out, it's not a place I would have any confidence in, and wouldn't work there. Definite red flag about their workplace culture.