To ask wwyd about this work situation?

[justexisting22]

I've been angry for a few days following a recent salary review at work and I can't stop thinking over it in my head. I really need advice on how to handle the situation as I feel like I've been really undervalued and I'm seriously wondering now whether or not I should look for a new position at a totally different company.

For some background, my "new" salary for this year was my base salary last year, however this was pro rata to £Xk a year, as I worked part time but then changed to full time when I started a new role. So I'm wondering if is that even correct? Should this not have increased when I went back full time?

I've been at this company for 6 years, have qualifications experience etc, yet I'm still only on the starting salary for my position. It just doesn't seem right to me and to be honest I've been so upset and angry about it

AIBU to think I should just look elsewhere?

It sounds obvious you don't have any clear insight into the situation, so I'd get them clarify everything first, you can't approach it at all until you have clarity.

More importantly, if you were looking for a salary increase in the new role, why didn't you discuss that at the time? It should have been discussed and the new salary agreed on prior to accepting the new role. Otherwise, if I was moving a team member to a new role, they're not automatically getting a salary incease. It's certainly not standard in our company that a move/promotion gets an increase, you may stay on the same salary unless you negoitate an increase at that time.

So your actual gross pay has gone from £18100 to £19600? Or are you being paid less than £19600 in reality as you are still less than FT?

OP please just give your hours and salary. This is making no sense, and every time you post it gets more and more confusing as you keep contradicting yourself.

@theemmadilemma I have asked for clarity then will discuss with them further once everything is known. I wasn’t specifically looking for a salary increase when I moved, I just wanted to move roles due to other reasons which I won’t go into here

But OP if you are doing the same hours as before and now being paid £19,600 (when before you were being paid £18,500 for the same hours) then your salary has increased by £1,100? Presumably the full time equivalent would be higher but you don't work full time hours so it's not really relevant - what is relevant is how much you now earn which looks to be £1,100 more than you earned last year for the same hours?

And just when I thought I had understood, you throw this in. So you haven’t changed your hours after all (so what was the four pages of changing hours all about then!), you have had an a increase from £18600 to £19500 with no incr3ae in hours. Seems reasonable.

But honestly, you really really need to work on your delivery if you want to have further salary negotiations, because I bet people cannot understand what you are talking about.

Nobody cares about reasons, just numbers.

The info you need is

1. FTE for your previous role
2. FTE for your new role
3. Evidence you do a great job and deserve a more significant pay rise because…

If none of that leads to a satisfactory outcome on pay rise, then you need to

1. Look around at equivalent jobs to apply for
2. Evaluate if these are better all-round (flexible working, salary, commute etc)
3. Decide whether to stay or go.

Hi Manager,

My full time salary in currently £10,100 right? so how come in 2016 I was on £10,000 but I now have more responsibilities and the cost of living has increased 20% ?

then take it from there.

The pro rata thing has obviously complicated matters but it just sounds as though you've received a really tiny pay rise, and that you know the company had the money for a better one as your colleagues got more.

If that's the case your first step should be to look around at similar jobs elsewhere to see what you could be paid if you moved - this means you know how much of a bargain your current employer is getting from you and so how much of a fuss you should be making. You might find that you're already being paid really well for your role and location. You might find that they're taking the piss so much that you might as well just start applying for other jobs straight away.

If you could be earning more elsewhere, go to your manager, sit down with them somewhere private and make your case case: "I was disappointed to only get a whatever% pay rise this year when my performance review said [all the good things it said] and the company is doing well (if it is). Is there any room to reconsider my salary for this year?" Then, and this is really important, stop talking. See what they say. If there's an awkward silence wait for them to fill it.

It might well be that they won't pay you any more, but isn't it worth trying, if you're otherwise happy there? If you're not happy and they're underpaying you then just skip this step and look for another job, obviously. But you will feel so good about yourself for having asked, I promise.

So is this really a performance issue rather than the number of hours worked issue?
Your co worker got a substantial raise despite a lower performance rating (presuming co-worker isn't making stuff up?).
Perhaps the conversation should be framed around your performance rating and what/how you will be rewarded for good performance.
If that's the case, the number of hours you actually work is not relevant to the discussion.

You do need to look at your tax code and the amount of tax you are paying. I worked with an excellent P/T colleague and we wanted her to do more hours, but when she looked at the figures she would have been working extra hours for almost nothing because her tax bill would increase.
Have you checked all the figures on your contract and your payslip?

@badgermushrooms Thank you, I appreciate your advice its extremely helpful. I enjoy the job, the commute is easy and has other really good perks. However, the most important thing to me is salary and this is where I feel they fall short. I know they could have paid me more, the fact that they haven’t makes me really think maybe I shouldn’t even bother to fight this and just begin to look elsewhere. It feels personal to me

I'm just going to try to understand. Are you saying that your company has claimed that they've given you a pay rise based on your pro-rata'd pay, as opposed to your pay based on the full amount? So if you got £10k pro-rata'd amount but the full pay would have been £11k and now they're giving you £11,100 but claiming they've given you a 10%+ pay rise, when they've actually only given you £100, which is less than 1%?

In any event, it sounds like you're unhappy with the pay you've been offered. Are you not very assertive? Maybe others who are getting paid more are better at stating their case.

You need to make a business case: how you have reached your targets; how you have contributed to making your department reach its targets; any processes you have streamlined or improved in some way; how you greater experience has made you a more effective employee; how you've taken on additional responsibilities. Anything that can be objectively measured. Meanwhile, if you feel you're not being valued by your company, look around for other jobs. It might do wonders for your confidence to move on.

@badgermushrooms Thank you, I appreciate your advice its extremely helpful. I enjoy the job, the commute is easy and has other really good perks. However, the most important thing to me is salary and this is where I feel they fall short. I know they could have paid me more, the fact that they haven’t makes me really think maybe I shouldn’t even bother to fight this and just begin to look elsewhere. It feels personal to me

yes @Yellownightmare, that’s exactly right. You’ve understood what I’ve been trying to get across

I know they could have paid me more, the fact that they haven’t makes me really think maybe I shouldn’t even bother to fight this and just begin to look elsewhere. It feels personal to me

This isn’t going to be a helpful attitude. Most business isn’t personal.
Most employers pay what they can get away with.
Many employees put up with it.
Some don’t and therefore get paid more.

Ask for a discussion, state your case (excellent customer service, commitment to the company, increased responsibilities, how much you like working there but needing to consider your position in light of cost of living increases…)

See what they say.
But don’t get all confused about pro-rata!

In that case I'd point this out to them. Write the figures down and say this is exactly what has happened. Don't accuse them of deliberately misleading you (although I suspect this might be the case), just point out that with a 10% pay increase, which is what they say they're giving you, it should be £11k + 10%.

You feel you deserve the 10% pay rise because of all your positive reviews, then give the other reasons why you think you deserve it, based on your skills, experience and achievements (be very specific here). It's worth getting this anyway, even if you decide to leave. And ask for it to be backdated because you think they made a mistake with the figures, by basing it on the wrong base figure.

@NoSquirrels So don’t mention anything to do with pro rata? I don’t understand though why that was mentioned by them last year but not this year

YellowNightmare’s advice about making your business case is really good. Feel free to add in that you’re aware of other positions paying x. You’ll find out one way or another what your manager thinks of you.

Your pay rise should be based on the FTE.

That’s it. Start there.

Did that happen? If not, they made a mistake they can immediately rectify.

But your real issue is are you paid enough for the job? Is the FTE fair?

If not, make your case.

@Yellownightmare Thanks, you’ve been so helpful. You’ve understood my situation exactly. I think I was right in thinking there’s been a mistake with the figures, because it honestly doesn’t seem logical. I think my new salary should be the £19,500 + 10%, when actually they’ve gone off last years pro rata’d salary

My pay rise definitely isn’t based on the FTE salary, so I’m right to think this is a mistake than should be rectified?

Definitely. But sit down with someone who's good at figures before you go into see your boss and write it all down. The uplift should definitely be based on FTE. You can point out that in effect you've had a pay cut over the last few years, taking into account inflation.

Also, make a business case as to why you deserve the full 10% uplift, because it's always good to back up your case. If you've got a friend who's very confident, get them to help you put your case together and practise role playing your discussion with your boss.

Good luck!

Yes.

Oh and as NoSquirrels says, don't say it's not fair, or it's personal. It weakens your case. Just make it all about the business and your contribution.