AIBU to be furious that Jnr colleugue's salary now exceeds mine? discrimination?!

[WhatTheActualBeep]

To give some background/context here: I have a decade of experience in my field. My current company was taken over by a much larger company in 2020. This same year I fell pregnant and took a year of maternity leave. Just before my leave, I hired an Assistant that supported me and the Director within my team. My maternity cover didn't work out, and whilst I was away, the Director decided to give some of my duties to this Assistant, whilst covering the remainder of my role themselves.

During my leave, the company was taken over, the Director was made redundant and the Assistant was given the same title as me (no Assistant role existed in the bigger company). Their salary was increased, but still approx 10k below my own.

Fast forward, and I return from maternity, the role I return to is vastly different,
the same title but much of the responsibility/seniority removed. 6 months later
the team gets a new Manager who becomes very buddy-buddy with the Assistant andother team members, and doesn't bother getting to know the team, their experience and work history etc.

I take another period of maternity, and return to find out that the 'Assistant'
has received an 18.5% salary increase, and their salary now exceeds my own (not
my much, but still), and they received a bonus of 15% salary, whilst I, on
maternity, got a 6% increase and a 7% bonus. I have never, in 10 years had a
bonus this low and chalk this up to not being in the 'in crowd' with this manager.

The Assistant has half a decade of experience less than me, does not outperform me in any way (whilst we have the same title, there are many aspects of the role
they are inexperienced in, and these tasks fall to me).

In a recent conversation with the manager, I learned that they have no knowledge of the fact that I actually hired the Assistant in my previous company, they used to report to me, and I have 5 years more experience than them! the VP
actually said 'oh really? I thought you were doing the same role at X company'
when this came up in conversation. Is this not the first thing you do as a new
manager - check out your team's skill-set, strengths and experience?

It's worth mentioning, that whilst I have had two DC, this Assistant has been VERY vocal about their views on motherhood, how they want to ‘live life for themselves’ and don’t ever want children.

I am seeing red about this whole situation. I was effectively demoted on return
from 1st maternity leave to a more junior role and got a whole new team, and
now this junior colleague’s salary is higher than my own despite my experience
exceeding theirs by 5 YEARS. I need to raise the bonus issue with my manager
anyway, as I didn't want to deal with that on maternity but AIBU about the
salary issue?!

How do I even raise this?!

Unfortunately, most of us reach a point in their career where younger people climb over your head.

'Outrageous'? It depends on the bonus calculation criteria.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/maternity-and-parental-rights/check-your-maternity-and-parental-rights/rights-while-pregnant-or-on-maternity-leave/rights-while-youre-on-maternity-leave/#:~:text=You'll%20get%20your%20bonus,you're%20on%20maternity%20leave.

But you yourself would have been that young person once, climbing over someone else's head...

OP, honestly you have gotten people's backs up by continuing to call your colleague 'assistant', referencing her comments on motherhood, thinking your experience should automatically equal more pay.

The key part of your statement, for me, is that her inexperience requires you to pick up some tasks. This is justification for asking for a higher salary.

But the rest of what you say is waffle and immaterial really. Maybe she's good at the work that actually generates the revenue, maybe she dazzled the managers, whatever. Of course, contact all the relevant charities and contact an employment lawyer if you want but I doubt that you'll get anywhere.

leave- you’ve been there way too long and you’ll get a pay rise going elsewhere. Job hopping is thr best way to increase salary.

Good luck!

yep we get a percentage of our bonus reduced for any leave that is taken over three months including sickness, maternity and sabbaticals if you happen to be out the whole year you will get no bonus if you are out 50% of the year you will get 50% of your bonus.

A bonus is based on your performance for the year if you haven’t been there how do you get rated?

In a recent conversation with the manager, I learned that they have no knowledge of the fact that I actually hired the Assistant in my previous company, they used to report to me, and I have 5 years more experience than them! the VP actually said 'oh really? I thought you were doing the same role at X company' when this came up in conversation. Is this not the first thing you do as a new manager - check out your team's skill-set, strengths and experience?
I would expect a new manager to observe and learn a teams skill-set and strengths by the very act of working with them. Far, far more valuable in terms of understanding as well as planning and strategy.
Experience in no way guarantees 'better' It just doesn't. I say this as someone with decades of 'experience' but the self realisation/honesty to say that I am where I am at, not because I had children, but because I did not put myself forward for advancement in any way. My managers are generally younger than me but as I've gotten older, and my children have gotten older, I've decided to be less of a passenger in my career and actually use the shitload of experience I actually have.
You need to focus less on the fact that your previous assistant and previously junior assistant is making their own strides and more on your own plan/path to get to where you want to be. No point being bitter AT them because they've been there whilst you haven't. Now you're back there is nothing stopping you from grabbing any opportunity that comes your way.

The title of this thread is about a junior colleague being paid more, but when I read the opening post it actually sounds like someone at the same grade receives slightly more (and not by much, by your own admission).

And why do you keep referring to them as the Assistant? They're the same level as you aren't they? Or are they actually still your assistant? I mean, in their job description do you manage them and do they assist you?

Maybe they're just doing a really good job? I'd be happy for them.

I really disagree with this view .

being senior in experience more often does make you better. means you’ve seen much more of life, have wider perspective in your sector, have handled more trends/ changes/ difficult clients / meetings/ calls, and as a result can give more informed judgement in strategic decision making and people management .

doesn't mean less experienced can’t do these things - its just that they’re not drawing on as deep a well , using the extra hundreds of hours often unthinkingly or intuitively to do it as better.,

Junior colleagues may think they know best. But really Imagine your colleague not mentioning they were hired. By you and worked for you. Not very humble. An example of what I’m trying to say.

Most can pick up a new bit of tech / new system or process with training and motivation but not everyone has softer skills such as knows when to say no, which battles to fight, how things play out or the back door way to getting stuff done.
good luck but you prob will end up moving

I feel like I just expected her to stay as a junior staff member to you for ever. Just because you bought her in as an assistant didn't mean she had to stay as one just to suit you.
She's worked hard and progressed her career. Good for her. If that's what makes her happy then all credit to her.
You seem to have a lot of resentment towards someone who doesn't deserve it.
as women we should support and celebrate women who do well in the work place. Not bring them down through jealousy.

@getfreddynow Couple of things strike me here

you say
"being senior in experience more often does make you better. means you’ve seen much more of life, have wider perspective in your sector, have handled more trends/ changes/ difficult clients / meetings/ calls, and as a result can give more informed judgement in strategic decision making and people management ."

I agree. But if it doesn't translate to adding value to your role, it won't be rewarded and that's quite right. The situations you handle sometimes won't need that experience. If OP wants to up her salary, she needs to give tangible reasons.

"But really Imagine your colleague not mentioning they were hired. By you and worked for you. Not very humble. An example of what I’m trying to say."

It's quite possible that, like OP, the colleague assumes this history is known. Also, being humble at work gets you nowhere.

It is odd when history isn't known sometimes, yes. My best friend found out her manager didn't know a lot of stuff when she had her exit interview with HR! It didn't matter, she was moving to a better paid post, but sometimes it is a surprise what people don't know.

it doesn't matter here, OP colleague has progressed well, quickly and sounds good at her role.

People need to stop insisting having children is a choice women have to ‘pay for’. Because the vast majority of adults have children but are men ‘paying for it’? No. Then often when men leave their partners the still aren’t ’paying for it’ whereas their former partners are. It’s plain misogyny.

@ hey Andrew Tate fans, the world would end if WOMEN didn’t have children.

You had time away from the business, that was your choice. Your colleague progressed in their career whilst you were away.

Firstly the world wouldn’t end. The planet would be fine. People would eventually not exist but the world won’t end.

The whole ‘Andrew Tate fans’ being posted is such a lazy argument. Descending to insults, badly thought out insults suggests you don’t know what your point is.

It’s right that having kids doesn’t impact men. Because men rarely take very long breaks from work. Even with shared parental leave available. I have managed people for nearly 20 years and the most common reason I am come across for not doing shared parental leave, isn’t the men refuse. It’s that women, understandably, don’t want to return too quickly and have as much time with their child as they can. Then add on that many women return part time.

It’s not being an Andrew Tate Fan to point out that if you take large amounts of time out of the work place, the work place will change. You will be left behind slightly and have to catch up. If you take 2 long periods of absence, in a fairly short space of time, it will have even more impact.

Peoples relationships evolve, those with less experience catch up, those still at work are experiencing and getting use to changes as they happen.

A man taking 2 lengthy leave of absences in 4 years would also find himself in a position where his colleagues have caught up, perhaps out performing him. Especially when they first return.

Companies and peoples careers can not stagnate because someone is off.

The fact that the colleague negotiated to a pay rise to bring their pay more in line with a colleague at the same level doesn’t mean the Ops wage has to go up by the same amount.

Have to agree with this.

Andrew Tate isn’t just misogynistic towards mums, you know. He’s misogynistic towards women.

Women includes the “Assistant” in the OP.

People posting in support of the “Assistant” are recognising that it’s great when a woman works hard and earns herself promotions. It doesn’t suddenly become feminism when a mum does it, or misogyny when a woman without kids does it.

Childless women are not the same as men, FFS. We still suffer workplace discrimination.

My argument isn’t that the ‘assistant’ shouldn’t have been promoted. My issue with the the repeated approach of ‘you chose this, you pay’ spouted by (allegedly) other women. How about women supporting women. Full stop

It’s common sense, though, that taking time out of the workplace might mean you don’t get a promotion in that time?

Nobody is saying that mums should never get promoted ever again - just that it is a choice to have kids and it’s unrealistic to expect that a woman can be out of the workplace for a couple of years and get promoted during that same time.

Maternity rights are there to ensure that a woman isn’t discriminated against in terms of her existing job whilst she’s not in the workplace, not to guarantee her the exact same progression as someone who has
been in the workplace during that time.

I don’t think it’s misogynistic to point any of this out.

I wish I could delete this. I've no idea what I was trying to type 🤦‍♀️

What do you mean by pay?

If you mean ‘you chose time off, these things are a consequence of that’, what’s the issue?

@ElevenSeven Your firm is in breach of employment law by classing that as gross (or any form of) misconduct.

I would take advice from a company called “Pregnant then screwed” if you think there’s been discrimination because of your maternity leave.

Who receives any bonus while on maternity leave. You haven’t done any work!!

"It's worth mentioning, that whilst I have had two DC, this Assistant has been VERY vocal about their views on motherhood, how they want to ‘live life for themselves’ and don’t ever want children."

Has management commented on that ?

Don’t focus on the comparison or mention the assistant - just focus on you what you want to do how you can progress and developing your skills. By all means bring up low bonus and pay rise whilst on maternity as that’s the real reason your paid less. Maternity legislation says you should be treated the same and you have not been. Raise with manager as it seems discriminatory. If you mention the other member of staff at any point even though it’s frustrating you will sound petty and jealous.. don’t risk that. Good luck

Unfortunately this is what happens when you have maternity leave, company’s can’t put themselves on hold because you had a baby. Be grateful you had two years off I could only take 3 months. You now have your chance to shine. If you are that good it should be easy.