Accepted wrong salary

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I was unexpectedly seconded into a promotion a few months ago and given a pay rise during this time. I then was given the promotion permanently more recently.

I had a complicated situation that I also had another job at the time and I worked both jobs part time totalling 42.5 hours a week. I explained this to the person who was calculating my offer (they knew and had access to all the information). They told me that I should not be financially worse off and the offer would reflect this. This person has now left. It was significantly less salary than the previous post holder as I have less experience.

The offer for my promotion was for slightly higher hourly rate at 37.5 hours a week. I had to give up my other job. I regularly work extra hours in my current job but do not claim overtime for them I take TOIL.

I very stupidly trusted this offer and accepted it because I was very busy and stressed with my new job. I accept it is entirely my fault for not calculating this correctly prior to accepting it.

It took a month or so for my salary to settle - ending my 2nd job, holiday pay from job 2 etc and tying up loose ends. I have now been able to properly compare my previous and current salaries and I am significantly worse off - well over £400 a month (£5k a year).

I have emailed the finance director explaining that there has been a miscalculation in my offer that has led to me facing financial difficulties and a loss of earnings.

I asked for one of 2 options:

1. to be contracted to work more hours per week which I will willing do
2. to get permission to seek further part time employment in my own time

To resolve this financially I either need to work hours more a week or be paid more per hour.

As I have accepted the rate, I am not sure I have any leg to stand on with asking for more money.

Does anyone have any advice?

If I cannot secure more income I will have to leave my job as I cannot manage on a reduced salary.

What were you originally earning in each job and what was the offer that was made to you for the promoted job

"They told me that I should not be financially worse off and the offer would reflect this. "

Do you have an email to demonstrate they said this? If so I definitely think they will have to negotiate with you. If not, showing them your payslips and the difference means they ought to, but they probably don't have o IYSWIM

"I regularly work extra hours in my current job but do not claim overtime for them I take TOIL."
Why don't you claim overtime instead of TOIL? Would this make up some/all of the shortfall?

Yes but it would cost them money, so I don’t have permission to do this

I believe that I do have an email trail about this but the offer was verbal!

I have all my payslips

Ok so before promotion:
job 1 I was earning £19,800
job 2 I was earning £21,600
£41k
I was paid for 42.5 hours a week

during secondment I was paid
Job 1 £24,350
job 2 £21,600
£46k
still working 42.5 hours a week

I am now paid to work 37.5 hours for £40,950

Based on those numbers you’re pretty much being paid the £46k but pro rated to the reduced hours - sounds like a miscommunication on what ‘no worse off’ meant. Surely the salary was obvious on the new contract if it was the total annual amount you were comparing?

Yes they forgot to factor in I was working more hours. This is why I have asked if I can work more hours not be paid a higher rate

They presented it hourly not as a total per annum. The hourly rate was more than all the rates I had before. It’s my fault I didn’t x 37.5 x 52

The hourly rate was 20p more than my seconded rate, but £4 an hour more than my non seconded rate.

You aren’t financially worse off as you are working less hours for the same pay - circa £41k so that’s maybe what HR agreed.
If you expected £46k for a 37.5 hour week as this was a promotion then you’ll need proof.
I think you should approach it from this angle rather than you’re finding it financially difficult as that’s not their problem.

I am worse off in take home pay terms and at the time it happened obviously all my outgoings shot up so now I can’t afford my bills like I previously could during secondment.

We don’t have HR, we have a finance director and a board it has to pass through.

It was the person leaving who offered me the salary. She was well known for keeping costs down by having low wage staff but demanding a super high salary she was very expensive for the company. I am very cheap in comparison. I would be happy to work 42.5 hours a week, I already do I just don’t get paid for it anymore. I don’t know if I was expecting £46k on a 37.5 hour week or just that my rate would not leave me worse off. I do recall it being sold to me as a ‘win’ to work less which is completely unrealistic I’ve worked 12 days in a row last month and then take the odd time off, just to have more work build up, I also have crazy long early and late meetings which turn your day into 12+ hours.

The only advice really is to ask for more money and/or look for a better paying job.

If they are getting you cheaply then benchmark yourself against other roles in the same sector and people with similar experience and ask for a reasonable salary.

Have to say though when finances have been tight I have worked out salary and tax calculations for a potential new job extremely carefully!

the whole thing was a big shock to be honest they kept me in the dark about everything I had no idea what was going on. This wasn’t really an ideal process to go through. I also felt really pushed into not pushing back at the time