Hes paid more than me for the same job

[pickledpancake3]

I do the same job as a make colleague and I have found out he is on £42k and I am on £24k. I am really good at my job and they are thrilled with my work. I have a lot of experience for my age.

He is 29 and has a PHD and I am 25 with a degree.

Is he paid this much more because he has a PHD or is it a chance I am paid so much less because I am female?

My main question is, what is a fair salary for me to ask for? Is it fair for me to ask for £42k or should I ask for and expect a bit less to account for the PHD?

@TheMShip even though they have 30 years industry experience?

Is he going to be getting a pay rise this year too, or is that his salary after his rise this year?

@Scout2016 I have no idea

Also is there a published salary grading scheme and can a job evaluation be done on your roles to establish what grade you should be at? Or do they just make up salaries as they go along?

Can you put out some feelers to see what the job market is like for you, were you to move? I would start to do this immediately for these three reasons(and there are many more I'm sure):

1. If you do get to offer stage, the salary you get offered is a useful data point
2. If your request for more money goes unanswered, and/or the gap between you and PhD guy remains large, it will sooner or later (('d wager sooner) eat away at your soul and you will want to move
3. You are being underpaid relative to a male colleague doing the same job which does not show your current employer in a good light when it comes to the gender pay gap and their response to it. As you get older (and possibly become a working mother) you definitely would want an employer who is, above all else, fair in its treatment of women, as its gets harder, much harder.

@Scout2016 I have no idea I think there is, but I don't know where I am
@ilovejennimurray my boss has agreed I need a salary rise, the review is due soon, I am just not sure how much I should push for and want is reasonable to expect.

Should I settle with £30k, £35k £40k £42k?

Christ. That difference is huge. Leadership v PhD. Have you ever talked to your boss about this before? To gauge what he thinks/ the reasoning?

It sounds like a very big gap, but if (as you say) his PhD is sometimes very relevant for the work you do, then I would imagine a large portion of the difference would be a premium for his specific expertise, built up over four or more years of research, which very few other people (if anyone, depending on the area), might have. It's quite rare for a PhD topic to be super relevant for a non-academic job, so I would hesitate to get very up in arms about the difference before speaking with your manager.

Another thought -- you should try to assess what your 'value' might be on the job market. It will give you a better idea of what salary to suggest than just comparing to your colleague (which based on the info you provided, may not be an apples-with-apples comparison). Sites like glassdoor can help - you can check the salary ranges for other organizations for roles with similar responsibilities.

[quote pickledpancake3]@TheMShip even though they have 30 years industry experience?[/quote]
Yes - I didn't say the same salary as them though! You're getting better results. They were on over £48k, if they were on double your current salary. The other person is on £42k with a PhD. I think starting in with your current performance and how that is an improvement over the previous years is the right way to go, then bring up first the salary of the previous post holder, then the salary of your co-worker as evidence for what you are worth.

I am in a similar situation, but a £7k gap and no difference at all in qualification or experience.

Sorry to wade in OP but how did you find out he was paid more?

I found out by accident through something I shouldn’t have clicked on, so now don’t feel I can raise it

I have tried highlighting reasons why I should be paid more not bringing him into it to no avail.

Sorry, just saw that you asked him his salary. Well done - takes guts to do that tbf.

The PHD may be a red herring - he’s good at research because he has a PHD, but if a PHD isn’t a requirement of the job, that can’t be justification for such a big pay gap. If you are able to make the same contribution as him, you should be paid the same.

As another poster said though, I’d start looking around. It’s amazing how often things sour when women stand up for themselves. (And then hit them with an equal pay claim)

Well when you and the union have worked it out if you've got the balls I'd say something along the lines of

As X is in a role that is largely supporting my work, and in view of my results I think it would be reasonable if my salary matched his with a view to a further increase if the results (predefined) merit it.

I have worked in places where someone (men and women)has been there longer and is more highly qualified than me. It particularly happens in research science, where pay rises happen on a yearly basis and there is a clearly understood pecking order - no degree, BSc, MSc, PhD.

I'm aware in comparison with colleagues and others in my role I'm relatively less well paid. I have a year's experience now, and have performed well. I'd like to see a significant increase in my salary, to bring me in line with colleagues. What do I need to do make this happen?

Are you a union member? I would seek union advice.

Nothing useful to say, but just wanted to give you a vote of support in this process, and keep us updated !

@WhereAreWeNow I think I will only get a union involved if I felt after this negotiation I was still dealt an unfair hand.

My boss has been amazing and may offer me a great salary. It would feel like I didn't trust them if I got a union involved without giving them a chance. @Oblomov20 my boss is on my side and will fight with their seniors for my pay rise. I just want to go into that conversation with a clear idea of what is a fair salary.

What I really need help is knowing what a fair deal is, preferably without getting a union involved. I have looked on glass door and for the role im doing I am very underpaid.

my boss has agreed I need a salary rise, the review is due soon, I am just not sure how much I should push for and want is reasonable to expect.

If you get on with your boss and they know you deserve a rise, you might want to put the ball in their court to some extent. Try to frame the discussion from the outset in terms of having an idea what your colleague is on, and that although he has a PhD you think that's balanced by your leadership role and prior experience. You might need to get those thoughts in play wel before the actual review meeting, as your boss will presumably have budget constraints so can't just give you what you want even if he'd like to. S/he may need bargaining chips to argue your case.

I would recommend you start high with your opening bid and be prepared to climb down a small bit (reluctantly). And also bear in mind PhD guy will probably also get a rise this year. So you will be constantly playing catch-up if you accept a lower salary.
I'd start at 45k if I were you, then let them try to tell you why you should be paid less than him, if they won't settle on equal or more.
Also, in these situations I find it helpful to think, what would a guy do if he was in your shoes and/or roles were reversed? He wouldn't settle for less, that's for sure.

And I still stand by my earlier point, your company should be fixing this as a priority, not fixing it because you have asked. They are facilitating a gender pay gap, and your loyalty (which is nice) might be blinding you to what is nothing other than basic sex discrimination.

Thank you everyone for all your support

I wonder whether you should either pitch it as £48k, what the last person was earning but you’re giving better results so it’s warranted.

They’ll want to negotiate, so you may not get that figure, I’d then settle for £42/45k.

This is quite thought provoking:
www.equalitytrust.org.uk/equalpay50/calculate-your-potential-lifetime-earnings-loss