Just seen my employers advertising my job for more than I earn... should I raise this and how?

[MackerelOfFact]

I've been in my current job for more than 4 years. A colleague in the same team has recently handed in her notice and I've found the position advertised online. It's the exact same job that I'm doing, and has a pay range of 3k 'depending on experience'. I am currently earning £1.25k under the lowest figure in the range.

Since 'experience' in my field typically means 1-2 years in a similar job, I consider myself experienced. I have been here longer than anyone else (non-management) on the team and know that some others earn within the stated range. The workload of our team has increased 20% this year but pay has remained unchanged for the last 18 months.

I realise that others have it much worse at the moment and I'm obviously not after sympathy, but just wondering if I should raise this with my management, and how? Any tips appreciated.

Apply for other job?

i would print it off and ask for an explanation tbh! but i would go in with the slant of wanting to apply for it, you would just like some detail as to how this job differs from yours so that you are fully prepared.

with it being a new tax year, are you sure that any payrise won't bring you to the same level?

Haha, this might work, but although the jobs are the same we do each work on our own projects on different topics. I am less knowledgeable about the topics of my colleagues job than I am about the ones I have been working on for the past 4 years. So I think I have more chance of a pay rise in my job than of getting colleague's job IYSWIM.

Sorry, cross-posted. We don't get payrises as standard, the last one was an arbitrary £1k across the whole team, before that it was 2% across the whole company. These are the only pay rises I've had since being here, despite the job changing massively.

I think I might look daft asking how the job differs from mine, since a) I know it doesn't (aside from being on other topics, but these are assigned randomly and none are considered above any others) and b) colleague is a friend and we discuss our work all the time.

in that case ask for an explanation. you are entitled to one

I would raise it with your manager. At best they'll give you a pay rise. At worst they won't but you'll then know how much they value you as an employee!

I had this once when I discovered that people less qualified than me (and everything goes strictly on level of years of qualification at that point) were being paid more. After venting to my room mate and on his advice I very politely raised it with my boss and he said he'd look into it with HR. My salary lept by £3k as a result. I wasn't so concerned about the money but more the loss of status and how they valued me.

Well, I raised it with my line manager. It was short and sweet. She told me that they wouldn't employ anyone at the top end of the range (are they allowed to advertise it at that then?!) and that I wasn't earning 'substantially less' than anyone else on the team (again, I don't think this is true - the others, bar the colleague who is leaving, are all at least in the bottom end of the range). I said that this implied there was the budget for a higher salary and she said I had a good case and she would speak to those above her. She wasn't embarassed about it - I bloody would be!

So I'll see - thanks for the encouragement and advice.

I should point out, I didn't go in all indignant and expecting a rise. It was quite a casual chat. There was a bit of an incident on Friday which I sorted out and my line manager passed on some great feedback on me from my colleagues and upper management - so I felt it was a good time and I was in a good position. It's now or never, really.

good for you, fingers crossed!

Wow, well done for bringing it up. I wouldn't have been that brave!

I'm that they said they wouldn't employ anyone who'd earn at the top end of the scale, that's not right surely?!

Print off the job ad & keep your pay slips & anything to do with pay & conditions. Regarding not earning 'substantially less' what does she mean? What's the gender mix? Could they do with an equal pay audit?

I'm a but peeved by the 'not substantially less' comment as the amount we are talking about to bring me up to the bottom end of the pay is nearly 5% of my current salary. The top end of the advertised salary is more than 20% above what I am earning. So these are fairly large amounts in relation to my actual salary, and more than I have ever been given as a pay increase.

There is only one male on the team, the other four of us are female. Line manager is also female and reports to a male director. My male colleague has been in the company only slightly less time than me but was working in another department before taking up the job here - I think his old department is better-paid in general (there are only 2 people working in it) so this might affect his current pay.

Just an update on this - I found out this week that I've been awarded am annual pay rise of £2.25k, bringing me firmly within what was advertised. If I hasn't have asked I wouldn't have got it, and if it wasn't for MN (and a few supportive colleagues) I wouldn't have asked. So thank you!

*if I hadn't asked

That's excellent news - well done!!

gratefully accepted.