low pay rise

[Timeforabiscuit]

This is probably going to sound massively unreasonable, but I would really appreciate a sounding board.

I currently work in the public sector, I perform well in excess in my role (recognised with honorarium payments which are rare as hens teeth!). The organisation has been under a pay freeze for a number of years, I have dodged these to a certain extent by leaving and returning to the organisation with pay bumps in between.

After a long battle with lots of support by my manager my job has been regraded, but as per the policy I've been boosted to the lowest rung on the next scale. This is around £1,000 increase now on a manager grading, but as I'm a part time worker this works out pro rata an extra £50 per month.

My issue is that my new conditions have a three month notice period, and I effectively loose my flexible working. But the job has perfect core hours and I have also been working on a masters course which the organisation allows paid time off for.

My problem is that it feels like the organisation has given me the bare minimum so I can't complain about lack of payrise/progression and it would be churlish to turn this down - so they have me over a barrel.

I feel so disheartened that my manager has put so much effort into getting this raise - but I can't think of a legitimate way to raise this as an issue.

Is there a grownup way to handle this? The pay in public sector will not be improving, is it a case of migrating to private sector?

I think "yes" is the answer to your question. Public sector pay is much more formalised than private sector so you are never going to get a huge pay increase. In the current climate, your boss appears to have tried their best to get a payrise for you but their hands are tied. Focus on the positives which include actually having a job, getting any pay rise at all, getting paid time off for study (a biggie!) and having ideal core hours. If progression and a larger payrise are particularly important to you, then you need to look to the public sector. But you then need to remember that private sector can have less security.

Why do you lose your flexible working? What has the grade your job is on got to do with your hours?

Thank you for replying!

unexpected yes I consider myself bloody lucky! But private sector DH feels I'm being taken for a mug and I should have pushed back at the offer (I've tried saying public sector is different but it doesn't wash!).

flowery my immediate manager is awesome - however the chain above is hierarchical and very much work to pressure rather than work to objextives. I'd be niave to think I'll be working more over the next twelve months without necessarily getting the time back.

Don't get that I'm afraid. If it's a case of regrading the job you are already doing, why do your hours need to change?

When you were pushing for a regrade did you and your manager not realise that the policy only allows for regrades to go on to the bottom rung?

I have sympathy, and I've no idea whether comparable roles in private sector organisations in your area pay more than you get. I'd caution against assuming private sector = bigger pay rises, but the equivalent role in a private sector may pay more, or may do in some private sector organisations.

Have you done any research into jobs elsewhere?

If I'm honest, I'm not sure what the change represents in real terms as I pretty much work to demand anyway! But I recognise my manager pulls business cases together over a weekend and generally everyone struggling with higher workloads while I've always been the most junior - since I'm now manager grade I thought expectations would change.

My job is luckily more commercial (commissioning and data analysis) - but its tough to get a true gauge of what the market will pay. I've also built a good reputation in public sector, so I'd hate to lose what I've built up career wise.

Gah!

Sorry flowery forgot to add that the policy of lowest rung is flexibly adopted - I suspect it was the wrong time for senior management so the policy got applied rather than discretion of my manager.

We did have the conversation to aim for mid scale, as bottom was insulting (managers words) - but obviously it didn't play out.

To put a positive on it... you will get annual increments, right? And the ceiling at which those will stop is now much higher than the ceiling at your old grade?

Hi spindella still on increment freeze here (has been five years now). But I do get a 1.3% rise for the first time this year - and you're right once the freeze is lifted I can start progressing.

I have quite a wide portfolio of stuff under my belt now, especially as they thinned a layer of management out above me and the work either got done or dumped. So I can't say the works not interesting!

If it helps, my pay was frozen for several years in the private sector.