Equal pay claim?

[FossilNF]

Hello,

On our corporate structure, I'm the only woman out of eight on the exec team. I've recently found out that of the eight on the team, I'm the lowest paid - and it's approx half of the others. Also, when I go a level below on the org chart, the men below are better paid than me too. I raised this with HR and got a really scathing response about being "entitled". He also said that as we did such different functions (eg marketing, finance, sales, legal etc), it could never be argued that the work is equal value even if we are the same level in the org chart.

The response was so indignant that I really think I might have been naive raising this in the first place, and the more I google on the law, the more difficult it seems to work out! Please can someone help me decide where I go from here?! It's become so uncomfortable in meetings and I'm thinking I just try and get a new job....

[leghairdontcare]

It's probably just a coincidence that all the men are paid twice as much as you. Be grateful you have a job and don't worry your pretty little head

[FossilNF]

I'm not badly paid compared to market, but I would say that the others in my team are paid incredibly well!

Thanks for the input - you've given me lots to think about!

[Gizlotsmum]

Can you find what other companies are offering for a role equivalent to yours? The way to approach it is to set out why you should be paid more (not just because your colleagues are). What a fair market rate for your role is and why you deserve it.

[zsazsajuju]

Just because you do different work doesn’t mean it can’t be considered of equal value. Seek specialist legal advice if you want to pursue it

[KatherineJaneway]

Different jobs may have different pay ranges even if they are on the same level.

[FossilNF]

Thanks - I have a very technical role but very few reports so I guess if that is the way it is judged, I was wrong to raise it...

[LaurieFairyCake]

Do you have direct reports? If no one reports to you then it's obviously not the same job responsibility

Do the others have many more reporting to them?

If you were an office manager and everyone that reported to you was an admin assistant/secretary it's not the same as Head of Sales and lots of Salespeople reporting to them is it?

[LaurieFairyCake]

I've no idea in your specific case - I only know that there can be wildly varying levels even if in the hierarchy it looks like you're on the same level

So in my school there's 2 Deputy Heads, one bursar, one Head of IT - all the same level in the structure but £82, £88, £56, £62 respectively.

[FossilNF]

They don't report to me, just a lower level in the management structure - I guess that means we can be paid differently?

[LaurieFairyCake]

Are you saying the men who report to you are being paid more than you?

Or does no one report to you and they're just below others on the .Org chart?

I have a colleague in a school who is the same level as the Deputy Head but is paid much less as the function is different (IT)