New job title, role & pay

[Whattodonow6322]

Hi I was wondering if someone can help me please? My team has been through a consultation period & I have been given a new role & job title. I am over qualified for my existing role & although I have had a pay rise I am not getting the top salary in my new position.

I have sent the head of HR an email asking how my salary has been deciding but so far I have not heard back. I have 4 years experience in the previous role, I am in my 40s & qualification wise I greatly exceed what is required. I do not understand why I am not getting the top amount.

A colleague who has been there a year more than me & is in her 50s is. I think this is unfair as we do the same role & I have more qualifications than she does. Can anyone help me understand why this is?

We pay on ability to do the job not qualifications - although everyone is degree educated. The least experienced member of our team has the highest level of qualifications and they are paid the least and add the least value.

That isn't just tartanblanketdog's employer. In my experience most employers are like that. They don't care about your qualifications. They care about your ability to do the job. When moving to a new job, your qualifications may get you the interview but, in general, that's all. If, when you've been doing the job a while, you believe your performance justifies the top salary, that is the time to query it and ask for a rise. Asking for a rise just because of your qualifications is unlikely to get you anywhere.

Thank you both for your replies. I will not query my salary based just on my qualifications then. I know they will not increase my salary to match my colleague’s in a years time. It just seems unfair that I will not be able to ever reach the top amount. However, my colleague has been put straight on that amount. I am just as capable as she is.

unfair that I will not be able to ever reach the top amount

I'm afraid that I do jot actually follow this, why do you think you will never be offered the maximum. If you are new to the job, it would be reasonable to expect pay rises in future. Is that not what is happening here?

How do you know your colleague's performance details? We judge someone's ability on a broad range of factors...I'd be really surprised if one of our colleagues had intimate details of their success rates across these. You don't seem very self aware - very quick to moan about things that aren't very relevant.

What are your key performance metrics and how do yours and hers compare? Surely if you can demonstrate you have higher sales / whatever metric is used in your profession then this would help?

Wow @tartanblanketdog not very self aware & quick to moan 😂 thanks for your helpful comments!

I work in the public sector so we don’t get pay rises every year. Although, I have PDRs they are a waste of time. There is no money so the chances of me getting an increase due to my performance is practically zero. I work hard & take pride in my work. I am always willing to go the extra mile and just feel undervalued. My role has evolved so I am still doing the same job with more responsibilities and duties. I am completely capable of doing the job and have a lot of experience that is relevant to my position.

This is why I want to know how my salary would have been decided. Thanks for all the helpful comments.

That's the way you come across - apologies if you are not like that. Maybe try getting a job in a different sector if you are not happy.

It would have been decided on performance against defined metrics, surely?

@Mountaingoatling that’s what I am trying to work out. Surely asking HR how they have worked out my salary isn’t a stupid question? I am just a bit surprised that I haven’t heard back from them.

@tartanblanketdog I would love to change my job but unfortunately due to my personal circumstances that isn’t an option at the moment. However, I do enjoy my job, like my team and I work hard. I just want to understand how they determine the actual figure which I don’t think is an unreasonable request.

In the nicest possible way, you can't possibly judge whether you are as capable as your colleague. Your qualifications are not that important, it's your ability to do the job that counts. And that will include things like your attitude, your self awareness and your approach to teamwork as well as the technical aspects of your job. It is fine to ask why your salary is on the level it's on, and what you would need to do to move up, but they probably won't discuss why your colleague is where she is.

Have you spoken to your manager about how they decided what to pay you. HR will have provided support and guidance but it is your manager, not HR (or should be) who is the decision maker.

Thank you for your comments we were told by senior management to go to HR to discuss our salaries not them.

It’s fine and good to query why you personally are at that level and ask for specific experience
you need to gain and evidence you need to show to rise to the top the pay grade. I would email HR to set up a meeting to discuss and I wouldn’t mention your other colleague or compare - just focus on your own achievements and evidence that you can perform the role.

Taking what you say at face value, the decision to put your colleague on a higher salary should be the outcome of an objective assessment of the performance and skills of everyone in the same pool.

It is not fair or reasonable to pay your colleague more simply because they are older or have more experience beyond two or three years - both might amount to age discrimination against you. Don’t get too excited, proving this is difficult! So I would not mention your colleague in your meeting with HR.

Do ask HR to explain the objective criteria used to determine salaries and then how you scored (in terms of ranking) in relation to others doing the same role.

Then ask why you were not put on the highest salary band, what you needed to demonstrate to go on the highest band, how you fell short, and what training skills gaps you need to address to advance to the highest band.

If you are unhappy with the answers you can submit a grievance but at that point. it’s probably better to look for another job.

Not unreasonable to ask how salary determinations were made, no.

You being in your forties and your colleague being in her fifties is not relevant. Qualifications may or may not have been a factor. But you’ll have to wait/push for an answer- we’d be just guessing.

Thank you @Dogoodfeelgood & @Cvxnnjj they are both really helpful answers. I will ask about the objective criteria. It does feel like my colleague was given the higher salary due to age & the extra year of experience. We do the same job every day so that is why I am questioning it. I would just like HR to show me how they have decided my salary & like u said show me where I need to improve if necessary to achieve the full amount.

Are you civil service?

No not civil service