WWYD? Can they pay my mat cover more than me?

[NightandViolets]

Hoping for some advice please. Due to start mat leave for first baby over the Summer. Have been in my job for 5 years with no issues - I've worked my butt off for them! A few weeks ago the org started recruiting for my mat cover but they said they weren't getting great applicants (it's not a niche job but covers quite a wide remit of skills) and that they may have to pay more to find the right person. At that point I said in passing that I'd be a bit unhappy about someone coming in to get a lot more than me after I've been there 5 years, and they basically said they understood but 'needs must'.

A few weeks on they've not found anyone up to it after interviewing several candidates. They're going to ask an agency to try again but I've seen the job advertised at a good few grand more than I'm paid (and about 10 grand more than I got when I started). I had a look at my rights and understand that I can say I'm not happy but that they may feel valid in saying they have to offer more to recruit quicly/find someone good enough. OR I can ask for the pay to be matched when I come back but no guarantees they have to do that. The problem is is that I feel really frozen out of the recruitment process now and feel that they probably won't tell me about what salary they offer and/or may get arsey if I ask. I get on well with the people involved and don't want to rock the boat but I also don't want to get screwed over when things are about to get super expensive for me, or regret not saying somethin.

I understand how things work legally but I feel really upset about the ethics of it when I've worked so hard and was blocked from negotiating my salary when I got offered the job (I made the point that I'd had a recent pay rise in the role I had at the time and would now also have to pay more for travel, etc, but they were really firm about not going up the payscale, even a little). WWYD?

They are separate issues-

1. You chose to go to that company on that salary and any further salary negotiations are between you and your manager/company. Or worse- you’re in a global company process that gives you an annual crap pay rise.

2. Usually companies have to pay more to attract people, otherwise people won’t move jobs (unless like you they really hate their current job or moving areas or it’s a promotion) and if it’s a contract position, you may pay more due to it being a short term contract.

If it was me, I’d be really put out that I’d worked really hard and am being underpaid compared to the current market. So I’d ask for my salary to be benchmarked so I could at least be paid the going rate (and even then that’s not covering the fact you know what you’re doing and have proven yourself).

I’d also get your CV up to date and consider leaving after your return from mat leave.

But she doesn’t really know if she’s being paid less than market rate. She’s only comparing to what her mat cover on a short term contract is getting. Market rates vary by role, company and person, unless it’s public sector. If the op can get more then she should look to apply elsewhere.

I sympathise, but there really isn't anything that you can do. You know you have neither the right to know what your cover is paid; and whether you know what they are paid or not, you have no right to the same pay. And now isn't really the time to attempt renegotiating your pay.

I think that in your shoes, towards the latter end of my maternity leave, I might be keeping a weather eye on jobs I want; and if I don't get a pay rise when I return (and you would need to ask for that) I would be looking for the next best job that came along. Nothing says "give me a pay rise" like a resignation letter.

I'm amazed that you've been involved in interviews tbh. Where I work, they won't recruit until you've left for mat leave, as it saves money, and you would never have a staff member on the same grade as the vacant post on the interview panel. You'd get to d building tours etc. but not shortlisting or interviewing. You don't know that the manager is looking for in the maternity cover post - it might be something a bit different from your usual role because it's short term.

Perfectly normal to pay a short term contractor more

No one else does what I do, plus there’s been a lot of changes recently so they wanted me to be involved with the process and orovide a bit of continuity and expertise on what they need . Partly because of that too they really need someone to overlap with me a bit as no one else knows my job well enough to hand it over and I can’t really help once baby arrives!

I did a mat cover contract for 6 - 9 months as a temp. I wasn't part of the bonus scheme AND had the uncertainty of how long it would last.

They get paid more for taking a risk and learning how to do tasks very quickly.

I think it's normal to get involved in selecting your replacement. I've always done that when leaving a job.

As for the salary, it's normal as well to pay contractors more than employees. They have no security and no benefits

Well that’s normal but very different to whay you said, it’s very different to recruiting snd deciding salaries etc

either way op, they won’t tell you, nor should they tell you what your cover will earn, that employee has a right to confidentiality, as do you if they asked how much you earn, it is likely to be more than you yes,because you have the long term permanent contract, the employment rights etc

being cover is not ideal for most folks, you have no security and never feel permanent part of the team

you want more money, that’s understandable, but you need to negotiate that based on standard negotiation parameters, industry averages, what you’ve brought to the role, your plans to enhance going forward , where you go above the role , good performance etc, not just I want more as my cover gets more.

however only do so based on good performance, as there is always a risk with cover, which is the person comes in and does it signficantly better than you. Then you come rolling back and ask for an increase.

Years ago I joined an organisation on a 9 month FTC for mat cover. I was paid £80k, the person in the role was on £60k. The company wanted me to do her mat cover PLUS a whole host of other tasks as I was more qualified and had greater experience.

As it came towards the end of the contract, they created a new senior role for me, with a pay rise and the returning lady would now report in to me.

You may think the company simply want a like-for-like cover, but sometimes there are other factors too. That, and as PP said, they need to pay more to incentivise people to take short-term mat cover roles on.

This is almost exactly what happened in my role. Recruited at more money and then promoted.

Short term positions are a risk. You have to be fairly sure it will pay well and it's a foot in the door.

This happened to my friend. She raised it with her boss who pretended to know nothing about it so she went above his head to his boss and then her salary was increased by £7k to match her mat leave cover. I would most definitely raise it but that's coming from someone who is very assertive about pay in the workplace

It's quite common to pay more for a short term temporary contract.

You are comparing apples with pears. The person covering you will be on a short term contract with probably a week's notice. If you come back early, they will be out on their ear in a week. There is no security whatsoever. They probably won't have access to similar benefits or pension. They will also be expected to hit the ground running. Contractors are treated very differently to permanent staff in that regard. It's not an easy option and can be stressful hence the reason there are fewer candidates.

So yes, she should be paid more than you!!!

Contractors and freelancers don't have the same level of security a full-time employee does, and often don't receive the same benefits or bonuses; the quid pro quo is a higher rate of pay. That's not unusual at all.

But look on the upside @NightandViolets, it will put you in a strong position when you return to negotiate a pay increase, so it may actually benefit you in the long run that your firm has now seen how difficult you are to replace without offering more money!

Been there. And it hurts.

but speaking rationally, there is a premium to be paid for someone who can come in, do the job with minimal training, and then leave again after a few months. I think the job market has moved on a lot in the last year or so, salaries for some roles are inflated now and we would probably all be rewarded for looking elsewhere. Not much to do other than enjoy your time off and put this out of your mind. I didn’t come back to the same role after my mat leave so in the end it was me who was paid more!

I sympathise OP. I left my job to have a baby, but said I wasn't going back after mat leave. So they were recruiting a permanent position rather than a temporary one, and they still did this to me. When setting the salary they were going to offer on the job advert, they actually said 'we won't get anyone to do the job for £22k' (what they paid me) so wanted to advertise at a higher rate. No acknowledgement that they were underpaying me for years! Really hurts but I don't think there's anything you can do about it really.