Furious about colleague's salary

[fightfirewithfiree]

I am this person's line manager and I just found out she earns more than me.

She does not have any special/ technical skills that I don't - her job role is what I used to do for 4 years before being promoted to management - and she's not even that good at it if I'm honest.

She has been in the organisation a year less than me.

I have been her manager for a year now. My boss is very hush-hush about salaries but I found out inadvertently her salary is £1000 per year more than mine (an administrator/ finance person showed me something she didn't realise I wasn't supposed to see).

I actually think it's ridiculous anyway that I'm her line manager and am not supposed to know her salary. Feel like leaving the organisation, feeling very devalued.

It's a really unpleasant thing to have to raise with my manager, I hate talking about money but if I'm managing someone surely I should earn more than them, I have far more resposibility for all kinds of things.

WWYD?

Have that conversation and if it doesn't go how you want it to. Then definitely start looking elsewhere.

Does she have more experience in the industry?
i think it’s just a case of she asked for more and they gave it! You could do it too?

Just raise the issue with your manager and ask for a raise.
She could have negotiated a higher salary when she joined. If you didn't do that, then more fool you. Dont undersell yourself!

Should also have mentioned I'm a bit worried about the person who showed me salary details getting in trouble if I raise it with my boss, or potentially about me getting in trouble for looking at it.

Leave her out of the discussion with your manager. Tell them you feel you are underpaid and would like to discuss a raise. Then say nothing. Then say you would like them to review salaries at all levels and get back to you. Then say nothing. Then raise it again after a few days. And then say nothing.

let them fill the gaps! Good luck.

This isn't the case because when I became manager a year ago, there was another instance when I saw her salary details and it was slightly less than mine.

So she has obviously gone to my boss/ gone over my head in this past year, and leapfrogged me, and I haven't been informed.

I'm so upset with my boss if this is the case. How could she promote someone I manage above me on the salary scale?

Then you have to be discreet when having the conversation. She either negotiated a better salary or was recruited later than you when the salary had increased.

As a manager you must be used to having difficult conversations. Go and have one with your boss!!

I think it’s clear they didn’t want you to know for this very reason.

she’s clearly negotiated better to get thr job . Have you negotiated on salary?

I would ask for a pay rise. Under no circumstances would I discuss another person's salary or let on that I knew someone else's salary. When was the last time you had a pay rise?

Yes I've negotiated a lot. When I was initially promoted, the first offer I got was very low and I had to negotiate my a* off to get what I currently get. That's another reason I'm so annoyed.
She's not more skilled than me, she doesn't even have a degree and I do. I think it's just favouritism as there's always been a bit of croneyism between her and my manager.

Raise it. Just say you’ve become aware. For all they know she told your herself,

Remember it’s not her fault though and the only way to get the situation rectified is for you to do something about it.

@fightfirewithfiree…so
shes not good at her job
she has no more skill than you
she has no degree…

yet she can negotiate 1k more and you can’t…come on!! What do you want from this? Go and negotiate!!

Perhaps she went to hand in her notice and was offered a ride to remain because it was easier for your employer than to recruit again.

It sucks, I once found out someone less qualified than me was being paid a lot more than me. I quit because they wouldn't match my salary.

This has happened to me twice working in public service. Currently I am an 8a in NHS on a 34 hour contract. I work way more hours than that as have a job I have to get done and cannot just go home at 5.30. My senior full time Band 7' s at top of their salary scale all get paid more than me. Next year, after 5 years in post, I will get an incremental rise that will change this but have had to work for 5 years to get to that place.
It is set in stone in NHS so nothing I can change but in other industries you can usually negotiate.

dont give an explication about how you know, just say you’ve become aware that your salary is less then a person you manage. You’re incredibly unhappy with this and feel devalued as her role requires a much lower level of responsibility and skill.

if asked how you know, explain you’re not prepared to say and request that they consider a more transparent and fair pay and grading system

And if you keep finding out her salary by accident then I’m going to assume that her salary has nothing to do with you so she did not “go over your head” to anyone. She is not obliged to discuss salary with you by the sounds of it!

I already have negotiated, and obviously yes I will negotiate more. But I am frankly p**ed off to work somewhere that I am so undervalued that my direct report is earning more than me, and I am considering handing in my notice.

So I am venting and also asking for anyone else's experience of a similar situation and what they did.

Are there other jobs in your industry whats the pay scale? Less or more than yours?

I second this advice!

Essentially my mom went to her boss and said I'm doing a management job why is my daughter working at m&s being paid more than me? They said your salary she is hourly paid.....so I may as well quit and work less hours for more pay at M&S then.....pay raise

I had similar happen yes. What I did is I took it to my seniors and then HR and negotiated pay. I’m my case though, I didn’t find out by accident, I found out because the employee told me their salary.

Why did this person show you? Are they a known shit stirrer?

Anyway I agree with @AppleKatie

"I've become aware that X is earning more than me and I cannot understand why. I think they have similar skill levels to me and their role has less responsibility. Can you help me understand the discrepency?"

then take it from there...

vdbfamily that's how it is in public sector jobs with salary scales.
I'm not NHS but I've earnt more than various line managers I've had over the years due to my length of service. Someone with a few years in the job promoted to a manger role doesn't automatically go to the top of the salary scale, leap frogging everyone they line manage. It's a point that's contested by those wanting to climb the management ladder, but everyone knows the score and it's a choice to apply for promotion. Ultimately, like you, they'll be better paid thank those they manage once they have worked there long enough.
Maybe the way to do it is get the years of experience first then apply for promotion. But many people wouldn't as by that time they'd have seen that the managers work more and aren't rewarded appropriately for the extra effort and responsibility.

OP go and negotiate with you employer. Focus on why you should be paid more, don't run your colleague down, that would be disrespectful and set a poor example as you are their line manager

Stop being so defeatist.

Your conversation with boss should be about YOUR SALARY and YOUR contribution, and what YOU are worth to the company. And why you deserve a raise, a promotion, or both.

There's absolutely no need to mention anybody else's salary or performance.