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?

The OP has negotiated!

OP, definitely take the time to be frustrated, but once you've calmed down, think about what you want. Nothing you've described here is okay, not the secretiveness, no the undermining, cronyism, etc.

Do you want:

1. To just find a better job? (Possibly the best move for you.)
2. To let your management know how disappointed you are that you had to negotiate so much for your current salary, only to find that someone you line manage makes so much more? (Satisfying, but little benefit to your career.)
3. If you want to stay, make a case for your own raise, based on what you bring to the company. If they say no, then say, "Oh right, but if people I line manage are on X then my figure seems reasonable." Don't tell them how you know, just say that and then don't blink.

Huge sympathies. For a while I earned less than people I managed, because I hadn't yet achie

In my organisation they'll pay you crap until they think you're about to resign, at which point you become a flight risk and they're magically able to offer you more money. If you think you deserve to earn more then tell them. It's not her fault she's negotiated a better salary, you should do the same.

The best way to increase your salary is to move. Ask for a raise, if they say no then it's time to go.

What she earns is irrelevant, you should be negotiating to market rate. If they were to replace you what would they have to pay?

Hit post too soon!

Anyway, I earned less than my direct reports because I hadn't yet achieved a qualification which they had. Mgmt kind of 'promoted" me to mgr without really discussing it all and I had to negotiate hard for a raise. They kept going round and round saying, "Well those guys have X qualification so it makes sense for them to be paid more". And me saying, "I completely understand. I could step down and one of them could be manager then?" I finally got my raise but the whole thing soured my feelings for the place.

Honestly you should look into finding another role. IME there's not much to be done when your boss has a favourite/ mates in the office.

I had an awful boss who adored two staff members and was practically abusive to another. One of his favourites made an incredibly costly mistake (£250k worth) and it was swept under the carpet. You can't fight with croneyism, if it bothers you it's best to find something else where you are respected. It's also extremely satisfying after watching all the competent people be pushed out how quickly the croneys implode.

Raise it with your manager then it nothing happens put a grievance in with HR

If you have a management position then you should have the skills to start and continue this conversation with your boss.

You don't have to let them know HOW you know (i.e. you don't need to drop your colleague in it) but there is nothing wrong with asking for a raise.

What does she actually do day to day that you don't do? But you may need to prepared yourself for being told that you are not as good as manager as you think you are.

The person that showed you salary details for other employees should be getting disciplined and any manager should know, professionally, they need to report the data breach immediately.

Maybe your salary is pitched at the right level as you are not aware or do not follow through on your responsibilities. This is a huge data breach.

Don’t mention her, don’t mention anything about her salary.

We had a huge issue in my workplace a few years ago all due to the same thing. This was one woman who found out a colleague was on more than her but they did the same job. She asked lots of people how much they were earning and made a massive fuss to HR. To cut a long story short, it ended up with 6 people having warnings on their record. Basically your wages are private, you negotiate based on experience, if a company wants you they will match and better your last salary.

The best thing to do is ask for a meeting to discuss and negotiate a pay rise. Tell them that you will have to start looking elsewhere if they can’t help you.

And your first reaction is to start a thread on mumsnet?

I worked for years and years in a corporate environment. I was on a higher salary than people who worked as supervisors.

Nobody spoke about salaries and we were always told not to discuss our salaries with colleagues. Nobody did. You say that its ridiculous that you don't know the salaries your team are on but its isn't. Its confidential information that you absolutely do not need to know.

As newer people joined the organisation, they started on salaries that were half of what I earned and they jumped through hoops to prove themselves and to become people managers. They were often 'promoted' to roles where the org. could get more out of them while paying them a very small increase. They were happy with the increase but the rest of us were on twice their salaries.

You say your colleague has less experience but she could have joined the organisation with more experience than you did?

I would never discuss somebody else's salary with HR/mgt.

So how did you know you were in a higher salary than all your supervisors if no one ever spoke about salaries?

Nobody spoke about salaries and we were always told not to discuss our salaries with colleagues. Nobody did. You say that its ridiculous that you don't know the salaries your team are on but its isn't. Its confidential information that you absolutely do not need to know.

and yet you knew you were on a higher salary that’ll your supervisors? 😂

I agree I came to my role by upskilling via different depts, and during this period I have personally negotiated £12000 of pay rises since covid began. If they think you're worth it, you are paid in line with market rates or even more if you are highly valued.
This idea businesses are fair is not true, one must be brave and ask for what you as an individual want.

I had similar in a previous role after being told money was tight. I went back to management was given excuses and a small payrise to ensure it was aligned/slightly more then the junior staff I was responsible for.

I started looking for new jobs within 4 months had secured one for nearly double my salary. Management then offered me a 20% increase which I declined, they threw a hissy fit about started going on about repayments of training courses etc etc I pointed out it wasn't in a contract therefore nope!

The discrepancy started me looking but actually was the best decision I made turns out someone else was willing to pay more for my experience and I have much more flexible working now.

This was consultancy that I left.

So how did you know you were in a higher salary than all your supervisors if no one ever spoke about salaries?

We knew from the job specs that issued when new roles were advertised.

They may have been negotiated a bit but were certainly not doubled from the salaries advertised.

Or she’s better at negotiating than you.

Unless you work somewhere with defined salary scales it doesn’t make financial sense to put up everyone’s salary because one person has negotiated a rise. That’s exactly why companies don’t like employees discussing their salaries.

So you were all there longer than your supervisors?

and yet you knew you were on a higher salary that’ll your supervisors?

Salaries were advertised on the job specs.
I'm unsure what the smiley face is for? It isn't particularly funny?

So you were all there longer than your supervisors?

Yes and longer than some of the managers too.

Negotiating pay going into a company is way easier than when you’re already there. Which is bullshit. I left my company for 2 years, came back and was able to dictate my pay which was 12k more than when I left.

The same company was paying 2 junior staff I managed 4K more than me when I had more desirable skills. I wasn’t mad at them, I was mad at the company. I flagged it and was given a pay rise almost immediately. I said a colleague who had left told me as we were also not allowed to discuss pay. Which is also bullshit.

Not speaking about salaries is extremely old-fashioned and companies are not allowed to tell staff not to discuss salaries. If people choose not to discuss their salary that is a different matter. This is how companies get away with the gender pay gap, its important that companies are transparent about salaries, it shouldn't be a problem if they are pay8ing people fairly

Explains you being on higher salary then. An organisation that pays higher on account of being there longer than others aren’t generally the most successful

the “laughing” emoji was because you started your post stating you earn more than your supervisors and then went in to a very detailed explanation how in your company no one ever talks about salaries, ever

You said she she only on slightly less than you when you started managing her, so it doesn’t sound that surprising that a year later she’s on slightly more than you having had a modest pay rise.
seems like there is not as much differential between your roles as you think there is, and/or you are being significantly underpaid. Just say you have reason to believe you direct report, who doesn’t have management responsibilities like you, is being paid more than you and tell them what you think is fair and why.
also degree isn’t be all and end all where people have solid professional experience I wouldn’t expect that to make such a big difference in and of itself.

So your case isn’t that you’re paid less than the market. It’s just that “it’s not fair”?

You’re at work, not at school.