Workplace dodgy practice for part-time salary increase. Is this legal?

[Startingagainandagain]

I am part-time (3 days) and make less than 30K a year.

My workplace published the salary increases for the year which are based on pay.

So for example people whose pay is less than 25K get 4%, people on less than 30K get 3.5% and people on more than 40K 3%.

So I was expecting a 4% increase but HR claims that I am only getting 3% based on the full time equivalent....

My argument is this should be based on my actual salary not what I would be getting if I was full time.

I was recruited as a part-time worker.

I am absolutely fuming about this.

Anyone knows where I would stand legally?

Ex HR here. FTE is standard. If you think you’re being short changed for what you do, negotiate a salary increase.

In the same vein, at my workplace you get enhanced overtime pay at x 1.5. Standard hours are 35 a week.

For any part-timers, the enhanced x1.5 rate only kicks in after working 35 hours a week - so someone who works 20 hours a week would have to do 15 hours of OT at normal rate first, then the x1.5 kicks in from hour 36+.

If it wasn't done this way, proportionally, part timers would be being compensated at a considerably higher rate than their FTE equivalents, for the same number of hours which would be very unfair.

’Am I wrong’ every single reply ‘yes you are’

OP - well I still think I’m right 😆

'@W0tnow
Ex HR here. FTE is standard. If you think you’re being short changed for what you do, negotiate a salary increase.'

Yes, this is what I am thinking about.

I am the only person heading a particular function (so there is no one full time doing a job similar to mine), I even do work which is not in my JD and I am the lowest paid in the directorate because I am the only part-time person (I am disabled) so basically I am fed up with it all.

Your salary (bonuses, holidays etc) will be worked out at FTE. If you earn 'less than' 30k per year on 3 days, your FTE is in excess of 40k so your rise will fall in that criteria.

You can't expect to have a bigger pay raise just because you work fewer days op. If you want to earn more then work more hours.

If you are doing work not in your JD write a full profile of what you are doing, and take that to HR asking to be compensated for the work you’re doing. Get your role reclassified to a higher grade.

that will be more productive than trying to justify you should get paid more because you work less.

Ok great. You already have an appointment to see HR right? Get your arguments together in a rational way. Forget the bonus, work out what you think someone in your role should get full time, go from there. Good luck.

Would you still be the lowest paid if you were full time?

Nobody should be on a higher pay scale because their hours are shorter than FT colleagues doing the same role. If you feel you should be paid more for completing duties outside your role then you should negotiate based on this, not because you work fewer hours.

If you think your salary isn't fair for what you do, OP, then by all means negotiate.

But I strongly suggest that you negotiate on the basis of the FTE salary not being reflective of the knowledge/skills/experience etc required for the role, without making any mention of the fact that your salary is lower because you work fewer hours. You will lose them if you seem to be implying that you should get more because the PT hours result in a reduction to your overall income.

You say you are the lowest paid because you are the only one that works part time.

That's quite usual, as a part timer you will earn a percentage of the full time salary based upon your hours.

If you were to up your hours to full time, how would your salary then compare to your peers? If it would still be the lowest, but you are not doing the lowest grade work, then you have a starting point for negotiating a grade rise and accompanying pay rise with HR.

You can't expect more pay because you do less hours, otherwise we'd all do less hours!

I agree it's 3%as you earn more.

I work one day a week and my fte would be £100k.

So 1 day salary is £20k pa

Now they did a cost of living boost for the lowest paid in the company. Of course I didn't get that as I am not on a low salary,nor would I expect it.

This sort of thing is always done based on FTE. Surely it can't be the first time you've come across this.

Are you the lowest FTE? In that case you may well have an argument for an uplift. As everyone else has said, focus on getting your FTE up if it is out of line with other colleagues at a similar level. Don't focus on the general increase as that has been applied correctly.

Are you the lowest paid on a FTE basis though or is it just because you do 3 days? Because those are quite different points though.

It's the hourly rate that's increasing, so your hourly rate should be the same as person working full time.
You cannot get paid a higher hourly rate for the job because you're part time.

If you feel your role is underpaid for what you do then that's a different matter and needs to be discussed separately

YABU your work are correct

The fact there is no-one full time doing the same job is irrelevant. Your HR is correct that your pay rise is based on your FTE salary, i.e. your actual salary times 5/3 (assuming that full-time staff do 5 days a week). If you think you are underpaid, that is the case you need to make using similar jobs at other employers to make the point, rather than arguing about this salary increase.

It's always based on FTE rate.

Yep always based on FTE here

I wouldn’t debate it round with HR, all you’ll be doing there is showing them you don’t understand. You don’t want your employers thinking you’re not that smart, not if you want to make any progress within the company.

Benefits are always going to be based on FTE. Anything else would be unfair.

If you think your (FTE) salary is wrong, challenge that instead, you'll likely have a much better chance of success.

'@WhenTheMoonShines
I wouldn’t debate it round with HR, all you’ll be doing there is showing them you don’t understand. You don’t want your employers thinking you’re not that smart, not if you want to make any progress within the company.'

What a lovely comment.

It's good advice.

Are you the lowest paid because your FTE is the lowest, or just because you work fewer hours?

If you think you’re being underpaid, then absolutely challenge it. But when you’re part time everything is based on FTE, that’s the only fair way to do it.

You have to use FTE, it's the only fair way to do it