Ladies, make sure you're paid your worth

[firebrand123]

This is just a post to encourage everyone to speak up when you feel you're underpaid or not in a role that reflects how senior you really are. The research all shows that women are a lot less likely to ask for or get a pay rise compared to men, and I'm a prime example.

I've just handed in my notice on a role I've been in for just over 2 years. The whole time I've been there it's been really obvious that I was hired on too low a pay grade as I've frequently worked alongside heads of department (I was two pay grades below a HoD). Now that I'm leaving, they're going to be changing my role to increase it by one pay grade when they recruit my replacement. I'm livid.

It's been hammered home to me since I've been there how there's no money. Requests for additional resource - with a clear business case - were consistently ignored. So I didn't bother pushing for an increase in seniority, I just left. Now they're essentially admitting I've been devalued.

So please - don't be like me. Speak up and keep speaking up. It may not get you anywhere, but please try. You're worth it.

Absolutely. I left a previous job because they refused to regrade my role and pay me an extra 2k pa. They had to hire 3 different people to replace me and I only worked 4 days! I was furious but thankfully have now found an organisation where I'm valued and properly paid.

Absoflippinlutely.

Regularly advising partners and managing partners in my firm, and having to put a case together to be recognised as a Director.

Have a place at the table and am leading discussions / winning business that they don't have the skills to do.

Giving it one more year ( so will be two years) and if nothing - will take my skills

A male colleague was given a big pay rise. He had no higher level qualifications and was bone idle.
I said I was aggrieved as my pay should be equal.
They dragged their feet.
I was running out of time as retiring and the ET clock was ticking.
I put in an official grievance and told them I would not hesitate to go to employment tribunal over this.
Long story short ... they matched my pay to his the day before my retirement - which will affect my final salary pension for the rest of my life.

Oh and as an extra kicker, my boss wants me to update my own job description so they can recruit for my replacement who'll be paid more than me. Classy.

I had this in an old job. I got a job offer to leave, they finally offered to raise my salary and give me the title I deserved. They ended up not raising the salary as much as they agreed. They were completely shocked when 5 months later I left for a similar role but with a 35% pay rise. They offered to match it, I declined. They would have made me be grateful for that pay rise forever more, instead my new company gave me a promotion after 11 months and another decent pay rise.

I loved my last job but wasn't paid what I was worth. I spoke up regularly both verbally and in writing and it was beginning to get to the stage where resentment was clouding my enjoyment.

I left to concentrate on self employment. They had to pay more to recruit someone with less experience and fewer qualifications to replace me. The final straw was when my manager said she would put my case forward at a management regrade meeting then I subsequently discovered that she didn't do so.

At my last company I was made redundant while pregnant and as the jobs were only available at the next grade higher I didn’t get them despite them doing the same role I was. Less than a year after I left, when I was comfortably in new job (with a much higher salary), my old manager offered me that job and basically said he’d pay me whatever I wanted because they couldn’t hire anyone who knew what to do. He also signed a waiver to say my redundancy pay out wouldn’t be impacted.

So within a year I’d got paid a redundancy of £100k and got rehired on DOUBLE my salary because they didn’t want to pay me a £10-20k increase when I initially applied for the job.

I stayed for 2 years then moved to my current job that paid me at the upper end of the salary band immediately because they don’t believe in arsing around.

I have a horrible feeling this will happen to me! I’m paid very low considering all the responsibilities I have. I work with directors and managers. They refused my pay increase last week (only a £3k increase. Meanwhile the gender pay gap is huge!) all women seem to be “administrators” and all men in similar roles are “coordinators”

Meanwhile, my CEO wins leadership of the year awards 😂

I am literally so tempted to message the awards people and tell them what’s going on! But I better not.

HR are pissed because I set my LinkedIn to “open to work”

Nobody gives a shit about me. I’m utterly invisible but I love my role and love my projects. It’s very difficult to find a role similar to this in the South West and remote opportunities are quite rare so can’t apply for those either.

I earn less than £25k and I manage £8million projects that are high risk! Nice 🫠 I earn less than a brand new male graduate.

I ranted on another thread as well! Horrible situation and I know if I left they would recruit my replacement at £30k + but industry average is £45k

I also left a review on glassdoor which was removed 🤔

I've dropped salary significantly but am a bit stuck in a low paid job now despite good qualifications etc.

Thing is. If I resign I won't have another job. Not always that easy!

Left my last company after they didn’t pay me what I was worth. Overworked and massively underpaid. Always thought loyalty would be rewarded. Nope.

Initially was offered a job with a 4k pay rise - that time my company offered to match and I accepted.

Six months later I was offered another job with an additional 8k pay rise and 12k worth of benefits.

Company suddenly offers to match again. This time I said no as I knew they were only doing it because they had to and would have never paid me what I was worth if I hadn’t been offered another role.

Apparently the poor bastard they got in to replace me only lasted a year.

I work in HR and have seen this happen. Someone is wanting to progress / have their role re evaluated but nothing happens as they are being taken for granted. Then the leave and management realise that to replace them externally will be tricky at that salary as they've been doing all these ectra things so let's increase it to attract someone with those skills. It sucks. Glad you are moving on.

I'm wary of this being depicted as a male/ female thing. Men is a very broad category of humans. Yes, you will get some who push hard for salary/ rise etc but many who won't

I currently enjoy the role I have but my female manager thinks it's okay to give me all the work snd let the men do less so I'm now quiet quitting and not working as fast as I used to so she has no choice but to give them work.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=UVk6Ol2voXFTZaoO&v=YAOQN93iW6s&feature=youtu.be

sums it up!

@Oink38 thats so accurate!

Please do not lift a finger to help them out. I have all the time in the world for good employers but bad ones should be treated with suitable apathy once you have handed in your notice.

So sad to hear this is still happening.

It must be about 25 years ago now when I was asked to be involved in the recruitment of someone doing the same job as me. At the interview the salary he was offered was £10k more than I was on. I still beat myself up mentally for not saying something at the time, but the more senior people even more for a) allowing the massive pay discrepancy and b) putting me in that situation where I learned about it.

This is very inspiring!

I left a job where I wasn't getting pay rises or promotions a few years ago. The HoD held a private meeting to tell me how great I am, but still they gave me a bad performance review at the end (which I successfully challenged).

I was so underpaid in that job that I accepted a new role that I am overqualified for but which pays a lot more. Now getting itchy feet as they don't seem inclined to promote me and pay me what I am worth (in the context of the organisation!)

Sorry but that’s the biggest piss take.
say you’ll do it then give them a JD that’s completely unrelated on your last day (sorry, I’m petty like that!)

I would definitely be looking for a new role - 40 hours a week minimum wage is 24k now. If they don't value you now they never will.

Abso-bloody-lutely.

I was head of dept managing multiple teams and two grades lower than other heads. There were men in non head of dept roles being paid the same as me without the same level of responsibility.

Left after they wouldn’t regrade and within a year of bringing in a less experienced man the job was restructured and he got a pay rise.

On the face of it they were all supportive male colleagues but behind my back they were laughing at me for thinking I could go elsewhere and get paid more and progress.

None of it ever comes home to roost for them sadly. When I was in it, I just accepted it and nodded along, it makes me so angry at how many other women are being gaslit into accepting less money.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. We're not all the same but I do think that as women we are often taught to just accept things, don't make a fuss. How much we are paid and whether we're given the seniority we deserve impact so much of our lives that this is one place where we definitely shouldn't stay quiet.

I've been off sick for a couple of days and when I messaged my boss last he said the main thing is to get the job description sorted. When I'm back in I'll be finding some suitably professional but firm words to explain why that should sit with HR, not me.

Can't wait to leave. I hope my new employer will be better!

@Ineffable23 I am on the hunt. It’ll be slow progress as our job market has plummeted recently. Now the election is over I’m hoping it’ll spark up again.

In the meantime I have handed back all work over my pay grade back to my manager. I don’t get paid enough for the stress, worry and knowledge.

I now feel like HR would have me in for “a chat” at any moment. It’s a bit scary having boundaries at work

Thats awful. Your boss lacks self awareness and critical thinking skills @firebrand123

Your new place will be better. 🤗

How is it 2024 and we’re still being treated like this?

It is scary and I'm still not great at it, but I moved jobs to somewhere less boundary pushing which helps.

I hope the market picks up for you and you find something else soon. It's definitely not worth the stress.