Feel like I undersold myself

[Floofydawg]

I started a new job earlier this year after a period of unemployment following redundancy. At the time the job was advertised there was no salary range given. I was worried about going in too high so when they asked what I was looking for i went in 10% lower than my previous salary had been. I was offered the job after 3 interviews and they offered me the salary I asked for.

I'm now kicking myself as a colleague who does the same job has hinted at their salary and it's around 10% more than mine. Pay review is coming up early next year but I've been told that everyone just gets the same. There are no salary bands advertised so I don't know where I benchmark vs my peers.

I like the job but I can't shake the feeling that I'm being underpaid. How do I have that conversation with my boss? I'm probably only going to work another couple of years before retirement so I need to maximise my earnings while I can.

Also wanted to add - I passed probation with flying colours. Tried to have a conversation about salary at that point but was told that everyone gets pay review in March.

How long ago did you start?

Well there we go.

not long to wait

negotiate hard

I've been there 8 months. My worry about negotiating pay review is that the stance is everyone gets the same. How do I have the conversation that I want more?

I think your only way out is to get another job. Employers are notoriously tight with salary increases.

Part time? Full time?

and the other person?

how long have they been there?

I don’t understand

so you’re saying that they made an exception for the colleague on more than you?

The colleague joined about a year before me, on a different salary. There's a salary disparity which won't be addressed at pay review because everyone gets the same.

Sounds like you need to clarify whether it’s an individual pay review, or an across the board review and adjustment.

If it’s individual, then you can enquire on time frame for input etc.

However, it’s generally difficult to get in role pay rises with the same employer.

I think OP is saying that at pay review everyone gets the same. So they all get an extra 3% or whatever to recognise inflation if they've done well so it will be harder to negotiate.

OP I would be honest at review, you were really looking for at least x, but panicked due to being out of work. Now you've done research and proved your worth y would seem fair, could they look at it

I understand it to mean:
Colleague negotiated salary when she joined and got xxx
OP negotiated and got xx
OP is suggesting that annual salary review is company wide increases, not individual pay reviews, so 2% inncreases for everyone for example, which wouldnt fix the 10% gap between OP and her colleague.
However if you were told to wait until pay review, then maybe there is room for individual negotiations at that point OP? What exactly was said? But even then, based on how companies do their budget/pay reviews, I wouldnt wait until the blanket increases are announced, you'd want to be having that conversation at least a couple of months before.

You’re in a much better position now. You can start looking for a new job on a higher salary. You don’t just need to accept what you can get.
Go into negotiations and ask for a 10% pay rise siting how successful you’ve been in the post. You simply want to be matching your previous income.
If they refuse, start looking for a new job. You’ll have a good, current, reference and be able to say “no” to anything less than you actually want/ expect now.

@Thundertoast exactly correct.

I don't really want to look for another job, I'm 56. I either need to suck it up and get over it, or have a difficult conversation.

Part of me thinks I should just put up - I WFH full time so it has it's benefits. But then so does my colleague and I really hate being undervalued.

At 56 and if you like the job I’d suck it up
if your colleague was paid less you wouldn’t be asking for a pay cut

it is what it is

Yep I get that to some extent but sometimes you don't see the scope of the role until you do it and I definitely don't feel like I'm being paid enough for what I do, regardless of colleague.

There was a very similar job advertised with a specific salary range which was higher than mine. The comments made about that lead me to believe that they are in that salary range.

This is why I hate jobs who do not advertise pay and refuse to apply for them as do many others I know. The employer knows that people (and it's documented women especially) will lowball themselves. However, just like your situation, often end up finding out others are getting more.

And your salary isn’t even at the very bottom of this range?

@Stillpresent yes that's correct. Full transparency: my salary is 65k. Job ad pension range was 70-75k. So I'd need at least a 10% increase to bring me in line.

So the colleague was saying something on the lines of “new job salary around same as mine” and that made you realise they must be on more?

Yes