Rejecting an honorarium payment

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I’ll try and keep this brief. In July last year I discovered that a role comparable to mine in scope (different function but within the same department/ same level) was 5 grades higher than mine. Colleague left role so job was advertised which is when I saw the grade. I spoke to my line manager and followed up by email requesting a pay review.

Several discussions have taken place between July and now with myself, my line manager and his senior leader. In these conversations I believe I have been reasonable and non-combative. Stating things like “I may be missing something, I would like you could justify why that role has been graded higher.” They have come back with nothing that justifies it. But they offered a one-off payment for an additional duty when I pushed back saying I would just be undertaking the responsibilities in my JD for now while talks were ongoing. I agreed to do that additional task when they offered the payment in Oct (duty completed but payment not yet received).

End November I was asked to meet with the SLT member where he told me about a new role that would be coming in Jan which would “tick all my boxes” in terms of grade and career progression. This has not materialised and now they have offered me an honorarium payment to be split over the next 12 months (which is minimal). When I received paperwork from HR it states that this is for future stepping up duties that they require rather than recognition of work already undertaken, ongoing duties beyond my job description and my concerns regarding pay equity which is what all conversations have been focused on.

I want to decline this payment to draw a boundary here. Would appreciate some thoughts on this.

Aside from the above I am currently awaiting surgery which they know about, and I have been clear that being in limbo health and work wise is not good for me.

Seriously, you've tried being reasonable - get your evidence in order and raise a tribunal claim! Out of interest, was the other role offered to you and if not, why not? Was it done by a man previously?

First thought of mine is that is was done by a man too.

Yes the colleague who left was a man, although the new person is a woman. It was not a role I could have done otherwise I would have applied.

My line manager has three managers below him, I am one and this role is another. We work across projects together and meet as a management team. For full transparency the 3rd manager is earning less than me as we have talked. It is a mess!

I did meet with my union rep yesterday and will be copying them into my decline email.

Public sector?

Yes

This is what I intend to send.

My original pay review request, submitted last July, was intended to address recognition of work already undertaken, ongoing duties beyond my job description and concerns regarding pay equity.

While I appreciate the intention behind the honorarium proposal, it is framed around future responsibilities and therefore does not resolve the matters raised in earlier discussions.

Given my current circumstances, I feel it is important that these issues are considered separately and addressed in a clear and transparent way, rather than through temporary arrangements.

I would also appreciate an update on the previously agreed one-off payment relating to X, which has not yet been received.

Taking all of this into account, I do not feel it would be appropriate to accept the honorarium in its current form and would therefore like to decline it.

"It was not a role I could have done, so I didn't apply:.

How much money is at stake? I'd venture £3kish a year. £150pcm net, £37.50pw.

If you think you are more able, then I would ventire get another job elsewhere.

7.5k

The role is a different function and skill set but in terms of responsibility and scope it is same level as mine. Think three cords needed to make the rope. Three functions one team. None would work without the others.

Sorry if I'm missing something - if it's not a role you could do, why would you expect the pay and grade to be the same? I suppose the public sector might be different, but where I work (large corporate) pay banding is very much dependent on the specific skillset for the role, not its scope.

You are right of course and when I addressed this I made it clear that I may be missing something and would like to understand their justifications. The fact that it was not shut down at that point clearly speaks volumes I think. And the conversations had has acknowledged there is merit in my questioning. The other role would not be able to fulfil mine either.

Have you formally requested a regrade of your role? Not a pay review, an actual regrade/grievance process?

Have you been able to obtain the grading document for the job you feel is comparable to compare with yours?

Absolutely reject the honorarium and follow the grievance process.

Not yet, this is where I need to go now.

Could it be that one role requires expertise in lions and the other tigers? So not interchangeable but clearly comparable?

Love this analogy! I would say I am crocodiles! Ha ha. But yes this is exactly that. Two experts both needed neither could do the other’s role but both dependent on the other. And actually I have more direct reports.

If you have a union rep you should send your messages to them first so they can advise.

Makes sense - I was thinking along the lines of, one person requires expertise in domestic cats and the other person requires expertise in Iberian Lynx; i.e. one is something 'easy' (domesticated) lots of people have expertise in, the other is something 'difficult' (wild) that only a few specialists have expertise in, but if it's a lions vs tigers scenario, then I see where OP is coming from.

Either their grading has been applied wrongly or youre not actually doing equivalent work to your peer, they should be able to explain the grading for both roles and the differences.

Problem with job grading is when a job is wrongly graded they need to either find the money to support the regrade, with back pay, or when they dont have budget they fudge it, which is what it sounds like here.

This is what I originally raised and I asked for clear justifications for the difference. They did not give these and kept saying they value me and my performance and they would update me once they had considered things. Then this new role was mooted which has never materialised. They have been the ones to keep me hanging while
knowing I have been awaiting consultant appointments etc…

I should note that I have had no time of sick even when I should have as I wanted to remain visible and performing so I was in the best place to react to any news from their end.

This honorarium payment has taken me by surprise and signals that they are only happy to temporarily keep me sweet. Maybe the role is still coming but delayed, maybe it is now not happening.

I guess I just need clarity and to draw a line so I can focus on my health instead of feeling like a mug.