benchmarking salary

[HerHonesty]

I've thought for some time that i was underpaid compared to other external roles and to internal roles and I've got an advert for the same role in another part of the company where the entry salary is higher than my current salary, not a massive amount, 2k, but enough to make a difference

three questions then -
is this enough evidence to ask for my salary to be benchmarked (ie raised!),
do i have a legal right to request that this issue be addressed through a bench marking salary process?
can they lower my salary through a benchmarking process.

apologies, hoping there is an HR handy mumsnetter around to help!

You can ask for your salary to be reviewed whenever you want, but it's not a legal thing. The only time there is any kind of legally required process for benchmarking salaries would be if you were making an equal pay claim or similar, because male colleagues were being paid more than you for the same/similar job.

That isn't the case here, there's no reason to feel you are being discriminated against in any way because there's no one in the job yet. So it's just a question of you using whatever internal procedures you have to request a review of your own salary. Your employer may have a policy explaining how salaries are decided/reviewed, especially if there are bands or grades or anything. Obviously that will help, but if there's nothing, it's just a case of requesting a meeting with your manager and presenting all the evidence you can find that justify an increase for you.

As Flowery said, I'm afraid that there are no rules on fairness of pay, other than:

• statutory minimum wage; and
• discrimination rules ensuring you are not paid less than others at the same employer because of race, sex, etc.

There are no rules at all on benchmarking. Indeed, that tends to be a public sector process and is not that often used in private companies unless they are doing a company-wide review and re-grading.

Sorry. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

If you approach your employer about this, I suggest you put forward a considered, written business case and take it in with you when you approach your manager. Make an appointment so that you get their full attention and you're not interrupted by phone calls etc. Whatever you do, don't just whinge. Salary rise requests are not popular at the best of times; I don't know what you're employer's business is, but we're still in a recession. However, most decent managers should be prepared to listen to your case.

Ideas to consider approaching them with:

• Do you have a full job description which is up-to-date? If not you can request that this be reviewed. When was your last pay increase? Was it linked to performance? Are there any particular achievements you may wish to remind them about?

• Do your research e.g. local rates of pay for similar posts; include other firm's adverts...or has your own employer recruited anyone recently? They may wonder if you'll leave, this is always an option but don't threaten to do so if you don't get your way. Most employers take a dim view of being held to ransom.

• On the other hand, were you to leave, it doesn't hurt to get them to consider the costs of attracting, recruiting and training someone to replace you at a, possibly higher, salary; offering you a moderate increase may outweigh this possibility.

• Finally, do you know of a male employee (in the same or similar post to yourself) whom you can use a comparator? If so, this is important. As Flowery and Ribena have mentioned, you may be able to bring a discrimination case...there's still a lot of it about!

Good luck
Wizzie