When I asked for a raise last summer, they said they didn’t have the funds.

Then I found out I’m the only one NOT getting paid holidays or vacation, AND that a part-time employee (4 days/month) actually got a Xmas bonus, I finally decided to go looking for another job.

Once I decided to go where all my hard work will be appreciated instead of being stepped on here, I disconnected. That means they could double my pay and I would tell them too late. (And that is never going to happen.)

I’m leaving the law firm because they wanted to save 6.00/day. In the meantime, the part-time job I took to make ends meet has resulted in praise, two increases, many thank-yous, and a lot more fun. When it turns into full time this summer, I will walk away from the law firm, thank them for the “job security,” and walk away knowing I was the best hire they’d ever had for that job.

that said, i think that the salary of any new worker should be set lower than everyone else doing the same thing until he proves what he’s worth. So maybe the person in training should earn like 3$ an hour less since he’s not as efficient BUT that amount should be put into his trainning. the new worker should be the one who gets a promise of a raise in a few months if he’s good enough.

on the other end, if a new employee is highly skilled and motivated, there’s no reason to keep him at the bottom of the salary ladder once he has proved it. in some businesses, the seniority takes a greater place than the ability to do the work correctly when deciding who gets promoted. it might be a problem associated with unions in some large industries where older workers keep the most wanted positions while the youngers ones work harder for no job security at all because permanent positions get gradually replaced by temporary ones. some of these temp jobs may pay better, but with no health plan, no pension fund, lousy vacation periods…

Since wages don’t seem to be negotiated by a union where Bea works, some unfair practices may go unpunished. During good economic times, new workers may earn too much to do too little, but they’ll be out of the door in no time when business gets harder.

Now the advice part! i think Bea should appologise for asking for a raise that way. it’s frustrating to bite the bullet when we know we’re right, but that’s often where the greater gains are. Bea could just say that even if the current salary was fine, the greedyness kicked in when learning the salary of the other person. since more income would be appreciated, offer to follow some trainning (as long as you really want to learn more, but if you don’t want maybe the job’s not that interesting) pertinent to the job to sharpen the skills most usefull for the next performance evaluation. Maybe you get that raise later, maybe not, you might at least follow a few college classes at the employer’s expense. you can then claim you’re overqualified for the job to justify searching for another one if you still want to. you can’t decide how much you earn, but you have perfect control over the pride and joy you feel for doing your work right. imho, if no money is needed, only the pride and joy matters.

Sometime ago, I was in a job position (same company I’m at now) where the payscales were drastically downgraded ($4 – $5 hour). Nobodies pay was reduced, but all future promotions were to the new scale.

I was offered a promotion to the new scale, and I accepted it, even though I was making substantially less then the person at the next desk.

To make a long story short, 10yrs later, my salary has almost tripled from those days, and I am highly respected in my job!!!

I can understand being upset, as I have gone through the situation myself – it sucks to know that someone with the same or fewer responsibilities than you is getting $2 more! (Of course, in my situation it was because she was bilingual and I was not, which is only fair.) But I would say that as long as you can continue where you are and cope with the fact that someone is paid more than you – and as long as what you’re paid is a reasonable amount for someone in your field and position – stay! Unless knowing the simple fact that someone gets more money than you for the “same job” makes you so miserable that you can’t possibly continue, or you’re already so unhappy you’d rather leave, just stay where you are.

And, as my mother always told me… never, ever leave a job willingly unless you’ve already got another lined up!

What is happening is relatively common in many companies, especially large ones. When I started working it was called “salary compression”. Basically what is happening is that the starting salaries go up faster than salaries for existing employees. The raises for existing employees come from a pool of money specifically allocated for raises. The size of this pool usually depends on how well the company is doing as well as internal policies, inflation (some have inflation adjustments, some don’t), how much other companies are paying for the same job, etc. Too many years in the same position or some years with small or no raises tend to depress one’s salary. Big companies rarely give big raises – a 7% raise is pretty good, over 10% is usually reserved for promotions, 3-4% is OK. In my company 0% is pretty common as well if you get a salary which is already above market average for your skills and average evaluation or if the business is not doing well.

When a company wants to hire someone – be it a person off the street or a recent graduate from a good university it has to offer enough money to attract good people. A good qualified candidate has a lot of bargaining power, much more so than the existing employee, unless the existing employee is prepared to leave. One can threaten to leave, but if one does it, one needs to be prepared for the manager to call her bluff.

So, if she really wants for her salary to always keep up with new hires she can change jobs in order to constantly take advantage of larger starting salaries. But if she chooses to work for the same company for many years (as I do) then she should forget what new people are getting and think about how she increase her salary: ask the manager about what is needed to get the next promotion: maybe her teaching the new hire can be qualified as “leading the project” and maybe displaying leadership qualities can get her the next promotion, or maybe take some classes to learn new skills.

Another thing to consider is that while the new person may not know the specifics of this particular job, she may have other qualities which would enable her to get on board fairly quickly and contribute more than an experienced person. For example, in my field (CS – software engineering), while new graduates may not know details of the specific project they have more up-to-date knowledge and fresh ideas whereas experienced people may know everything about the project they are working on but haven’t had time to follow advances in technology. I have 20 years of software R&D experience now, but while I’ve tried to keep my skills up-to-date, I’ve also seen young people come in and come up with great original ideas while still learning specifics of the project and the more experienced employees who had outdated skills.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW
CHAPTER 20

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the aeleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Does this suck? Absolutely. I’m not defending it. I’m just stating how it is. But before you say “That’s a bad culture, leave” just know that it’s pretty much like that in most companies, big or small. I’ve worked companies in size of 10 – 100,000 employees, and it’s generally the same story when it comes to stuff like this. So, don’t be so quick to tell her to quit, because it’s not a guarantee she’ll find something with a better situation.

Second, I wish that salary wasn’t a taboo. I think, in the long run, life would be so much smoother if compensation of everything was out in the open. I think a lot of backstabbing and scheming results from salaries being hidden.

If yes, she should consider staying. Work isn’t all about the money.

2) Do you have something else lined up to pay her more?

If yes, then she should move on.

Additionally we don’t have all the information about both employees. The new one may have more education or training. The old one may be a trouble maker or bad worker. We just don’t know all the facts, Trent’s assertions aside. I’m not going to judge the employer.

She should have sought the raise on merit and kept her cards to her chest. If they wouldn’t make her a fair offer it is time to look elsewhere. With that course she could have left on good terms, but now she will be perceived as someone who discussed salary with co-workers.

The bottom line is that value for services is subjective. If the only case you have for earning more is by asking what the guy in the next cube earns you will never earn better than average. Instead a person should strive to make a measurable difference and work with people who pay for that maturity.

Arguing for a large increase for the same work you have been doing will never work. Tell the boss you are looking for the opportunity to earn more, ask for a promotion, ask for more responsibility, ask for a special project, ask about education, and ask for the money that goes with it.

The boss may not have much say over how the increases are given and will need to go to his bosses for a large amount. Think in terms of what he can use to get this for you. Do you want him to go to bat for you armed with “She’s a capable worker threatening to leave,” or “She’s gotten a certification; she completed an assignment that was above her previous duties; she takes on additional responsibilities; she shows commitment to her career path here; she covers for her supervisor in his absense…”?

He wants to wait six months and look at this increase again. Ask him what you can do in those six months to help him get it for you.

That’s the employer’s side.

The employee’s side is that, again, “fair” has got nothing to do with it. Every morning a person should think before they get up “Am I getting the rewards I want for the efforts I’m producing?” If the answer is yes, then go to work and have a great day. If the answer is no, then do something about it.

Don’t ask for a raise just because it might be Fair. Ask for the raise because you’ve suddenly realised how much you’re worth – because you’ve been doing all this work – because you can demonstrate that you deliver much better results than you used to.

It’s not hardball.

It’s called self-esteem. It’s being assertive. It’s realising that the MOST important relationship in the boss-peon-family love-triangle is the peon-family… if your boss isn’t giving you what you deserve then get a new boss.

I recently replaced an employee who was making 48K/year. I thought that her wage was fair, but I couldn’t find anyone qualified to work for 40-48K.

In order to find a competent replacement, I had to pay 60K/year. ($6/hour more!) The new person is doing less and has less experience than the previous worker. However, she was the only minimally qualified replacement available on short notice – and she had to relocate 450 miles.

We all think that our salaries are a measure of our self worth. So we assume that our salaries should be 100% dictated by our own skills, knowledge, experience, education, and responsibilities.

However, our salaries are also determined by market conditions at the time we were hired.

As an aside, I think every employee’s salary should be freely available for publicly traded companies. This would not only keep the accountants honest with the boss’ true compensation, but also help the Bea know her true worth.

Salaries – the last taboo.

Do you wish to stay here or look for another job?

If you wish to stay, rebuild. Mend your relationship with your manager. Apologize for comparing wages. But then make an agreement for future salary adjustments based on specific and measurable goals. Get the agreement in writing.

If you wish to look for a new job, do not mention this situation to prospective employers. In fact, only say good things about your current job. Focus on why you want to work for that company. Stay positive. Expect the search to take 6 months.

No matter what you choose, listen to what is going around at your current job but don’t say anything. When you need an outlet, use friends and family outside of work.

Any time you discuss pay, at least in a confidential pay environment, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. You may be the one getting $2 an hour more right now, but sooner or later you will be in Bea’s position. Save yourself the heartache and don’t go there.

To state when any company pays you less than the position is worth they are “cheating you” is not realistic. Bea, and every other worker, determines their worth when they get hired or through compensation discussions with management. If you want more money, be prepared to speak logically and factually as to why you deserve a certain payrate. If you can’t or won’t, you certainly won’t get what you feel you are worth. Even if you can, you may not get it as it may not be possible.

In today’s society, very few people stay with one company for their entire career. As a result, compensation is changed dramatically when you change companies, normally not within the same company. Also, not all companies will be able to pay top dollar for employees and some companies make it a point not too. I feel you get what you pay for, and if you pay mediocre wages, you get mediocrity. But I don’t set company policy so I have to work within the bounds set by the organization I work for.

Ultimately, you decide what you are worth. If a company will pay that, good for you. If they won’t, the problem isn’t with the company, quit dreaming and wake up!