Same Job & Different pay level between staff???
Same Job & Different pay level between staff???
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R12HCO

Original Poster:

826 posts

188 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Good afternoon Pistonheads,

A friend worked on the 'shop floor' for around 4 years at his current company, and then got put into the office as a Project engineer style role around 14 months ago. This was after he completed his HNC in his line of work, which no other employee did. There has been no pay increase in the move, yet more responsibility has been put on my friends head. If he doesn't do his bit right, the shop floor cannot make the product. He was talking to another person in his office about wages. This person has worked at the company for around 15 years, again on the shop floor and and then came into the office in January this year. He does the same role as my friend. He did no extra qualifications or anything of the like. He was just offered the posistion.

My friend has found out today that this person earns £9000 a year more, compairing basic wages. This is a massive different since my friends basic is circa £19,000 PA. This person is on salary (and has been since day one), where as my friend is still has to clock in, and is on an hourly rate which hasnt changed. My friend does have the option of overtime when the work is there, but at current he isnt 'that' busy so he isnt doing much at all. Last year he made approximatley £4000 extra, but he did do alot of overtime as the work was there. Obviously benifits are not as good; if he is off ill he doesnt get paid, unlike the person on salary and my friend only gets basic wage when on holidays even if he had been doing a consistant amount of overtime in the months leading up to the holidays.

Granted my friend is young, early twenties and the other person is late forties so has a large experience of the industry in general, but that doesnt mean he would be any good in a office role. The company had know way of knowing this beforehand, nor did they my friend. My friend and this person often check each others work before giving it the final go-ahead, so there must be some mutal respect of compitence between them.

So pistonheads my question is, What shall my friend do? He feels like he is in a rut and his company are happy to let him do this for ever and consistanley get fobbed off in terms of money. My friend has mentioned it twice, and both times the goal post has moved as to when the 'next review' will be. My friend doesnt want to leave the company as its around 20 minutes from his home, and my friend can still make it to work in the case of a breakdown due to other local people working at the same place. He also likes alot of the people he works with.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What did they do? Any help appreciated

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
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He has a choice - he can always leave. And if he's a good employee, that's probably the best thing to do. They know they're taking the piss with his salary, and if they want to keep him they'll up it if he finds another job.

bulldog5046

1,495 posts

207 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
common practice i'm afraid. I went through the same BS when i was younger.

I took the experience for a few years and left to add that extra £10k onto my salary.

vescaegg

30,122 posts

196 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Completely normal to have similar jobs and different pay.

Nothing good EVER comes from finding out how much you're peers are on.

a311

6,393 posts

206 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
What was that show that was on recently about a plumbing firm where they all had to reveal their salaries? Their was a huge difference between some doing the same job and it turned out a cock up was made when one new guy started in the call centre ended up getting a few grand more than anyone else. Don't agree with it but it happens.

My employer has a fairly rigid band system so you know if someone is band 'X' they are either at entry, middle or top of that. The goal posts have moved over the years and it seems allot harder to progress these days up the scale. There are also allot of people from 'the bad old days' of being in the public sector that are so high up the pay scale without qualifications that would be a bare min requirement for several grades down for anyone starting today. Which can be annoying when they do the same job or less than allot of others.

What I've learnt is that qualifications don't necessairly get you more money......

IATM

3,948 posts

176 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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same problem in my work too - i am in a team of 6 - more educated than all of them - more sense than all of them and get the highest ratings in terms of peer reviews etc - how is this reflected in terms of pay - its not.

I get on really well with my team - i am on 20k the next lowest person is on 24k - with most of them being at 28-30k.

made the mistake of taking a low paid but good job before this one and was very honest on what i earned and they basically added 20% on to this and gave me an offer - spoke to a few close people at work and they told me i was a fool and should have lied like they all did and thats how they are all sitting on 30k. I asked how this worked when they ask for the p60 - they said it doesnt matter they have already offered you the job and you have started working :S beats me.

rule is if you want to jump up in terms of money - become really st hot at your role and say you want a pay rise and with this be prepared to leave if need be - otherwise its a case of skipping from one company to the next and jumping up 2-4k at a time until your happy what your own.

I know its madness !!!

CypherP

4,450 posts

221 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
quotequote all
vescaegg said:
Completely normal to have similar jobs and different pay.

Nothing good EVER comes from finding out how much you're peers are on.
Can't stress that enough. Too many people these days think that they are 'owed' the same as their other colleagues, regardless of the amount of experience/qualifications/loyalty they have with an employer. Fact of the matter is, your friend is working his way up, and the person he is comparing to has been in the business for a number of years and the experience therefore grants them a higher salary, amongst other factors.

If your friend isn't happy with the conditions or pay and thinks he is worth more, then he should know what to do.

CypherP

4,450 posts

221 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
quotequote all
Oh, and if you want to make your friend feel a little better, £9k a year more than him with 15 years experience with the employer isn't all that impressive.

speedy_thrills

7,905 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
quotequote all
If he doesn’t feel that he can negotiate effectively with his employer about wages then his only options would be to seek an alternative employer or join a union with experience in negotiation.

As mentioned above age is a differentiating factor even performing the same job, you could argue that it’s irrational but few would argue that analysis of compensation is likely to be a fruitful endeavour.

R12HCO

Original Poster:

826 posts

188 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
quotequote all
CypherP said:
Oh, and if you want to make your friend feel a little better, £9k a year more than him with 15 years experience with the employer isn't all that impressive.
No but that is to be expected as previously, he was doing a very different job role.