Work related - Need Advice

[Loh4]

To say I’m upset is an understatement bit of background, being with the company for 4 years this July with maternity leave off in the middle of this and due to go on maternity leave again this July.

Since I started I have had two pay increases to align with CPI so barely anything both times, my pay package is including superannuation.

I had no pay increase the year I went on maternity leave as i didn’t have an annual reviews etc and on returning I had one about 7 months after my return and brought up about a pay rise as I’ve been performing really well etc etc.

Got an increase (one of the two I mentioned above) to align with CPI so next to nothing, didn’t make a big fuss.

However... since I’ve been back there is a position below me that has seen 3 people in the position as they quit or don’t perform and we are now in the process of looking for a 4th person for this role in the space of a year.

I happened to see salary related information for this position, it was by no means hidden I was out at reception doing a lunch cover and was checking what meetings where booked in the calendar/meeting rooms and one that I opened was the interview for the position below me it included position, name, CV, availability to start, salary being offered and what they were looking for as it was a range between two numbers however the kicker it was PLUS superannuation and the base amount is higher than my whole package which is INCLUDING super. (Side note - the nature of my work means nearly 80% of all meetings are interviews)

I was massively shocked and felt like saying if you want to pay me more to do a job below what I’m doing with less responsibility then go right ahead.

I don’t understand how this kind of thing can be allowed to happen it’s so unfair when I’ve got tenure and proven performance in the business.

I really don’t know how to approach it or whether to say anything at all, because I don’t want to shake the boat especially with my imminent maternity leave coming up...

Help 🤯

[Green Cheese]

Is the salary range listed in the actual advertisement for the position? I would try gathering evidence of your performance and take it to management with a clear outline of why you believe you are being paid less than you deserve. It’s tricky when you add in upcoming maternity leave in the sense that you may miss your annual review again and that any increase may not be valid until your return.

[Furmumma]

Oh wow, I can see why you’re upset. That is terrible!
I had a similar thing happen to me, had been with the company over three years and no pay rises at all and then saw an email I shouldn’t have seen about the salary offering for my position (as they were recruiting for the same role to grow the team) and it was approx $7k more than what I was on and I had years of experience! Because I shouldn’t have seen the email I was in a tough position as I couldn’t really say I’d seen it. So I asked for a meeting with my manager and asked for a pay increase and spelt out all the reasons why I deserved one (and a significant one, not just a CPI increase). It took a while but it worked and I received more than what I had asked for.

I think you have every right to bring this up with your manager as the information was in plain sight. I am certain that if the same thing happened to your manager they would be doing something about it and demanding an explanation!

I feel like businesses will do whatever they need to cut costs even at the expense of great employees. If only they realised it costs SO much more to lose those good employees than it would to pay them what they are worth in the first place.

[Loh4]

Is the salary range listed in the actual advertisement for the position? I would try gathering evidence of your performance and take it to management with a clear outline of why you believe you are being paid less than you deserve. It’s tricky when you add in upcoming maternity leave in the sense that you may miss your annual review again and that any increase may not be valid until your return.

The range is on there - however the bottom number is lower than what I know they have listed on the meeting and it doesn’t stipulate whether it is including or plus super on the advertisement so they could very well say no we are going with the lower amount including super so no they aren’t going to get more than you... which makes it even tougher!

I have taken a screenshot of the advert and the information that’s accessible to anyone in the meeting room too.

I did this back in July when I had my annual review and they said the best they could do was CPI increase after have no other increase for 2 years due to my maternity leave.

[Loh4]

Oh wow, I can see why you’re upset. That is terrible!
I had a similar thing happen to me, had been with the company over three years and no pay rises at all and then saw an email I shouldn’t have seen about the salary offering for my position (as they were recruiting for the same role to grow the team) and it was approx $7k more than what I was on and I had years of experience! Because I shouldn’t have seen the email I was in a tough position as I couldn’t really say I’d seen it. So I asked for a meeting with my manager and asked for a pay increase and spelt out all the reasons why I deserved one (and a significant one, not just a CPI increase). It took a while but it worked and I received more than what I had asked for.

I think you have every right to bring this up with your manager as the information was in plain sight. I am certain that if the same thing happened to your manager they would be doing something about it and demanding an explanation!

I feel like businesses will do whatever they need to cut costs even at the expense of great employees. If only they realised it costs SO much more to lose those good employees than it would to pay them what they are worth in the first place.

I am worried it will just completely backfire on me, which is why I’ve just been going back and forth in my head about what to do!

If I didn’t have upcoming maternity leave I would have been leaving to another better paying position closer to home but ultimately decided against starting only to leave soon after and not get any maternity from work like I’m going too

Feel so trapped

[Stretched]

A friend of mine got a pay rise, only when the experienced staff in her team (including her) found out the new recruits starting salaries were more than what they were on. Honestly, it was just another example of how $hitty and underhanded the company was. The issue wasn't the money, it was just another way that they showed they had little regard for their employees.

Do you feel this is part of larger, systemic issues? It doesn't sound like you're happy there and the high turnover of the role they're interviewing for suggests a problem.

If the information was openly on display, I would bring it up. If it was in a closed manilla folder on a desk, which you opened looking for something else, I wouldn't (because in this case it would be expected you would stop reading as soon as you realised it wasn't what you were after).

Either way, I'd be planning my exit strategy. Failing a raise, is there some other way you could extract some value before mat leave, such as them paying for you to do a course in a specific program or skill (which would increase your employment prospects too)?

[Mod-LIKE A BOSS]

If it was openly displayed and the role is comparable to yours I would bring it up as a discussion about parity. Are you on an award? What does it say? Ours says staff are to travel up pay points each year within their band. Unless there are performance issues.

[Mod-Degrassi]

I think I would have to bring it up. Just ask them if they can clarify if the position will be paying more than what you are currently on.

I'm guessing maybe they are trying to attract a better quality candidate by offering more money (?) This isn't fair to you though.

Once you know where you stand with them, you'll be in a better position to decide what you want moving forward.