Job - Pay Accuracy..

[Phate]

Hello all,

Going to have a chat with my boss tomorrow (he doesn't know it) because I've had this sneaky suspicion that I'm being underpaid for my role.

Looking at it, I am being underpaid by 4 - 7k.

Now, when I had my pay review at Christmas, I was told that the company looked at the current market rate for my role and based my salary around that.

I'm doing my own research and have found the above info.

My question is, how accurate is - http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/

I've never used this site before, so if anyone else who's used to doing this sort of research can help that'd be great.

Thanks

 

[Phate]

I have always found these salary surveys a bit scewed, averages need I say more

For example:

Job 1 SQL for ABC small shop co. £12 - 15K
Job 2 SQL for Joe Bloggs medium company inc 25k - 30k
Job 3 SQL for trading floor - 50k-100K


Another

Average cost of a house £353,096 in stoke 10p


You really need to drill down into these figures before you make any pay demands. Comparing the Job Like for Like and Location like for like.

Also research the local job market in your area, what are other people who do the same job as you in your area earn? Is there work avaliable?

Also dont forget to comare the overall package, pensions, bonuses etc.

Thanks for the advice, I'll do some more digging

 

[Phate]

Better to use something like reed website. And match like for like and in your area. Averages are a waste of time IMO.

Thanks mate will check it out.

 

[Phate]

Well I had a chat with my boss.

Explained to him I have found a few samples of higher paid jobs, similar to what I do and he asked me if A) They were in the insurance industry and if the answer is yes B) Can I bring them in for him to have a look at.

He showed me what my wage was based on, and according to the figure I was shown, I'm being paid about a grand over the suggested rate. So either the case is that - the jobs I found aren't in the Insurance industry (didn't check if they were) and therefore the figure isn't relevant to my wage OR the company has been told the incorrect market rate, if this is the case - then it'll be raised to what the actual market rate is.

He was perfectly cool about it I didn't give him any attitude and he was fully understanding of where I was coming from...

So now I have to do some more digging

Thanks for the advice and help guys - if anything major happens I'll let you know.

 

[Phate]

Werent you in IT? I dont think it matters what industry youre in if youre working in the IT department does it? Pay would be uniform throughout your department based on IT jobs, regardless if they were for an insurance firm.

I still work in IT - for an Insurance Company, have been there for a year and a bit now.

And not necessarily, if I was doing my job for the shop round the corner I wouldn't be on my current wage

Aren't you the person who didn't have qualifications and was massively over paid when you first got your job?

Depends on what you consider massively overpaid. I don't need an MCSE or whatever to do my job.

He's the guy who apparently got his IT director fired for not retaining him as a temp employee and then got given his job.

Here we go, I did not get the IT Director fired, the IT Director was being made redundant and fact that I got to stay on and took on SOME of his responsibility's was the icing on the cake!

But then in a later thread he listed amongst his responsibilities 'building machines'

Wrong, I said I had a lot of experience do this and in my previous job's I had to build machines.

Unless you are on like 10k Phate I cant see you being 4-7k underpaid.

Well I'm on more than that and according to that website in my OP I am 4-7k underpaid, but like I say, I have more research to do.

Aye, didn't he claim to take his managers job despite being 19 with little experience and no qualifications?

See above, I didn't take his job, a fair few of his responsibilities were given to me.

Experience is an important factor when working out your salary. At 19 you couldn't have very much experience so it would be reasonable to get paid below the average for your role.

Indeed, I was shown today that once I've been with the company for 2 years (so at the end of this year) according to their rate I should be on an roughly an extra 6.5k

My task now is to find out if the company's market rate they are using is correct If it is, that's cool with me! I just want to make sure I'm being paid the going rate for the work I do.

 

[Phate]

Sure, after the meeting he sent your P45 in the post...

There is no such thing as "standard pay". Employers will pay people what they can get away with. If an employee said to me: "This website says I should be paid x!" then I'd say: "Good for you, now get back to work or go and get another job"

That's why I didn't go in there with that attitude.

I simply said that after looking on XXX site I found this, and i just want to make sure I'm being paid accordingly due to being told my wage is based on the london rate for insurers employees.

 

[Phate]

Well done on the calm negotiations. However, if I was your boss I'd still tell you to put up or shut up!

With that kind of attitude I hope you don't manage that many people to be honest. It won't make you very popular with employees!

 

[Phate]

You should have got him really angry - then he could have been fired and you could take his job!

If only!

 

[Phate]

In my current job I don't manage anybody only processes. However, I did manage people in my previous job and I don't care if I wasn't popular. Managing people is about getting work done not winning popularity contests.

Agreed, managing people is about getting work done, but when the overall moral is crap because you tell your employees to like it or lump it the productivity could go down very quickly . I've seen it happen, do you not agree?

Plus as PeterNem says if productivity goes up then I look good in my bosses eyes!

Won't have much productivity if your staff leave because they hate you