asking for equal payi have been working at a medium-sized company for less then a year. recently someone announced they are leaving (they are moving, but i also feel they are frustrated with the company). the person and i both have the same job and the same experience, but he has a higher title and salary. i work long hours and feel i have gone above and beyond, but they have not offered me a promotion and are hiring a new person to do what is essentially the same job, at a better salary. i feel I am being used as 'cheap labor' and feel I have a right to request equal salary, since i will also be training the newbie. but if I have only been there less then a year, can I do this? Thanks dave Sure you "can" do it but it may not be smart. What other people get paid is frankly, none of your business. It would be smarter to put your head down, do your job and then at your 1 year review, bring up what you've done that is above and beyond and see where things go. If you don't like the outcome then, you can (quietly) see if someone else will pay you more for your skills and experience. If not, hush up and stay put.
Tess Hi Dave, I essentially agree with Tess, although I might not be quite so blunt about it, but maybe I would. Somehow we have to get away from the notion of "equal pay" for people who may not be performing as equally as others, who don't have as much experience as others, who aren't in as much demand as others, and who haven't even been on the job a year yet! There may be all sorts of reasons why, assuming you're correct, a new person is being hired for a different salary than you were. You don't have a "right" to request an equal salary, but you do have the opportunity to perform YOUR job to the best of your ability, keep track of your record of performance, and base a salary increase request or a request for a promotion on how much YOU'VE contributed to the goals of the organization. People receive promotions and salary increases, generally speaking, on the basis of their own job performance, not on what people in similar jobs supposedly are being paid. Besides, even if you're correct in your assumptions about what this other person is being paid, it's still none of your business - no disrespect intended. Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert | |
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