Finding out that you're the lowest paid person on your team even though
you do the same (or more!) work than your colleagues is a pretty
discouraging discovery. If you do find out, you should definitely bring
it up to your manager or if you think they're sympathetic and can do
something about it. How you do it, however, is what makes
the difference between better pay or a dismissal letter.
If you've found out that you're underpaid, it's likely either because someone
else you work with told you, or because you did the research yourself
and found that the average salary for your role at your company—or in
the industry as a whole—is higher than what you're making. Now it's time
to do a little homework.
Are You Really Underpaid?
The first
thing you shouldn't do with this information is assume that because
you're making less than your colleagues that you're underpaid. You'll
need more evidence than that if you go to your manager, so before you
get too angry do a little digging.
Head over to different companies websites and see if there are any open
positions for the job you currently have. Usually a job description is
included, and you'll be able to see how similar another company's
"Human Resource Officer," for example, is to the same title where you work.
It's possible they're very different, and have different required skills
and responsibilities. Do the same search with your current position—if
you did find out something you weren't intended to learn from a
coworker, let them know you don't want to talk money, but you do want to
talk about your day-to-day. Bounce your daily responsibilities back and
forth, and see if there are discrepancies that might account for the
salary—your colleague may be working on special projects,
or have skills you don't. To be fair, the opposite may be true—you may
discover they do less than you do, and get paid more. All of this is
good evidence to help your case when you approach your manager.
Diplomacy Rules
Arrange a meeting with your manager. Let him know that you've taken the
time to investigate how your position differs from others in your
industry. Let him know that you understand how your work differs from
your colleagues, and highlight some of the
ways you're indispensable to your coworkers, either because you have
special skills that no one else has or because everyone comes to you for
help or guidance. Point out some of the high-profile and critical
projects and duties you have on your shoulders because you're the best
person for the job—or because no one else can do the work the way you
can.
Finally,
let your boss know that you're open to understanding if there's some
reason why you're paid less (a good feint, even if you're really raging
inside) by comparison even with all of this evidence on the table. Your
manager may not be able to explain it right away, or they may not even
have the power to set salaries in the first place—it's possible there
are other circumstances that have nothing to do with your work or your
boss (for example, your other colleagues came from different
departments, there's something about their work history or education
that tips the scales in their favor that's confidential, etc,) but they
should at least be willing to hear you out, especially since you've
collected the evidence needed to make your case, and as long as you're
diplomatic about the way you present it. With luck, they may be able to
make an adjustment to your salary to address the discrepancy. Even if
it's not as much as you hoped, it may be something.
Don't Expect the World
Bargain your increase at a rate you feel would be just for both you and the company. Finally, Don't overstate or demand unscrupulous sums of money.
Feel like your underpaid? Leave a comment below: