New employees on higher rate of pay

New employees on higher rate of pay

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Discussion

TGTiff

Original Poster:

428 posts

191 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
My employer is bringing in several new starts to augument the current team.
These new starts are on 20+% more money than the current encumbants and my employer does not see this as a problem nor will they enhance the pay of the pay of the encumbant staff to match the new starts.
Any thoughts?

Mr Penguin

2,710 posts

46 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Isn't this how most companies work?

blue_haddock

3,866 posts

74 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Either accept it or leave for a higher paid role elsewhere.


jonsp

944 posts

163 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
It would only be a problem for the employer if the incumbents leave. Are they willing to do that?

Gazzas86

1,728 posts

178 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
This is what i did, found new starts were coming in getting paid more, told MD i found a higher paying role etc, said i wanted a 20K payrise to stay, and he agreed. I work in Electronic Engineering FWIW.

Jamescrs

4,871 posts

72 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
If they won't raise the current teams wages to be in line then leave is my thought on it, sadly with some employers they need to be shown that the employee will leave before they will take it seriously, and often by then it can be too late anyway

DanL

6,437 posts

272 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
New hires generally get paid more than current staff, as they’re competing with the market for new hires, vs. “just” having to pay enough to retain existing staff members.

If there’s a 20% difference for the same role, it’s time to dust off the CV and go job hunting! There’s a big old pay rise out there just waiting for you, and you can always see if your current employer will make a counter offer before you leave.

simon_harris

1,785 posts

41 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
My understanding is that if they are doing the same (or broadly the same) role as you then it is not legal to pay you differently.

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/pay/e...


GiantEnemyCrab

7,724 posts

210 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
simon_harris said:
My understanding is that if they are doing the same (or broadly the same) role as you then it is not legal to pay you differently.

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/pay/e...
Meanwhile on planet Earth though smile

To OP, negotiate or leave, they are your choices.

Mr Penguin

2,710 posts

46 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
simon_harris said:
My understanding is that if they are doing the same (or broadly the same) role as you then it is not legal to pay you differently.

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/pay/e...
Only on grounds of sex and other protected characteristics.

jonsp

944 posts

163 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
simon_harris said:
My understanding is that if they are doing the same (or broadly the same) role as you then it is not legal to pay you differently.

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/pay/e...
Can't see that.

If an employer needs to hire and finds he needs to pay more to attract people in the current climate he can hardly be expected to give existing employees an automatic pay rise to match.

If the market's got stronger for the employee they're free to leave and get a higher rate elsewhere.

ecs

1,296 posts

177 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Leave. This is why people who frequently change jobs out earn those who don't.

Terminator X

16,322 posts

211 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
How would existing employees know?

TX.

Granadier

631 posts

34 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Working in print publishing for several decades, I more often found the opposite scenario, where new staff were being taken on at noticeably lower pay rates than longstanding staff, as the sector declined and it became an employers' market.

In the most extreme example, we had somebody nearing retirement who was being paid almost twice as much per hour as as a newcomer doing the same job, without any extra responsibilities. There had clearly been some favouritism going on in the past in that case, and the difference was made less obvious by the fact that the highly paid worker was part-time.

On another occasion I was promoted to a managerial position and later found out I was being paid several thousand less than my predecessor in that role.

fat80b

2,464 posts

228 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Seems pretty standard.

A decent employer would recognise that the market rate had changed for the role and bump everyone who is already there in order to prevent the problem of turnover. i.e. they would make sure that long serving loyal employees won't up sticks and leave by paying them the market rate (or more if they value them so).

That said, it is extremely rare to see this happen and a more common implementation is to stiff the existing staff and hope that none of them find out. When they do (as the OP has), then the staff are left with a choice - Either suck it up, or go and find a new job that pays more.

If there is enough turnover because of pay, then it'll get fixed but by then the good ones will have found a better job and left already......

Short sightedness at its best guaranteeing that your staff consists of the new ones and the rubbish long timers......

Woodrow Wilson

362 posts

167 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
This is happening at my work place.

I took a job at a fairly poor salary (I wanted a change of job), which I now realise was a mistake. The role really did warrant a higher salary and the company works hard to ensure that people are not given the opportunity to move up within grades.

The same role was also advertised here recently with a bigger salary.

In addition, I have been working hard at a level or more above my contracted/theoretical role for a number of months due to colleagues leaving. The company refuses to recognise it or to increase my pay....

Yes, they are taking the piss.
-It is somewhat confusing given that staff retention and recruitment are both challenging for the company.


Yes, I will be moving on soon.


Ps. In a previous job, our company was taken over.

To my surprise, our terms and conditions were aligned with the much better ones at the purchasing company!


MitchT

16,229 posts

216 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Granadier said:
Working in print publishing for several decades, I more often found the opposite scenario, where new staff were being taken on at noticeably lower pay rates than longstanding staff, as the sector declined and it became an employers' market.

In the most extreme example, we had somebody nearing retirement who was being paid almost twice as much per hour as as a newcomer doing the same job, without any extra responsibilities. There had clearly been some favouritism going on in the past in that case, and the difference was made less obvious by the fact that the highly paid worker was part-time.

On another occasion I was promoted to a managerial position and later found out I was being paid several thousand less than my predecessor in that role.
Worked in the same sector as a graphic designer for more than two decades. That whole sector seems to be in a race to the bottom where salaries are concerned. Got out of it 18 months ago and was immediately earning 50% more as a trainee in a new line of work with no experience!

Print/publishing/graphic design is an absolute cesspit of '90s pay levels.

Ken_Code

1,566 posts

9 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
simon_harris said:
My understanding is that if they are doing the same (or broadly the same) role as you then it is not legal to pay you differently.

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/pay/e...
George Russell needs to get his claim in now for the £35m per year he’s being underpaid.

mwstewart

8,030 posts

195 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Time to start interviews - get an offer and use that to negotiate with your employer. If they won't budge then it's time to leave.

h0b0

8,176 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
This happened to me and was the trigger point for how my life has turned out over the last 20 years.

Was in an extremely specialist technical role. Being poorly paid but traveling. Company changed their approach and I stopped traveling but they paid me a bit more. They then hired a bunch of new people. Acknowledging they couldn’t attract the right talent offering the pay the current team was on, they offered 20% more to the new starters. These new starters had zero knowledge of the tech and would take 12 months to bring up to a competent level. It was expected the experienced team should train them.


That’s when I took an inter company transfer and moved to the US. That came with a doubling of pay and a life time of experiences. I look back and dread to think where I would be in life if I hadn’t got the kick up the back side I needed to make a change.