7 Surefire Signs You're Being Underpaid

Glassdoor recently discovered that the majority of its users are underpaid – by $4,700, on average. Can you relate? 

We’ve outlined 7 straightforward ways to tell if you’re being unpaid. 

1. A similar job listing on your company site offers more money.

If you discover that a job posting closely resembling yours is offering more money than you are making, it’s safe to assume you are underpaid. Search your company’s job postings regularly to document what new employees at your level may be making. Then, use your knowledge of your company to decide how you should stack up. 

2. Your company is doing well, but you haven’t gotten a raise.

Try to find out how well your company is doing and how much you've contributed to that. If your company is public, access that data. And if it’s private, you will most likely already know if your workplace is on the up and up. If it is, and you haven’t been given a raise, you are in the right to ask for one. You're probably worth more than you realize, and your company has the revenue to bump your pay. 

3. Your annual performance review didn’t include talk of a raise.

Your annual review is normally the time to talk about a pay raise. If your manager didn’t even mention a bump in your salary, especially if your review went well, it could be a red flag. Your company might be avoiding paying you what you deserve. 

4. Your salary increases exist but are incredibly small.

If you got a raise after a year of hardwork but it was somewhere between 1 and 3 percent, don’t be grateful! Be skeptical. Your boss isn’t rewarding your work. She is accounting for inflation. 

5. Your colleagues say you are.

While salary discussions in the office are not common, sometimes they come up. If you discover that your colleagues in similar positions with similar levels of experience are making more than you, you are probably being underpaid.

6. You’ve been given more responsibility without a pay raise.

It’s normally a good sign if your boss trusts you with more work and responsibilities. But if she isn’t offering you more money in exchange for the added work, you are being underpaid. And if your title has been adjusted with the added duties, but your pay hasn’t, it’s time to speak up.

7. Career sites say you are.

Do your research. Use career sites like Fairygodboss to compare your salary with those in similar roles to you. Ask others anonymously what their salaries are in similar positions.

And if you feel as though you are being underpaid, speak up. Value your effort, your work, and yourself. You deserve it.