I started a new job this past July after getting laid off from my previous employer. When offered the job, they pushed back at my salary request, stating “ other women in the office don’t get paid as much as this.” I reluctantly took the job even though I was making the same salary. The job responsibilities presented to me at the interview, are only 1/3 of what I am actually doing. I have taken on not just my job responsibilities, but have been given two previous employees and one current employee responsibilities. As for the current employee still here, find myself having to redo her work so it is correct, and finish projects she didn’t follow through on.
I guess I’m wondering if I should bring this up to my boss now, Or wait for my six month review in January?
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31 Comments
31 Comments
Ann Braun
109
11/27/20 at 2:48PM UTC
Well, I'm not sure I have the best answer because I don't have a lot of experience in the business world, but my gut tells me you shouldn't say anything now. You may actually have been hired to take the "current employee"'s job. I am interested to see what others have to say about this.
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 3:06PM UTC
My recommendation would be to wait until your 6 month review in January, unless your manager is asking for any feedback or recommendations right now. In the meantime, try and collect examples to help prove your case, so you will be prepared once you do have that conversation with your manager. You'll want to have solid examples to share if you are trying to make the case on why you should get a raise or a job title change. While the job market is tough right now and it may be tough to find an alternate position making the salary you feel you deserve, also know that this current job doesn't have to last forever.
Learn as much as you can, build up and utilize any new skills that may be available in this position, and know that when the job market picks up, you can have additional choices. Don't get sucked into any negativity thinking about how you have to correct your co-workers work because that will only sour your mindset. Stay focused on doing the best that you can do and have something to look forward to. Best of luck - remember you also control how people and organizations treat you!
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Jacquelyn Lloyd
534
HR Consultant
11/27/20 at 3:36PM UTC
I think I'm more troubled by the "other women in the office," comment but since that wasn't your question...
I disagree with the others. I think you should arm yourself with wage information for the job you are doing and firm examples of the higher level/value added work you are doing outside of your scope and ask to meet with your boss now. You need to inject some urgency into the situation and that won't happen if you wait until your review. If you really want to stay at this company, my suggestion is to go in upbeat and enthusiastic and say you have taken the past 6 months, and evaluated the situation and have the following proposal - new title (incorporating the work you have been doing) and commensurate wage increase. Have a 90 day plan ready to go in which you solve a couple of small problems. No matter what happens, you haven't lost anything and at your review in January you will know either way and act accordingly.
Whatever you decide to do - quit reviewing your co-workers work if you don't supervise them directly. Good luck!
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4 Replies
Anonymous
11/27/20 at 3:41PM UTC
I'm also troubled by the "other women in the office" statement. To me that would have been a red flag not to take the job at all.
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:27PM UTC
Since I am being given the task to complete their partial work & fo the work they neglected to do, it is my responsibility to review their work and do it correctly.
If someone had told me that the requested salary was “more than other women in the office,” I would have asked how the salary compared to the men in the office. If what they meant was the salary request was outside the position’s payband, then that is what they should have said. Major red flag in my book,
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Marian Skupski
41
Analyst and Agile Coach
12/02/20 at 1:49PM UTC
I agree that was a very sexist remark and would have asked how it compares to all employees. It also would probably have been a red flag that would cause me not to take the job--or take the job and continue looking if finances dictated that I needed money coming in.
That doesn't answer the original question. I think I would take it to my supervisor now.
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Michele Highley
14
11/27/20 at 3:51PM UTC
I agree that was a very sexist remark!
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Nina O
57
11/27/20 at 4:11PM UTC
I second the wise comments put forth before. Arm yourself with examples and lists of the work you have been doing and a list of which roles were included in the job description and which were not. Also look up salaries of comparable positions which match your location and experience. Try to find something that equates with all the tasks you are taking on. You also have six months to identify projects you completed, places where you improved functionality or added value to the company in quantifiable ways. Keep in mind how much your business can afford when comparing salaries. At your review, bring all this information as an explanation for what your value is at the company and why they should give you a raise to match your request. If they talk about what other "women" are making again instead of other people in similar roles I would be quite alarmed and question if there is a separate set of salaries for each gender.
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Leader195795
14
11/27/20 at 4:13PM UTC
Are you sure you want this job? Is this an organization of integrity? Get to the why and don’t make it personal. Were you asked to do the extra or did you take that on yourself? If asked were you given a reason? I would be transparent, I would frame it with fact and talk to your employer as strictly work capacity not as a something personal. If you don’t say anything the employer may interpret it that things are fine. If you wait it may fester into something personal and get out of control. This appears as a systems issue in a time of scarce resources. If it’s just that they are taking advantage...I would consider whether or not such a company is a fit for you. If it is a communication and systems issue you may be able to support positive change in the organization. Knowing the “why” is always difficult and important when making these type of decisions.
User edited comment on 11/27/20 at 4:18PM UTC
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:29PM UTC
I was asked to do the work by a supervisor because it was done improperly and not completely. He told me he knew I would get it done thoroughly and properly.
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Alice Bird
17
11/27/20 at 4:20PM UTC
If someone I had hired was in this situation I’d definitely want them to bring it to my attention promptly. My advice is to meet with your boss and open the conversation by stating you want to make sure you have a solid understanding of the expectations in your role. If the boss’s response shows you that yes you are actually expected to take on all these extra responsibilities even though they weren’t outlined in the JD or interview, then you have to decide if you want to propose a new job title and salary, either now or at your review in January. Can you address the current employee whose work you’re finishing and correcting directly with him/ her? I’m sure that’s an awkward prospect but the only alternative is bringing it up with your boss, who might ask you what steps you’ve taken to resolve the issue yourself, and see you as ‘not a team player’ if you haven’t addressed it directly with the person involved. It’s a tough spot to be in when you’re new to the company. So much will come down to how you’re able to communicate with a balance between self-confidence and respectfulness. How the discussions go will be telling about the company culture too: if employees are routinely expected to take on far more responsibility than their titles and salaries suggest, it may not be a great place to stick around. Particularly if that weird comment about women’s salaries is anything to go by. Good luck!
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1 Reply
Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:30PM UTC
It wasn’t until several weeks after I started the new job that I realized I took over the positions of three people that were let go at the beginning of Covid. They neglected to share that information with me prior to excepting the job.
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Anonymous
11/28/20 at 2:13PM UTC
I just had to complete a 360 review and my boss’ boss wrote in their comments (anonymous but I mean...I know who it is), “she has had to completely build x, y and z from the ground up and we neglected to say anything about this problem in the interview or job description. I’m surprised she even took this job.” I mean...vindication on some front. But really, if I had known, they would have had to pay me $40k more per year to get me to move across the country for the job. Or I probably wouldn’t have taken it. Given their comments, I’ve been actually looking for a new job because they’re right...why am I even there?
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:02PM UTC
I agree with Jacquelyn Lloyd. I'm fairly certain that comment about 'other women being satisfied' is sexist. I would have responded with, and what are the men's wages like? It shouldn't be about the other women being satisfied, it's about what the actual wage is across the board and how it compares to others in addition to your experience.
User edited comment on 11/27/20 at 5:02PM UTC
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:31PM UTC
Trust me, the “other women in the office” statement bothered me. But that is a whole different issue to tackle. I feel I am too new to the company to say anything about it.
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Kate
61
11/27/20 at 5:58PM UTC
Or maybe you're just the right person to say something and leave a review on Glassdoor...
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Amy Carissa Oliver
345
11/28/20 at 2:14PM UTC
You’re never too new to point out a problem like that.
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Saria Carter Saccocio
22
Physician Executive
11/27/20 at 5:02PM UTC
Agree with holding off till January. Many people working right now have found themselves juggling and cross-covering duties. If you bring it up in the middle of the holidays it might get brushed over in the hectic season. However, taking time to write out your thoughts and factual examples and presenting at your review can reflect maturity and intention to timing.
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Anonymous
11/30/20 at 1:26AM UTC
The holiday rush is a real issue. However, if there is a way that you can plant seeds for what does need to be discussed, then do so.
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Anonymous
11/27/20 at 5:35PM UTC
A few things to consider, if you enjoy the work, feel somewhat supported, if you don’t feel like they are taking advantage of you or that there is any possibility that they will listen to you and realize they may be taking advantage of you, and finally and most importantly you are not staying out of fear of finding another position then wait until January. However having been laid off, and then struggled finding another position I found myself in a similar position where I was hired under false pretenses, where there had been a few red flags and I still took the job. It did not turn out well and no amount of discussion with management made any difference. And I was afraid to leave, I needed that job. What I learned from that is no job is worth your sense of peace, accomplishment, sense of self, all the things work should bring you. Make sure your not making this choice out of fear and don’t stay if more red flags come up. I consider the initial comment about salary, the obvious significant turn over rate, and the need for you to help the other remaining employee since they seem to lack the skills needed for that job all red flags. Stay for the right reasons not the wrong ones.
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Anonymous
11/29/20 at 3:13PM UTC
I like the sentiment of this, but practically speaking, someone quitting now (thereby giving up the prospect of unemployment) could be putting themself in the position to endure a lot more psychological harm from financial stress. I think this all depends on what your finances look like, if you have others contributing to the household income, if you have others (minors or elderly parents) relying on you, etc. That doesn’t mean not to start looking, but don’t leave outright without something new lined up. I always wonder who these people are that can just walk away and suddenly have no pressing financial obligations. It’s certainly not me.
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Anonymous
11/30/20 at 6:08PM UTC
It certainly wasn’t me at the time either or so I thought, but what would you consider more psychologically harmful, a job that ruins your self esteem and makes it difficult to find future positions or being financially unstable for a bit? Which is why I carefully worded it to encourage her to consider what is more harmful to her, not me, not you, but her. And the one thing that experience taught me is to do what it takes to ensure your are financially capable of making such choices. Who are these people? Today I am those people because I chose to be, I made the sacrifices and saved to make sure I was never in that position again. Is it ideal to leave a job before you have one? Absolutely not! But if it is a toxic atmosphere and is doing you more harm then good, it’s wise to do what it takes to ensure you can walk away. I am not saying that is the case here, just checking in and making sure.
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Amanda Welch
26
A lifelong learning professional
11/28/20 at 4:32AM UTC
My advice would be to gather information such as your daily tasks compared to the tasks you were hired to accomplish, competitive pay in your area, and read your company handbook including the tasks under your role. Wait until January during your review to provide your information with supporting evidence (your records of information and examples). I think someone stated earlier that you may be taking the position of the other worker so I would wait that out to see. I too an bothered by the comment "the other women", but it may be that your co-workers mostly consist of women and it was a point of reference rather than a derogatory statement. I rather look at the whole picture than to get offended easily. Again, I would wait until January if you feel that is something you can do. I would never suggest anyone stay in a hostile or abusive situation so if this is the case I will offer what my Auntie has offered to me "you did not have a job before you had that one, and if you survived that then you will survive it again". She is extremely country but very wise.
User edited comment on 11/28/20 at 4:34AM UTC
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Mariel Young
61
11/28/20 at 1:46PM UTC
You should bring this up now rather than waiting until your six month review. If you wait to bring this up you may receive pushback because you’ve been doing the work this whole time for your current salary and nothing has changed in the six months to warrant an increase. As several others have said, outline your responsibilities that go above and beyond what you were hired to do, be clear on the impact and scope of those responsibilities and why they are important to your employer (find out if your company has role profile guides you can use as a starting point), ensure you have examples of where you are performing the things you were hired to do well, and research competitive pay in the area so you have that info in your back pocket. Have an email or document write up ready that you can send your leader as a follow up, they may be able to use that for talking points in any compensation discussions.
If your employer is unwilling to discuss a salary increase be prepared to have a prioritization discussion; you were hired to do “x”, you are willing to perform other duties but something else is going to have to fall off your plate to make room for the new things they are asking you to do.
The “other women” comment sounds very inappropriate for multiple reasons. Beyond the obvious gender aspect your pay should be based on the market value of your work not what other people are making.
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Amy Carissa Oliver
345
11/28/20 at 2:35PM UTC
I heartily disagree with everyone telling you to bring this up now. Sometimes, in a business we are asked temporarily to take on additional problems and that doesn’t merit a permanent pay increase. You haven’t been working above and beyond the scope of your job long term, and you’ve been handling additional work in a pandemic which has hurt the company, no doubt. Maybe next week or next month you won’t have this workload anymore.
Keep track of what you’ve been doing above and beyond the scope of your job and show your boss that you’ve been doing it for six months and that it appears to be long term.
And be thoughtful. If your job description says “other duties as assigned,” you aren’t really going above and beyond, so it’s important to thoughtfully word what you need and want to say.
The only time I ask for a raise is when I have either accomplished huge things for my organization or when the “other duty” I am doing is clearly part of another job description at an equal or higher pay grade.
For example, at a PR firm, I was given a pay raise when I pointed out that I was regularly writing case studies and collaborating on decks for the business development team, which was a job requirement of the business development manager. I was not in that department but was positively impacting their work. I was able to highlight that we had landed all 11 accounts for which I provided significant parts of the package.
On the other hand, I had a PR coordinator demand a raise because she was handling 7 clients and all other coordinators were handling 4-5. She was also helping to train other coordinators. Four of her accounts were less work than most, which was why she had more of them. And she was asked to train others because I could not promote her unless she had that experience for six months; she knew that but said she didn’t want to do it anymore without the pay raise. So she didn’t get the raise and then I gave someone else the training responsibilities and they got the promotion.
What I would suggest for right now is to ask your boss what they feel your trajectory is in the company and to tell them where you’d like your trajectory to go and then ask if you can set a timeline together. I find that giving supervisors a clear trajectory, learning what you have to do to get there and then working with them to make it happen is better than asking for raises without a clear and defined purpose. When you talk about your trajectory you can always say, “okay, so to get that job and that promotion, I need to do x,y,z. Right now I am doing a,b,c and that will prevent me from doing what’s needed for promotion and a raise. Can you help me to offload some things and get on the right track?” Or maybe those things you’re doing are the right track. I honestly myself wouldn’t agree to a raise for an employee that hadn’t even been with the company six months. Part of negotiating pay raises and promotions is knowing when to do it. If you get it today, it will be smaller than you want and you’ll be waiting at least 18 months until you can ask again and be taken seriously.
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CIARA WALKER
20
11/29/20 at 4:49PM UTC
I would maybe wait until January since it’s so close and you possibly may be taking on extra roles right now since the holidays are upon us. I do believe it’s unfair when you have to take on others job responsibilities unless they are now gone and they discuss that with you while also giving you some type of compensation. I know you didn’t ask about this but I would’ve definitely not been okay with the whole females not making that much. For one, females have the right to make as much as men and two what does my salary have to do with anyone else. I know it’s hard times so you kinda take what you’re given but if it were any other time I wouldn’t even work for the company because that shows the things they care about.
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Migita Dcruz
55
11/30/20 at 11:03AM UTC
I would recommend planning a discussion, not as part of the 6 month review, but separately and ask for clarity on your role, responsibilities and expectations. Management may not like the request, but they do have an obligation to be clear and honest about what they expect of you and what they will provide in return, apart from whether they're stratifying by gender, or any other criterion. That said, the fact that you're feeling a lack of honesty in the first few months is a potential red flag and I would warrant caution and perhaps, keeping an eye out for alternate oppurtunities.
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Jill Ann Ladrick
24
11/30/20 at 2:08PM UTC
I had this exact situation to happen to me. The coworker was upset she didn't get the promotion even though she was not qualified which added to the frustration. I had just come to the end of my rope in a month at the job. I went into the boss's office and TOLD her that the job was misrepresented. I old her I had the feeling that she already knew it. She came clean. I gave her the key back and stated I couldn't work for someone that lied...told her I quit and walked out the door. It wasn't worth wasting my time when I could get a job that I would like and a boss I could respect. I made more money at the new job as well. Have self respect to stand up for yourself. You've been at that job over 6 months too long. Good luck.
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Karisa Karmali
770
Founder of Self-Love and Fitness
11/30/20 at 11:31PM UTC
When their retention strategy is lies... I personally have a hard time with this. Fixing a culture like this is unlikely to be worth your time. Get as much $ as you can while you work there, but do you want to continue at a place like this long term? Only you can know your goals for this job.
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Gargi Biswas
58
Award Winning Business Leader(Digital Solutions)
12/03/20 at 2:50PM UTC
You should bring it now instead of the review . The reason being it is possible that during the review you might be asked why did you under deliver on some expectations and waited for the review to discuss and straighten out things. Usually I have experienced that during the review people dont talk about what you have done, they focus on what you should have done and were not able to do.
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