Equal pay at last?
During my annual review last week, my boss acknowledged that two senior managers, including myself, had been paid less than colleagues with similar experience and backgrounds for many years. I have been with this company for 12 years, starting as a junior manager and working my way up to senior positions for most of the past nine years.
I am disappointed to learn that I have been underpaid for a long time, even though I work hard and consistently receive high praise.
This responsibility probably lies with my former boss, who has swapped roles with my current boss and is now vice president, but my new boss still consults him closely before making decisions. My current boss has said he will increase my salary to close the gap, but he hasn't promised to fully match my other bosses or address long-standing disparities. yeah.
I don't know what my options are at this point. I don't want to seem too demanding, but I can't help but feel like I'm being too flexible. Even though they're willing to admit that they're underpaying me this much, they still seem to think I'm being kind and a low risk to them. I'm really angry.
– Anonymous
You haven't been very kind all these years. That's because I didn't know that I was unpaid. Let's get that out of the way first. Because I feel like somewhere in your heart you're blaming yourself…what? The truth is that past events are not your fault and are not within your control. You are responsible for 1) not evaluating the quality of your work, and 2) not making your salary commensurate with what others at your level were and are making. This seems to be the case with my former boss.
I would like to know how your current boss broke the news to you about your low salary. Was it a slip of the tongue? Confession? Did he say he was sorry? Is it embarrassment or regret? If your current boss apologetically reveals this information to you, I can't help but imagine that it shows his or her willingness to make things right.
On getting things right: I struggle with my reluctance or unwillingness to align my salary exactly with that of similarly situated professional colleagues. Have you asked your current boss why he doesn't try to make things right in this regard? Have you specifically asked him about addressing the disparity in a way that involves backpay?
When it comes to your options, you have the right to be demanding, or at least persistent and aggressive in this matter. They underpay you for years. For years! I'd be angry too (I'm already angry on your behalf). And don't think for a second that I didn't notice that both your former boss and your current boss are men, and judging by your name in the email, you're a woman. Women still earn less than men, which is 84% of men's salaries without taking race and ethnicity into account, and women feel that they are more flexible because of the way they are socialized as girls. I suffer from society's assumption that things will be done for me. (In fact, I'm writing a book about this.)
I'm curious, what did you say when your current boss told you that your salary was low? Did you take notes? Then or after that? Did you talk to the other low-paid senior manager you work with? What did he or she say? (I would also like to know if that person is a man or a woman.) (In some states (Is your state moving on with pay transparency laws?) And then again, have you asked your boss directly to make things right?
I think you should find an employment lawyer and have the initial discussion. And depending on what your employer or boss thinks, you may want to consider looking for another job. Pay disparities can grow over the years. As you have experienced firsthand, what may seem like a small difference in annual income can add up to a much larger difference over decades. Will you feel less ignored, taken for granted, and disrespected if your salary is at or near the same level as everyone else's? You're still figuring it out. is. But you may realize that “accommodating” means adapting to yourself and respecting your self-esteem. And it would be better to take your talents elsewhere.
