Advice needed on pay rise

[Deleted User]

I work as an assistant accountant and recently discovered that the purchase ledger clerk in my company is getting paid nearly as much as me. I found this out as I deal with the payroll as part of my job.

The situation is that the person is a friend of the one of the business owners and was brought in with absolutely no experience, to fill the role. The person is currently getting paid about £5k a year more than what somebody in that position should be paid according to the market and my personal experiences.

I felt really de-motivated when I saw this as I have several years more experience than the person and my workload and responsibilities are far greater. To make things worse, the person isn’t very good at the job which involves me taking time to clean up the mess, frequently. This person has also just received a pay rise when I was told there would be no pay rises this year.

I want to mention something to the senior accountant but I am worried that it will come back on me adversely as I was specifically looking at this person’s pay slip which is private, I suppose.

I would be happy with a £3k raise as this makes the gap bigger between us two and reduces the massive gap between me and the senior accountant.

Any advice would be great please.

Rinske

I'm sorry, but even though you got access to the payroll, you can't use it as a weapon to ask for a raise.

If you are allowed to check each employees payslip, it is fair enough that you are aware of it, but even then, you would be expected to be discrete about it and using it as a reason to ask for a raise is not fair.

If you are paid according to the market, then there is no issue. If you are not paid according to the market, you can ask for a raise based on that or you can find a new job.

If the person is a friend of the business owner, you know what to do, become the business owner's best friend and get a raise that way.

If they just announced there won't be any raises and you come along and ask for a 3k raise, I think they will laugh very hard at you. I'm not sure how your contract etc is set up, but if they find out you looked at someone else's salary without good reason or permission, it might even be a reason for a disciplinary action.

[Deleted User]

Rinske wrote: »

If they just announced there won't be any raises and you come along and ask for a 3k raise, I think they will laugh very hard at you. I'm not sure how your contract etc is set up, but if they find out you looked at someone else's salary without good reason or permission, it might even be a reason for a disciplinary action.

I have noticed that other people have also received raises and big ones too i.e. senior management, so it is not an issue of the company cannot afford it.

anniem

I think you need to look at your signature line and decide which point of view you think it's safest to take on this topic!

Only you know the personality's involved and you are the best judge of how to proceed.

I would however agree with Rinske's take on the position regarding the confidential nature of your work and how best to achieve a rise were you not privvy to this information.

Could it be that you have worked hard in the past year / made some systems improvements / passed some exams or something YOU CAN QUANTIFY ON YOUR OWN MERIT ???? I think this would be a far safer option!

Good luck in your negotiations!

Bookworm55

Don Juan wrote: »

I work as an assistant accountant and recently discovered that the purchase ledger clerk in my company is getting paid nearly as much as me. I found this out as I deal with the payroll as part of my job.

Shocking. People like that should know their place and not try to compete with people of your august stature. A mere clerk! Being paid "almost" as much as an assistant accountant! The very idea!

Which bothers you more: the idea that they're being overpaid or the idea that the two of you are (almost) on the same level when you consider yourself superior?

[Deleted User]

Bookworm55 wrote: »

Shocking. People like that should know their place and not try to compete with people of your august stature. A mere clerk! Being paid "almost" as much as an assistant accountant! The very idea!

Which bothers you more: the idea that they're being overpaid or the idea that the two of you are (almost) on the same level when you consider yourself superior?

I am confused as to what contribution this makes. Are you a purchase ledger clerk yourself as this would explain?

The point is that pay should reflect a person's experience and qualifications. Personally I believe I am underpaid and according to my market value, I am. I just believe that it is wrong that a person should have a massively inflated salary as they know the boss.

My duties are far more complex that what the other person does and often I work through lunch and work late to produce the monthly accounts so I don’t believe it is fair that we are paid nearly the same.

Any other accountant would agree with this.

Rachey

Bookworm55 wrote: »

Shocking. People like that should know their place and not try to compete with people of your august stature. A mere clerk! Being paid "almost" as much as an assistant accountant! The very idea!

Which bothers you more: the idea that they're being overpaid or the idea that the two of you are (almost) on the same level when you consider yourself superior?

I don't believe Don Juan is on his high horse, I think he is perfectly right to ask the question!!

I am a sales ledger clerk, often dealing with purchase/nominal but not every day. There is no way I expect to be paid near the amount of our assistant accountant. If i was, then great, it's no skin off my nose. But if the shoe was on the other foot and I was having to work late to do month end and had a very high workload and also rectify her mistakes, and our admin girl was very close to my salary then i'd be a little irate too.

I have no advice for you Don, i'm sure you'd have made your mind up now anyways, but that post rattled my cage.

[Deleted User]

Rachey wrote: »

I don't believe Don Juan is on his high horse, I think he is perfectly right to ask the question!!

I am a sales ledger clerk, often dealing with purchase/nominal but not every day. There is no way I expect to be paid near the amount of our assistant accountant. If i was, then great, it's no skin off my nose. But if the shoe was on the other foot and I was having to work late to do month end and had a very high workload and also rectify her mistakes, and our admin girl was very close to my salary then i'd be a little irate too.

I have no advice for you Don, i'm sure you'd have made your mind up now anyways, but that post rattled my cage.

Thanks for the support Rachey.