What would you do?

[Scuttler]

My colleague recently (in October) left the company and so we are recruiting his replacement.

I have seen an advert with a recruitment consultant which I am 95% certain is the job with my company.

The salary band is £5k - £10k more than what I am currently on

Currently I am covering my own region and most of the region that the new guy will have.

I've had a search on employment law and equal pay and can only find legislation which covers different sex pay inequality so I suspect there will be little that I can do from a legal perspective. A call with CAB tomorrow will probably confirm this.

The company has recently lost another member of staff because they were recruiting for someone to do the same job but on a much higher salary and wouldn't accept this staff members' application. They told him to wait until the new starter was in place and they would try to address the imbalance then.

I'm thinking of bringing this up with my manager and explaining my concerns that this person will enter on a higher salary than me and I'll be operating a larger region with a greater sales level than him and yet he'll be on a better package than me. I've always exceeded my targets and the company has enjoyed record years in terms of sales. I've also recently won some high level deals that will for the bedrock of the company's financial performance for the next 10 years.

I'm tempted to apply for the job myself!!

Recruiting the right person for this job is very difficult as has been shown in the past (it took them a year to recruit me and they have been trying to recruit my ex-colleagues replacement since September when he handed his notice in). Once they find the right person it's highly likely that they will be on 3 months notice as most of the sales jobs in my industry seem to be so they're not going to get anyone soon!

[Scubee]

Equal pay legislation does only cover inequalities through sex, race, disability etc.

However, employers should be paying the correct rate for the job. If the job is essentially the same as yours (i.e the only variations are not down to skills, knowledge, duties or responsibilities) then they should be at the same rate.

I would be inclined to contact the agency and check that the job is with your company first, then do a little negotiation to ensure that someone new to the company is not going to be on a higher pay rate.

A couple of questions wich may provide the ammo...

1. does your company claim to be 'an equal opportunities employer'
2. Does your company have a policy on job evaluation?
3. what does you company have in the way of published pay scales?

Give me a call if want a bit more help.

[ratcliffe]

I would contact the recruitment agency and tell them that you are interested in applying for the job, but that you have a niggling feeling that it could be with your own company. Say to them that you are aware that they cannot give you the name of the company due to professional etiquette (or whatever its called), but could they tell you whether it would be a bad thing if you were to apply for it.

That way, if they admit it might not be for the best you know it is your company, and you can act accordingly, either by speaking to your boss, or just accepting and carrying on, or you can apply for it, safe in the knowledge that it isn't your company's job, and that you won't be getting into any problematic situations.

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by ratcliffe

Say to them that you are aware that they cannot give you the name of the company due to professional etiquette (or whatever its called), but could they tell you whether it would be a bad thing if you were to apply for it.

I don't understand that. Why would an agency not tell you who the job was with? It might save them a lot of wasted time! They can't exactly keep it a secret until the day you turn up for work.

[ratcliffe]

Normally they will not tell you who the company is until you have an interview with them. They will just describe it as a "leading organisation" or "blue chip employer".

I think it is to stop candidates contacting the company direct, in order that they may get employed by the company directly, rather than through the agency, in which case the agency would not get their "finding" service fee.

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by Scubee

A couple of questions wich may provide the ammo...

1. does your company claim to be 'an equal opportunities employer'
2. Does your company have a policy on job evaluation?
3. what does you company have in the way of published pay scales?

1. They don't come out with that exact statement but do say

"
Employees and job applicants will be treated fairly and not discriminated against at any time and in any process or procedure by the company on any of the following grounds: Sex, Race, Disability, Religion or Belief, Sexual Orientation, Gender Reassignment, Age or Any other reason."

I guess the "any other reason" might be the leverage needed.

2. Not that I am aware of

3. Their may be pay scales (I haven't seen them) but as a manager my job is not on a scale.

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by ratcliffe

I would contact the recruitment agency and tell them that you are interested in applying for the job, but that you have a niggling feeling that it could be with your own company. Say to them that you are aware that they cannot give you the name of the company due to professional etiquette (or whatever its called), but could they tell you whether it would be a bad thing if you were to apply for it.

That way, if they admit it might not be for the best you know it is your company, and you can act accordingly, either by speaking to your boss, or just accepting and carrying on, or you can apply for it, safe in the knowledge that it isn't your company's job, and that you won't be getting into any problematic situations.

My thoughts too. I am certain it is....the job description is far too accurate for it to be a coincidence and there aren't too many organisations in this country let alone the county that make the type of products we do.

[Scubee]

On that basis, i would be presenting your manager with a copy of the job advert and suggesting that in the light of the higher salary, you will be expecting them to justify keeping your low, or giving you a good reason why you shouldn't apply for the advertised job.

Logic dictates you should be getting a payrise, however, it isn't often that employers act with any degree of logic

[Arfie]

I suppose a lot depends on:

A - How strong your position is within the company
B - How likely you are to be able to go out and get another job elsewhere.

If you are in a strong position, then something along the lines of "If I am worth £10,000 less to this company than an untried new employee with a smaller region and sales target, then I shall have to review my position and I'd ask you to consider how the company will get one with a trainee and another empty region?"

This is where point B comes into effect, because if they call your bluff, you may have to move yourself.

Good luck, £10,000 is lots of shiny things

Arfie

[Dyson Diver]

APPLY FOR THE JOB,if it is your company , it will let them know that you know , and if its not , then no harm done you can always pull out .