Am I on a fair wage?
Hi all,
I work in IT support for a manufacturing company. The company is doing very well, is a Times Top 100 business and makes profit above it's targets year on year. So I don't think the company is in any sort of financial difficulty.
I recently had my appraisal. I have worked for the company for just over 2 years now. I started as an apprentice at the age of 18 and am now a fully-fledged title. Going into my appraisal, my salary was £10,000. I was expecting a wage hike to match my job role and duties that I am responsible for (my aim was £15,000).
In my appraisal the company stated they are very happy with me, and are pleased that I have improved so much. They could only find a minimal fault with me which is one of my next targets to work on. They were really pleased with my commitment and going the extra mile (I've done a lot of extra hours, working out of hours, coming in to the office whilst on annual leave, etc).
I was really disappointed when they said I would be going up to £13,000, and that it probably wouldn't be looked at getting increased until next September. I feel being at the age of 20, having an apprenticeship qualification under my belt as well as my college qualifications, that £13,000 doesn't reflect where I want to be, or where I should be.
I was also disappointed that my appraisal went really well yet they could only offer £13,000.
I am asking if this is a fair wage that I should put up with or should I go back to my boss to ask for more? I just feel that for £13,000 I could go get a basic job without any qualifications and could still get by on that. But my job role takes on a lot of work, knowledge and I work hard and I am disappointed that I am going to be on £13,000 until next September. I will be 21 then.
I'd appreciate any advice on whether people think this is a fair wage, what my options are, etc.
Thanks.
I work in IT support for a manufacturing company. The company is doing very well, is a Times Top 100 business and makes profit above it's targets year on year. So I don't think the company is in any sort of financial difficulty.
I recently had my appraisal. I have worked for the company for just over 2 years now. I started as an apprentice at the age of 18 and am now a fully-fledged title. Going into my appraisal, my salary was £10,000. I was expecting a wage hike to match my job role and duties that I am responsible for (my aim was £15,000).
In my appraisal the company stated they are very happy with me, and are pleased that I have improved so much. They could only find a minimal fault with me which is one of my next targets to work on. They were really pleased with my commitment and going the extra mile (I've done a lot of extra hours, working out of hours, coming in to the office whilst on annual leave, etc).
I was really disappointed when they said I would be going up to £13,000, and that it probably wouldn't be looked at getting increased until next September. I feel being at the age of 20, having an apprenticeship qualification under my belt as well as my college qualifications, that £13,000 doesn't reflect where I want to be, or where I should be.
I was also disappointed that my appraisal went really well yet they could only offer £13,000.
I am asking if this is a fair wage that I should put up with or should I go back to my boss to ask for more? I just feel that for £13,000 I could go get a basic job without any qualifications and could still get by on that. But my job role takes on a lot of work, knowledge and I work hard and I am disappointed that I am going to be on £13,000 until next September. I will be 21 then.
I'd appreciate any advice on whether people think this is a fair wage, what my options are, etc.
Thanks.
I think the question you need to be asking is 'how much do the other people who also do what I do get paid?'. If they are also earning a similar wage then maybe the company is just tight or is not appreciative of that particular role that you do. Apart from finding out what other people are earning, which would be difficult and probably annoying if you asked, try and find out the industry standard wage for whatever it is that you do and that should give you a good indication of whether what you are earning or not is fair.
Although obviously £13,000 isn't exactly a huge amount for anyone so I'd still be annoyed even if it was the average salary for your specific occupation but at least you won't feel that your employers are being really unfair.
Although obviously £13,000 isn't exactly a huge amount for anyone so I'd still be annoyed even if it was the average salary for your specific occupation but at least you won't feel that your employers are being really unfair.
Original post by Richardlfc
Hi all,
I work in IT support for a manufacturing company. The company is doing very well, is a Times Top 100 business and makes profit above it's targets year on year. So I don't think the company is in any sort of financial difficulty.
I recently had my appraisal. I have worked for the company for just over 2 years now. I started as an apprentice at the age of 18 and am now a fully-fledged title. Going into my appraisal, my salary was £10,000. I was expecting a wage hike to match my job role and duties that I am responsible for (my aim was £15,000).
In my appraisal the company stated they are very happy with me, and are pleased that I have improved so much. They could only find a minimal fault with me which is one of my next targets to work on. They were really pleased with my commitment and going the extra mile (I've done a lot of extra hours, working out of hours, coming in to the office whilst on annual leave, etc).
I was really disappointed when they said I would be going up to £13,000, and that it probably wouldn't be looked at getting increased until next September. I feel being at the age of 20, having an apprenticeship qualification under my belt as well as my college qualifications, that £13,000 doesn't reflect where I want to be, or where I should be.
I was also disappointed that my appraisal went really well yet they could only offer £13,000.
I am asking if this is a fair wage that I should put up with or should I go back to my boss to ask for more? I just feel that for £13,000 I could go get a basic job without any qualifications and could still get by on that. But my job role takes on a lot of work, knowledge and I work hard and I am disappointed that I am going to be on £13,000 until next September. I will be 21 then.
I'd appreciate any advice on whether people think this is a fair wage, what my options are, etc.
Thanks.
I work in IT support for a manufacturing company. The company is doing very well, is a Times Top 100 business and makes profit above it's targets year on year. So I don't think the company is in any sort of financial difficulty.
I recently had my appraisal. I have worked for the company for just over 2 years now. I started as an apprentice at the age of 18 and am now a fully-fledged title. Going into my appraisal, my salary was £10,000. I was expecting a wage hike to match my job role and duties that I am responsible for (my aim was £15,000).
In my appraisal the company stated they are very happy with me, and are pleased that I have improved so much. They could only find a minimal fault with me which is one of my next targets to work on. They were really pleased with my commitment and going the extra mile (I've done a lot of extra hours, working out of hours, coming in to the office whilst on annual leave, etc).
I was really disappointed when they said I would be going up to £13,000, and that it probably wouldn't be looked at getting increased until next September. I feel being at the age of 20, having an apprenticeship qualification under my belt as well as my college qualifications, that £13,000 doesn't reflect where I want to be, or where I should be.
I was also disappointed that my appraisal went really well yet they could only offer £13,000.
I am asking if this is a fair wage that I should put up with or should I go back to my boss to ask for more? I just feel that for £13,000 I could go get a basic job without any qualifications and could still get by on that. But my job role takes on a lot of work, knowledge and I work hard and I am disappointed that I am going to be on £13,000 until next September. I will be 21 then.
I'd appreciate any advice on whether people think this is a fair wage, what my options are, etc.
Thanks.
IMO IT industry salaries are low for entry tasks. Purely because it's so cheap to replace you with a bloke from India, or an AI sys, by which they'd be reducing cost by almost half (Mostly due to currency value difference).
So yeah, it's low, but it's just what I would expect in that situation. This doesn't mean that after a few promotions you won't be on a much better salary.
Me personally, I'd be looking for another job. (Don't leave your current one til you find something better though)
Without knowing (as HelenaS88 said) your working hours, as well as roughly what your responsibilities actually are, it would be difficult to say what you should be earning. However, taking into account the other points in your OP - about being there for two years, finishing your apprenticeship and working additional hours - I think your employers are "taking the mickey" a little with your salary. I was earning more than that during my 6-month university work placement and this was 10 years ago. I guess that you should be on at least £17-18K.
Perhaps this is why they are a profitable company...
Perhaps this is why they are a profitable company...
The short answer? Start looking for another job. A good rule of thumb is that you're only going to maintain a competitive wage if you yourself remain competitive.
Unless you're expecting a promotion in the next year (which is one of the only reliable ways to get a raise at companies nowadays), then you should be looking around at what other companies can provide - which is certainly more than 13 a year. I work at an IT consultancy, and the starting salary for first line support is something around 20k.
Walking to work now but there's loads more to be said so I'll explain later
Unless you're expecting a promotion in the next year (which is one of the only reliable ways to get a raise at companies nowadays), then you should be looking around at what other companies can provide - which is certainly more than 13 a year. I work at an IT consultancy, and the starting salary for first line support is something around 20k.
Walking to work now but there's loads more to be said so I'll explain later
As everyone has said, keep it while looking for something better. Seems a fairly low wage, I mean you can get more in Business and Administration jobs. I've seen them advertised at around 16-19K starting wage. Although, there are some as low as 13/14k. Stick it out until you find something better, especially if you enjoy working, which can be a difficult task for someone.
At least their treatment of you never resulted in you giving up using exclamation marks every sentence ey.
Just to reiterate what people have said that wage is ridiculously low for a skilled job. I'm a customer service rep for a large company, employed indirectly through a temp agency, full time and I'm on £19k a year and it's not really skilled work.
If I were you I'd be expecting £18-20k.
If I were you I'd be expecting £18-20k.
As of 1st October, the minimum wage for someone 21+ working a 40-hour week will be £12,979. (Admittedly for a 20-year-old it's only £10,358.) If you went to work at McDonalds instead, soon after turning 21 you'd be paid more than £13,000 (you can earn a 10p/hr pay rise fairly quickly). I'm not suggesting you do, of course, just pointing out that they are taking the piss.
13k is almost minimum wage. You can get many basic jobs that will earn you this much e.g. cleaner.
Give your boss an ultimatum.
Give your boss an ultimatum.
I work 37.5 hours, but the extra hours I do are normally out of office.
My main roles are to:
Manage the servers
Manage the phone system/fax system/other electronic systems (such as BES)
Provide support for our business application SAP
Write SQL queries for SAP (only just started doing this since being sent on a Microsoft course by my company)
Provide support for our Warehouse Management System
Provide support for mostly all other electronic/technological issues in the business
I work alongside another guy in IT (he's been there for nearly 3 years), who I know has just had his appraisal and gone from 23k to 26k per year. He definitely has more knowledge then me, but I don't think his contribution to the business is double what mine is.
My qualifications are:
IT PROCOM Level 3 (finished as part of my apprenticeship)
OCR Extended National Diploma in ICT Level 3 (done at college)
Microsoft SQL Query Writing (finished this August)
I love working for the company though, and I get along with everyone. The company is family owned and has 120+ employees, so it is not like a major business that is trying to screw me over. Maybe that's me being blind though.
My main roles are to:
Manage the servers
Manage the phone system/fax system/other electronic systems (such as BES)
Provide support for our business application SAP
Write SQL queries for SAP (only just started doing this since being sent on a Microsoft course by my company)
Provide support for our Warehouse Management System
Provide support for mostly all other electronic/technological issues in the business
I work alongside another guy in IT (he's been there for nearly 3 years), who I know has just had his appraisal and gone from 23k to 26k per year. He definitely has more knowledge then me, but I don't think his contribution to the business is double what mine is.
My qualifications are:
IT PROCOM Level 3 (finished as part of my apprenticeship)
OCR Extended National Diploma in ICT Level 3 (done at college)
Microsoft SQL Query Writing (finished this August)
I love working for the company though, and I get along with everyone. The company is family owned and has 120+ employees, so it is not like a major business that is trying to screw me over. Maybe that's me being blind though.
For the work you've just described, which is essentially a technical role (Technician), you should be looking at roughly 16-18K at the minimum. What is your exact job title? Try searching it in Indeed.co.uk and any other job site, see the average wage around your area, and you'll get your answer. I've seen Business/PA jobs that are a lot higher than that, and IT should be in the same financial earning situation I'd have guessed!
I am the only software developer in the business, I support multiple applications and databases using multiple different technologies including .net and php. Software I build is incredibly influential effecting millions of users and i work with software developers from huge organisations.
I get paid slightly above minimum wage, it is what it is.
I get paid slightly above minimum wage, it is what it is.
Thanks for the advice guys.
There is only me and another guy in the IT department. We work under the 'Operations' department, which is basically Purchasing. The other guys job role is IT controller. He does have more knowledge than me and does have a degree. I can fully understand that he should have a good pay, and he has just had a wage rise of £3,000 to take him to £26,000.
I have access to the wages that everyone is on (sneaky, I know) and I feel on the whole the company pays the equivalent to the industries wage. There does seem to be a few people on a low wage for what they contribute though.
I love working for the company, I get along with everyone and my knowledge is always going to keep increasing. It is a really nice environment to work in. The company does want to put me on Crystal Reports training, but will not look at getting me on any other courses until March.
I have had a look at indeed.co.uk, and have seen that similar job roles in my area which I feel I could get would offer around £16,000 on average. I am going to speak to my boss to state that I am disappointed with the wage rise given, as it is only a little bit above minimum wage. I will ask for an increase to £15,000 (showing the job roles and the wages that I can attain), and see where to go from there.
There is only me and another guy in the IT department. We work under the 'Operations' department, which is basically Purchasing. The other guys job role is IT controller. He does have more knowledge than me and does have a degree. I can fully understand that he should have a good pay, and he has just had a wage rise of £3,000 to take him to £26,000.
I have access to the wages that everyone is on (sneaky, I know) and I feel on the whole the company pays the equivalent to the industries wage. There does seem to be a few people on a low wage for what they contribute though.
I love working for the company, I get along with everyone and my knowledge is always going to keep increasing. It is a really nice environment to work in. The company does want to put me on Crystal Reports training, but will not look at getting me on any other courses until March.
I have had a look at indeed.co.uk, and have seen that similar job roles in my area which I feel I could get would offer around £16,000 on average. I am going to speak to my boss to state that I am disappointed with the wage rise given, as it is only a little bit above minimum wage. I will ask for an increase to £15,000 (showing the job roles and the wages that I can attain), and see where to go from there.
Sounds like you want to be in the £18-£22k bracket. I'm sick of companies taking advantage of good employees.
I should add that I once took over two peoples job in an office, combined salary of £43,000, back in 2005/2006, they offered me £14,000/year with a twice yearly pay review. After the first pay review was skipped, I resigned.
I should add that I once took over two peoples job in an office, combined salary of £43,000, back in 2005/2006, they offered me £14,000/year with a twice yearly pay review. After the first pay review was skipped, I resigned.
(edited 11 years ago)
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