Just found out I make $30k more than a coworker who has much more work and responsibilities than I do. She’s too timid to bring it up to management. Do I stick up for her – and the rest of the team?
I think it’s incredibly unfair that I make more than she does, yet she is doing far more work than I do – including travel for work. She literally cried when I told her my salary.
She was grandfathered in when her previous company was bought out, whereas I was hired on separately. She is too timid to bring it up to management, thinking they won’t even do anything about it and convinced that if she threatens to leave, they’ll show her the door.
Should I write an email to my boss to stick up for her – and the rest of the team, who I now know all make significantly less than me, despite having the same title? Will that either come back to bite me or reflect poorly on me? Is this just overwhelmingly none of my business?
Netizens’ comments
- Your company would already be aware of what they pay staff and of the difference here. If they wanted to fix it they would. In this situation the other employees need to push for themselves. I feel it’s quite unlikely any company says “you’re right. Let’s spend more money”
- This is something she needs to do. But, feel free to pepper in compliments of her work here and there and how much of a team player she is so that her name and work ethics are known instead of overlooked when she does approach for an increase.
- If you are a good person, most definitely, it is the right thing to do. Don’t put it in writing though! If you are a sensible person, consider that in all likelihood this will blow up in your face and you risk losing your job.
- Right or wrong, it will likely have a negative impact on you. I personally would advocate to my colleague to speak up. But I wouldn’t say shit for them unless they cared enough to say shit first.