New manager gave everyone a raise including new people

Question

I have been working in retail at a store with a very high turn over rate. Recently we got a new manager. She gave everyone the a raise so we are all getting paid the same. At first I was happy, but then I felt this was a little unfair. We have some new employees who have been here only a week and they did not have to work here during the difficult COVID rules. Also this shows me raises are not based on performance or seniority.

Should I express any of my concerns to the new manager? She had done this to raise morale but at least to me it's had the opposite affect. If I'm training a new hire how to do the job, shouldn't I be getting paid more than them?

Answer 1

I don't think we can answer your question should you or should you not, because its ultimately up to you and your individual preferences and circumstances.

Here are some questions you should answer yourself to make the decision:

• Are you happy with your pay in general, without taking others into account?
• Do you think you can get another job that will pay you more?
• Do you want a higher pay in general, or just higher pay than others who work less?
• Would instead of a raise for you, a reduction for everyone else make you happy?
• Considering the current situation with COVID, how secure is your job?
• Could you easily find a new job if you left?
• How would the company manage if you left? Are you easily replaceable?

From my perspective, you should at least wait a few months to see how everything evolves further, your manager is new, and they did a good thing for everyone, and seems to be keen to get people to stay. You need time to make it obvious to them that you are working more than others and that you deserve more than others, otherwise it boils down to I am the longest here, I want more money.

Answer 2

Salary is not a reward for effort. That's what bonuses and cash incentives are.

Why should the new employees get paid LESS for future work when compared to you?

it seems unfair that new people and people who aren't pulling their weight get paid as much as people who are trying hard

You said they are fresh hires. Why are you saying they are not pulling their weight?

Salary increases/decreases are for future work, not work already conducted.

You may have a point regarding mentoring, but your previous question indicates that your boss has not asked you to train anyone. It seems to be just something that you want to do.

Answer 3

I'd be careful voicing grievances to a new boss, you might get a reputation for being a whiner.

In a very recent question you complained about workers you considered should be more productive, and now you are complaining about everyone receiving a pay rise that you feel should have been awarded only to the more senior employees.

By all means ask your new boss how you can be more helpful and productive for the team but wait a few months, get to know your new manager better, and give that person time to know the environment and settle down before voicing grievances to them.

Answer 4

You can, but you need to express your concerns in a diplomatic fashion (Otherwise, it could blow up in your face). I would discuss it in the context of "growth opportunities" for you. Discuss your skills and abilities and show that you should be a "senior" associate/cashier, etc. vs. entry-level (Make sure your supervisor has seen your work ethic in action in the workplace). In this context, you can justify a raise and promotion. However, I have learned the hard way that managers can play hardball. Ultimately, if your manager declines to promote and pay you more, you will need to interview elsewhere. Potentially, you can use another job offer to demand a higher wage (a counter-offer), and I think you would have a good shot given the current blue collar labor shortage. However, you need to be prepared to accept the other job offer and move on if your manager declines.

Answer 5

As ever in an organisation you are part of bigger machine with wider needs that play out in your local context. For example, a more senior person may have given your new manager a direction from above to bring everyone in your role onto the same salary to avoid issues of inconsistency.

It is hard to know whether you should approach your manager on the issue you raise, but it is certainly worth endeavouring to build a relationship with them.

To do that you might consider asking them about what they like about where you work, what they think would improve where you work, what they have done before this role, what advice would they give someone like you, what have they seen in your location that they think is really cool, or really silly.

All of these small little questions will get you into dialogue with your manager and from there you can establish some relationship so you can discuss more difficult things like the topic you raised in your question.

Answer 6

In your situation, this doesn’t look like a raise, but an adjustment of salaries. Maybe the new manager noticed that the company lost many employees and decided that keeping them by paying a bit more is cheaper than having to replace them all the time and training them.