Are you being paid less than you’re worth? Many employers are guilty of skimping when it comes to wages. You may legally deserve more than you’re getting paid – you may be working unpaid overtime or not getting benefits that were written in your contract. In other cases, workers at other companies or even your colleagues may be on a higher salary despite not putting in any more work than you. Whether you plan to negotiate a pay rise or move to another company for better pay, it’s worth doing your research first to ensure that you really are being given an unfair wage. Here are just a few ways to carry out this research.

 

Know exactly what you’re legally entitled to

If you suspect that your employer isn’t abiding by employment law, you may want to consider doing some legal research. There are many sources online for doing this, but you may prefer to talk directly to a solicitor if you feel that it’s a complicated situation. If it turns out that you are legally owed a huge amount of money, you may want to consider telling your employer or filing a lawsuit. You’ll find many employment lawyers helping workers with wage lawsuits online. Taking legal action can damage your relationship with your employer and you may feel it’s easier to leave the company first, especially if you suspect your employer to be doing other shady stuff.

 

Do your research into similar companies

Perhaps you simply feel that other companies are paying their staff more for the same role. This isn’t easy to research into as many companies are guarded when they come to this information, however you may be able to do some private networking and try contacting other employees at other companies. Most people will probably only reveal this information in person, and you may have to get to know them a bit first before you can thrust this question upon them. Another option could be to look at job ads online and see the salaries that they’re offering.

 

Talk to your colleagues

Many companies discourage colleagues discussing wages with one another as it can be damaging to morale, however it’s impossible to enforce this as a rule – if you want to find out what your colleagues are earning, there’s nothing stopping you from asking them. If it turns out that other colleagues are earning more and have less responsibility than you, it could be worth investigating this further. Be wary that employees may get paid more for their experience and may have greater commitments such as kids and large bills, which an employer may have been sympathetic of.

 

Ask your employer

If you really feel that you should be earning more, bring it up with your boss. They may have a reason as to why they’re paying you that wage that you hadn’t considered – it may be a fair reason, or it may not be a fair reason. Alternatively, they may have been waiting for you to ask for a pay rise – some employers like to see how long they can get away with paying a miserly wage and may never offer a pay rise voluntarily. You may not want to bring up colleague wages or other company wages when talking to your employer as it could seem as if you were conspiring in private. Instead, simply put across the personal reasons as to why you believe you should be paid more.