When you feel that your work and even yourself are being undervalued it can be quite distressing. It is very demoralizing to feel like you are not appreciated and that your hard work is not being rewarded. This often leads to underperforming which then spirals into other work and personal problems. It is not uncommon to end up with mental health problems as a result.
There are ways to make sure that you are able to get paid for your work such as commission pay disputes. The key is to understand when you are actually underpaid as it isn’t always obvious. You have to look for some signs. In this article, we will go over how to know if you are being underpaid.
You have more responsibilities but pay stayed the same
When your role changes at work and it involves more responsibilities and more production from you as a result then your pay should increase accordingly. Unfortunately, many companies want more production out of their employees without actually compensating them for it. When this happens to you then you have a clear case that you are being underpaid.
It is difficult to make a complaint with a government agency that you are being underpaid in this scenario, unfortunately. What you can do is ask for a raise and give them the reasons that you deserve one and back it up with documentation. If they deny you one then this is a good time to update your resume.
Do some online research
If you are working in a particular role within a particular field then there is an average salary that you should expect to make. There are factors such as the local cost of living and the size of the company to consider, however. Yet, the average salary should serve as a point of reference to understand if you are feeling like your compensation is not up to par.
The way to go about doing this is to research things online and see what others are getting paid for the same role and the same workload. You may be surprised that you are being underpaid according to what others report for a similar-sized company in the same area where you are working. Even more surprising is that you may find that there are people within the same company doing the same job that is also making more money.
This should help you when you go to your manager and request a raise and have to enter into negotiations.
You haven’t had a performance review
A performance review is essential for both the employee and the employer to understand how you are doing in terms of the growth of the company and you personally. It is also an opportunity to discuss salary.
When you haven’t had a performance review in a while it is denying you the ability to understand how you are doing, what you need to be working on, and how you should be getting paid more.
The reason for a lack of performance reviews can be construed as the company wanting to avoid having to pay you more.
