Am I underpaid?

[mrs.m]

I'm in my job about 7 years now. Small company with 13 employees and I am the only office staff.I do all secretarial, admin and PA duties and I also do payroll and Vat returns, mileage returns, p35,p30s,etc.
I'm thinking I might be underpaid as I am on 31k per annum if working 5 days however there are only 4 days available at the moment so I'm actually on just under €25k before tax with no other benefits and maybe a bonus of 500euro at xmas.
What do you think?

 

[davidoco]

It's very difficult to put a price on a job without knowing location, hours etc.

For a regional town location 31k seems ok, but it's a bit harsh if you have been put on a 4 day week for less money, is the company under financial strain or just that the owner thinks that you can do 5 days work in 4?

Good idea is to look up recruitment sites (monster.ie), find out the going rate for secretary and then payroll and VAT admin. What would the cost be to replace you? Then ask for a raise on the basis of that.

 

[mrs.m]

sorry..edited

 

[TheBlock]

Probably of no Help........ but I would think you are underpaid for what you do. This is only of use though if you can find a higher paid job that you would be willing to accept otherwise it appears your are being paid not only what the boss is willing to pay but what you are willing to accept.

I'd ask to be reinstated to your 31k and tell them to find you another days work.

 

[Flax]

I used to do a job like yours. Basically all the accounts, day to day office stuff, etc.

IMO "anyone" can do that job. There are no particular skills required. (No offence meant by this statement.)

Therefore I think 31k is about right, although a few extra thousand would not be out of order.

The only having a job for 4 days a week is a problem though. As TheBlock said, I would try to get another days work out of them.

Are there alternative companies you could work for in your area?

What salary would you like to be earning?

 

[mathepac]

Its because i can do 5 days work in 4..actually i could do it in 3 but I'm not going to do that cause i cant afford it! The job is on outskirts of town but about 40 mins - an hour from dublin. I did a salary survey but it didnt really help

So you are being overpaid to the tune of 25%?

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Flax said

I used to do a job like yours. Basically all the accounts, day to day office stuff, etc.

IMO "anyone" can do that job. There are no particular skills required. (No offence meant by this statement.)

It is actually very difficult to find someone competent enough to do these jobs well and reliably.

Mrs. M - Talk to a recruitment agency in your area and ask them what salary they could get you for a full time job. Then give that information to your boss and ask for a rise to the market level. If he is unwilling to pay this, then the only thing you can do is to look for another job.

 

[buzybee]

I used to do a job like this (accounts, payroll etc). I was on about 30K for 5 days. I had a degree, accountancy exams and 12 yrs experience.

In my opinion anyone can do a job like this if they have an aptitude for figures. However, in my experience a lot of people don't want this type of work, as it is too much pressure & deadlines. Also if people are prone to making the odd mistake it can make the job impossible to do (e.g. mistake in someones wages, trying to correct it the following week, mistake in accounts can make the bank reconciliations very difficult to do) As you are working alone, you have to get all the work done. This can be stressful, if you take hols/get sick. Also before you go on hols you must do 3 wks payroll in advance.

I was working down the country. Unfortunately 30K is all employers are prepared to pay, esp. in family run/small companies.

I would recommend you moving to a larger company to get more money. I know this is easier said than done, but go to an agency & start having a look round

HTH