Money Matters
by Diana Ryall

Although money isn't everything it is surprising how many women are hesitant to talk about money with their manager. The data is still showing that women in full time positions equivalent to men are paid on average 83% of the pay that men receive. How can this be?

On the one hand extra money is not the reason for jumping to a new organisation unless you believe the position will be something you will really enjoy; on the other if you give the impression that money doesn't matter then your manager may consider that an increase is not important to you.

The laws have been quite clear for some time about equal pay for equal work. I would propose, and others agree, that this is because women don't raise the issue with their managers.

Questions like "What skills do I need to reach the next grade?","Is my role correctly graded?”. Do you understand the grades used in your organisation, and your full salary package? In a recent survey with a number of recruitment agencies, recruiters said that women rarely contacted them unless they were job seeking. Men on the other hand keep in touch. This keeps them abreast of the salaries and positions in the industry and builds a good firm relationship. Do you have two or three recruiters that are part of your business network?

When told that performance reviews are independent of money and that the review doesn't cover this area, I have a feeling that only women believe this. I don't know any man that doesn't believe that the performance review cycle is tied to salary.

Make sure you take the time to understand your organisation, your industry and build "money" into conversations with your manager.

Let's make equal pay a reality in the workplace.

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