Hi everybody, this is Mike Staver, this is Mondays with Mike, a weekly video series where I answer questions. Here’s this week’s question!
Dear Mike, I’m really unhappy in my job. Ok, so lots of people are. I’m an executive. I’m paid a lot of money, and when I say a lot of money, I mean a LOT. But, I am a woman and I am not as well paid as the guys with the same job. And yet I’m stuck. I’m seemingly unable to make a move that would be in my best interests. What should I do?
Well, I don’t know how long you’ve worked there, but if you’re being paid less than the guys for the same job, that’s darn near discrimination and not legal… so perhaps you have a conversation with the owner, the CEO, the HR department, whoever. That’s outside my scope, I’m not a lawyer, nor am I giving legal advice.But if I were giving you legal advice, it sounds a little funky to me.
Secondly, do you know why you’re putting up with it? Why you’re not changing? Because you are scared. You’re very scared of something. So, you need to determine what that is, and then you need to get an accountability partner who will hold you accountable for making a move that’s in your best interests. Forget the equal pay thing, you’ve gotta go handle that with the company, and that’s completely crazy if you’re doing the same job.
But I am interested in the fact that you tolerate it. Remember this: what you allow, you teach. You cannot allow the same behaviour to continue or you’ll teach it. So, a few things:
Number one. Get an accountability partner to hold you accountable for making the changes you want to make.
Number two. Go to HR, the CEO, the owner, whoever you have access to and have a conversation about the pay.
Number three: make incremental moves toward the thing you need to be doing instead of resisting it all the time.
Most important thing, accountability partner first.
Until next time, take care.
