How do we know if we are underpaid?

[Krischaser]

Hi my husband and I worked for a family business for 20 years with health INS. And flex time but we never got raises. It was a trade off. Is there a way to find put if we ate underpaid? The new company kept us when the business sold--/same salaries but no health care. We are just barely getting by....

 

[Janet Hill]

Are you making less than minimum wage?

Can you readily get a better paying job, doing the same work?

If you answered no to these questions, you are not underpaid.

 

[NYCDiane]

There are websites that give you the salary range for the type of work you do in your specific area. That will tell you if you're making more or less than people in similar jobs to yours in your area.

I would request a raise simply because you no longer have the benefits you had from the previous owners.

 

[minnie1928]

At first glance, if you haven't gotten a raise in 20 years I think the odds are pretty good that you are underpaid.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yup. You're probably underpaid. So. Now you know. What do you expect to happen? You go to the boss and say "Hey boss, I haven't gotten a raise in x years. I'm underpaid." The boss says 'OK, but there's no money in the budget for a raise.'

If you don't like how much you make, go somewhere else. Just remember the grass is not always greener. If you get an offer from another company, your current company may be willing to give you a raise. Otherwise, why should they? Because it's the 'right' thing to do? lol

 

[DawnM]

20 years at the same pay????? Wow, yeah, you are underpaid. DH and I have been in the workforce for about 20 years now and both of us make more than double what we made (really about triple) in 1991.

Dawn

 

[bettymae1121]

20 years with no raise and now no health insurance? Odds are you are underpaid, but depending on the job market in your area there may not be much you can do about it at the moment. There are a couple of ways to handle it. First, you can go to your boss and just ask for a raise. If they have the money and if they value you, they might pony up. Or they may not have the money and/or they know there are hundreds of people right now willing to do your job for the same money (or less) and tell you "no". It may also make your boss think you're a malcontent. And even if they do come through with a raise, it doesn't solve your health insurance problem.

The other way to go has less risk as far as your current job goes, but will likely take longer. Dust off your resume (job hunts have changed a lot in 20 years, get help with your resume!) and start pounding the pavement. If/when you get an offer that's better than what you're getting now, you can go to your boss and give them a chance to meet or beat their offer. If they can't/won't then you take the offer, if they do then you can stay where your at. But again, if you stay you still won't have health insurance.

The lack of health insurance is very bad, of course. At least one of you should try to find work with benifits.

 

[drcmk]

20 years at the same pay????? Wow, yeah, you are underpaid. DH and I have been in the workforce for about 20 years now and both of us make more than double what we made (really about triple) in 1991.

Dawn

Wow, when you put it that way . . . I got my first "real" job in 1993 and I make about five times now what I made then in the same field. I do pay for my own health insurance, but we could never live on what I earned in 1993. It was good money then but below the poverty line now.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Hi my husband and I worked for a family business for 20 years with health INS. And flex time but we never got raises. It was a trade off. Is there a way to find put if we ate underpaid? The new company kept us when the business sold--/same salaries but no health care. We are just barely getting by....

20 years with no raise? Not even a cost-of-living adjustment? Unless you started out over-paid, there is no way you are not underpaid now. But your real concern has to be what can you and what are you willing to do about it? Not knowing the full story, it's hard to understand what's going on here.

 

[daughtersrus]

If you haven't gotten a raise in 20 years you are either underpaid now or were overpaid 20 years ago.

 

[Colleen27]

Assuming the location in your tag is accurate, you're probably underpaid but you should be grateful for any pay at all unless you're willing to relocate. The sad fact is that a LOT of people in Michigan are working for the same or less than they were making 20 years ago, and a lot more would be thrilled to find a job at their early-90s wages because it is better than nothing. Dwelling on how underpaid you are isn't going to get you anything but misery because odds are there is exactly nothing you can do about it.

My brother just interviewed this week for a job that pays 20% less per hour than he made at his first high school job in 1996.

 

[lillygator]

you guys were content with the pay for 20 years? that's just seems wild to me.

 

[Halle]

Yup. You're probably underpaid. So. Now you know. What do you expect to happen? You go to the boss and say "Hey boss, I haven't gotten a raise in x years. I'm underpaid." The boss says 'OK, but there's no money in the budget for a raise.'

If you don't like how much you make, go somewhere else. Just remember the grass is not always greener. If you get an offer from another company, your current company may be willing to give you a raise. Otherwise, why should they? Because it's the 'right' thing to do? lol

I too think you were underpaid having said that. DH and I own a business, pay our employees above average and pay health insurance. When an employee comes to us and states that they are leaving because of xy&z we never counter because we know that they probably won't have the same work ethic they once had if we don't fulfill their requests and they will still be looking to leave. My advice don't say you'll leave unless you are prepared to go,

 

[Lou Holtz]

We need more details here, OP. It doesn't appear to make sense.

 

[mistysue]

I have to agree that for Michigan, you probably aren't underpaid simply because it's unlikely you will find ANY other job, let alone one that would pay you more.