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I have worked for a multinational company for 3 months now, but we are only 4 people in my local department (including the manager).

I am not unhappy with my salary, but it has come to my attention that the two others - excluding the manager, are having a higher salary than me, relative to our experience and education, and for this reason I would like to get a salary discussion so that I get on par with my coworkers. It should be noted that me and my coworkers are having complete different backgrounds and work areas. This gives me two questions:

1) There is nothing written in my contract regarding when we are having salary discussions. So, what is the best way for me to approach my manager, about having a salary discussion?

2) When we are at the salary discussion, is it obviously a bad approach to mention coworkers salary, when negotiating a raise. My question is, how I should approach this discussion when I am not underpaid compared to industry standards, but just compared to my coworkers?

EDIT:

I dont see how 1) is explained in the link to the duplicate question, and as thus, I do not think it should have been closed of that reason.

Acarbalacar
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    Why do you think it's a good idea to compare your salary to the salaries of your coworkers who have different backgrounds and do different work than you do? Before your joined, did you compare the offered salary and benefits with the salary and benefits provided to people like you at other company in a similar field in your geographic area? – Thomas Owens Sep 28 '17 at 11:41
  • How do you know your colleagues have a higher salary than you? Were you discussing your salary with them? Don't do that. – Brandin Sep 28 '17 at 12:30
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    you now know that you (kinda) failed at the initial negotiation. Go ask for a rise but do not mention others. – Caterpillaraoz Sep 28 '17 at 13:46

2 Answers2

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Every worker is unique, so comparing your salary to that of your coworkers is not necessarily a good barometer of how much you're worth. If you wish to do such a comparison, look at other job performance metrics specific to your job or industry: Are you more productive? Do you get better results? Do you work longer hours? Etc.

That said, in the United States, salary adjustments customarily occur annually, though there's nothing inherently wrong with asking for adjustments more frequently. Just know that the answer will more than likely be "no," and after only 3 months, the request may not be well received. Many businesses run on strict budgetary guidelines, so they can't just give raises out of nowhere. So if you do wish to receive an "out of band" adjustment -- and you believe you're entitled to it based on some metric of job performance -- be prepared with alternatives: will you accept a promotion with perhaps different job responsibilities? How about a better benefits package -- more vacation time or the privilege to work remotely more often? Are you willing to threaten a resignation (Note that this is a nuclear option that will almost certainly engender ill will, but it IS an event that allows a manager to pursue salary adjustments)?

Personally, my recommendation is to build your case and present it at your annual review. Show that your performance warrants a better-than-average salary increase.

bvoyelr
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    Change 'owed' to 'worth'. If you agree to sell me something for 100 dollars, then you are owed 100 dollars. It may be worth more, however. – Brandin Sep 28 '17 at 12:34
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Three months is not long enough to have proved you're worth a raise regardless of the reason unless there are exceptional circumstances.

But in your case there is no reason, you agreed to the remuneration you get and what your colleagues make is not relevant. Further down the track you will have a better chance of negotiating more money, but in my opinion even bringing it up now will work against you. Your boss may think you're not worth keeping and start looking for a replacement before they invest too much in you.

Kilisi
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