Why does my colleague earn more than me?

How do I get a higher salary? I deserve to earn more! What should I do to get paid more?

Øyvind Kyrkjebø is the subject manager at NITO Privat. He believes there are mainly seven things you can do: 

• Document the successes of your work
• Know what the others earn and compare your salary with others in the workplace
• Use NITO's salary calculator and compare your salary based on type of agreement area, seniority, industry and the like 
• Ask for a salary review where you focus on the criteria you are assessed by and where you highlight all the good things you do
• Raise your skills - it can also pay off in terms of salary
• When you are a NITO member, it is important to have a good dialogue with your union representative, who speaks on your behalf to the management
• Ask for a separate meeting with your immediate manager if there is a suspicion of major biases that cannot be explained. Management may have the opportunity to take extraordinary measures

- To understand why your colleague has received a better salary settlement than you, you first need to find out if you are comparable, Kyrkjebø explains.

- Ask yourself the questions if you have:

• the same amount of experience?
• Same type of job?
• Equal competence in both education level and prior learning?

- The key is to compare yourself with colleagues who have the same type of tasks, and to talk to colleagues about your salary. If you find out that you are lower than others, you should bring it up in a salary discussion," says Kyrkjebø.

- Ask your employer for an explanation as to why your salary level is lower, without mentioning names. Then you force an explanation and can enter into a dialogue about what you should do differently in the future. 

NITO wants wage differentiation between individuals because it results in greater wage growth for the group over time. 

- Each NITO member is assessed according to individual criteria, such as competence, skill, flexibility and responsibility, etc. These are assessments that are about how the individual does their job and the qualities they have in their job.

- You must be aware of what you are being assessed on. By setting wages in this way, each individual can influence his or her salary. A good employer uses an active salary policy as motivation for employees to perform at their best. 

- It is important to be aware that in some years you may receive less than other NITO members because the employer has chosen to emphasize some special criteria during this particular period. It doesn't have to mean that you've done a bad job. Next year it may be your turn.

Read more about NITO's salary policy

- The emphasis requires that the employer has a system for knowing how employees do their job and what kind of skills the individual employee has. If this system is in place, you avoid traps such as snout supplements.

- In the salary review, it may be stated that you should, for example, take more responsibility or courses to raise your skills. You have a responsibility to follow up on this.

For the vast majority of NITO members, it is the union representatives who negotiate a framework for the salary that is to be distributed. The employer is responsible for distributing this framework. After the distribution, union representatives can assist you in getting a good explanation from your employer about why you received the salary you received.

- Contact your union representative to find out more about how salary negotiations and distribution are carried out in your company.

Check who is the NITO union representative at your workplace (Requires login)