Shared salary with coworker and think they resent me for it

LegacyUser

Hoping for some advice as there is a situation with my coworker who I previously would have got on really well with and joked around with. A good few months ago this coworker was chatting with me and informed me that everyone in the company was on different packets and that everyone in our department had different salaries. This is my first proper job out of college so I was shocked and without thinking, casually told him what my contract said I’d be earning when I first got the job.

There was immediate silence from him and I felt a sense of awkwardness. For a good few weeks after that, he basically ignored me at work and I felt so much tension in the room, so much so that if I needed help with anything I neglected to ask him as he wouldn’t even look at me and when he did speak to me, he was extremely abrupt and sounded annoyed. I can only come to the conclusion that my salary must be higher than his. This was made worse by the fact that the office is tiny and there’s only me, him and four other coworkers always in the room.

After a while, things seemed to return to normal and he resumed chatting and joking with me as before. He’s now informed me and another coworker who he is very close to, that he’s job hunting and can’t wait to move on. Lately, I feel that he still has a lot of resentment towards me and I have a feeling he’s told the other coworker that he talks to about the situation as they too are now very vocal about moving on. A few weeks ago I was jokingly complaining about something and he said quite seriously to me that at least I didn’t get rejected me from the job that I wanted. There’s also some days that he will be very short with me and will barely speak.

Does anyone have any advice? It makes me dread coming into work sometimes as i feel like a couple of the other coworkers also know about the salary issue. I wish I’d never opened my mouth and it’s just made things really awkward

Scarinae

It sounds like your colleague has misdirected anger - he should be annoyed with the company management for underpaying him, not with you. Maybe you negotiated your contract better when you joined? And honestly, good for you for getting a good salary.

A few years ago I accidentally found out that a colleague on a lower rung was earning more than me. I took it to management and said I was unhappy with this, and outlined my reasons. The next time a pay review came up, I pushed for a higher salary and we came to a compromise. But at no point did I snipe at my colleague, bitch about her to other colleagues or make the atmosphere uncomfortable. Your colleague sounds very childish.

MrsBean

Do you have different qualifications and/or levels of experience which would validate the range in salaries?

Batgurl

Did you post about this before?

HildaOgdenx

Similar thread here, it might help.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058010029

JustAThought

HildaOgdenx wrote: »

Similar thread here, it might help.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058010029

never share your salary, benefits or bonus with anyone ever in work or related ir friends
with anyone in work. Hard lesson learned -you can’t turn back time.

adam88

Long time out of the private sector but it’s a big no no there. Everyone is one different wages. Public sector is totally different, very easy to find out what someone is on

MartyMcFly84

Your colleague is being childish.

My advice to your college would be not focus on others or they could drive themselves mad with negativity/jealously and to focus on themselves, and what they can do to improve their current situation.

leggo

You’re going to get this kinda stuff a lot as you progress in your career, it’s part of life. The best way to deal with it is just accepting that it’s their problem, getting the head down and carrying on with your job. If someone makes it impossible for you to do your job by ignoring you, then deal with them by being direct and sticking to the point “I’ve asked you to do this, is there any particular reason you haven’t/is there an issue?” There’s no real other way: you can’t get rid of professional jealousy, you can’t hinder your career for the sake of getting on with others, getting bogged down in their passive aggressive behaviour will only harm you. Carry on with your job, be sound, be direct if necessary and things will work themselves out.