Seeing what our managers get paid is making me angry. How can I deal with this?

Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on workplace, career and leadership in her advice column, Got a Minute?

This week: growing anger over manager salaries, perceived nepotism and returning to the workforce after workplace bullying.

Having access to the salaries being paid to managers can be a blessing and a curse.Credit: Dionne Gain

I work in payroll, and I am trying hard to keep calm about the salaries I see managers being paid along with their yearly bonuses. I, and the rest of the staff, work very long hours and receive very small increases each year. It gets me so wound up every time payday comes around and someone has a new allowance or increase. The confidentiality is not an issue, it is the anger I feel. I do an excellent job, but I am really struggling with this.

This is a difficult one because while your anger may be justified, you are in a role that gives you a front-row seat to something most people never see, and with that comes the responsibility of seeing the data without it feeling like a personal insult.

I wonder whether working in payroll is the best position for your mental health? While you work in payroll positions, you will always be exposed to the salaries of people earning more than you. I suspect it will always feel unfair.

Perhaps you might reflect on whether your anger has increased over time and whether there is something else driving that. If you continue to feel so incensed each payday, I would think about whether you may have outgrown the role and could be best applying your skills in a different financial control position where you can broaden your focus beyond what others earn.

I work in the public service and a director in our area has just promoted her daughter into a leadership position. Her daughter was given a low-level position, so did not need to do entrance exams, but was quickly made permanent. She then applied for a leadership role several grades above, and was successful. She is in her mother’s direct reporting line. Isn’t this unethical and a breach of public service recruitment policies? Someone higher up signed off on it, so we were told we just have to accept it. It has created disharmony among the team.

Nepotism has been an issue since, well, forever, and this is no different. Putting aside the question of whether the daughter is qualified for the job, the perception of unfairness is the main reason why situations like this should be avoided.

There appears to have been a conflict of interest in the recruitment of the daughter. Most public services require appointments to be merit-based, transparent and free from conflict of interest. If your director was involved in the recruitment of her daughter, and didn’t declare a conflict of interest, that would be an issue.

However, it sounds like your director may have alerted her boss to the situation, so you should tread carefully. The relationship may have been fully explained, and the approval was given to recruit regardless. If you want to take it further, you could consider lodging a report with your department’s integrity or standards team.

I’m a highly experienced administrator who has always enjoyed a solid reputation as a resilient, top-notch operator. However, after several years in my most recent role, I ended up on WorkCover for two years following workplace bullying. I am now looking for a new role and I don’t feel it wise to be open about the injury, even though it is resolved now. What is your advice? Are there organisations more inclined to be open to people returning to work following such a situation? The shame and fear is difficult to let go.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. Sadly, workplace bullying destroys many people and yet here you are, ready to get back into the workplace. That takes guts and determination.

You don’t need to tell a future employer every detail of what happened, but instead share the truth, with boundaries. Perhaps you could say something about having taken time off to reset after a long stretch in a particularly high-pressure role. You could emphasise how you recognised you needed to focus on your wellbeing to start a role, like this one, stronger and more energised. Then focus on the future and all the ways you are looking forward to adding value.

If you feel you want to build your confidence and your resume before entering the full-time workforce once more, you might like to think about short-term contract work or interim administrator roles, which will also provide a bit more colour to your last few years in and out of the workplace.

To submit a question about work, careers or leadership, visit kirstinferguson.com/ask. You will not be asked to provide your name or any identifying information. Letters may be edited.

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