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Lack of Opportunity at work - Am I being discriminated against?

NAS96423

I'm reaching out for advice regarding a challenging situation at work. I've been with the company for nearly two years (as of October 17th) in a fairly independent role overseeing marketing data for our global recruitment business. I am fairly gifted with numbers, so its been great! 

Shortly after joining, my manager left, and I unofficially assumed departmental responsibilities. Over the past 18 months, three job opportunities within our department have arisen. Despite my interest and unofficial performance of these roles, I've been either ignored or told I couldn't apply. These positions offered salaries 10-25k higher than my current compensation.

Recently, a new 'Global Head' from a competitor joined our department. While I understand my experience is primarily EMEA-based, not APAC, a new position has since been advertised with a job description 95% similar to mine, offering 25k more than my current salary.

Prior to the new Global Head's arrival, I proposed several ideas and practices to improve efficiency and reduce costs. These suggestions, including one that saved the company over 600k last year, were largely ignored or dismissed. However, the new Global Head has implemented many of these same ideas, including bringing in a new supplier I had tried to for a long time..

Despite my contributions, I haven't received a pay rise in two years due to supposed budget constraints. Yet, the company continues to advertise roles similar to mine at significantly higher salaries.

Because of my autism, I find these conversations challenging. I'm passionate about my work and have dedicated myself to this role, but I feel my progress is stagnating while new hires are brought in around me.

Has anyone else experienced a similar situation? I'd greatly appreciate any advice or insights you could offer.

Thank you

  • I'm not allowed to publish my recomendations for managing workplace conflicts, apparenlty they break several laws, pretty much all of the site rules, and are offensive to anyone of a decent and reasonable mind. 

    I can however heartily recomend that instead of feeling justifably aggrieved, you put that surplus mental energy into leanring and practciing the fine art of sarcasm and genrally taking the p*** and getting away with it every time. 

    We autists can be really funny, both accidentally and in my case deliebrately to the N.T's With a bit of collecting of anectdotes, watching sarky comedies like one foot in the grave and people watching, it doesn't take long beofre one knows what to say to subtly establish who's the daddy in the conversation whatever the mangerial status or paygrade. BE very careful when taking teh mickey, don't over do it (fatal) or get caught by someone who's way beetr at it tthan you.

    Ive managed to find amusement in many otherwise crappy and hostile environments simply by saying what the peole who are going to get promoted if they pay their cards right think but dare not say..It's kept me going for long enough in dead end jobs to find a better job, even if it tales years

    There will be much better advice below I am sure, but having the odd flash of rapier wit at work can really make up for an awful lot of crapola.

  • in reply to mrs.snooks
    mrs.snooks said:
    Soft-skills. Team work. Office politics. The neurotypicals just always seem to win at these.

    If the people getting the rises have these skills and the OP does not then it isn't really discrimination then.

    These skills can be learned - it isn't easy and comes at a cost to us mentally but if you are deficient in a key skill set like this, especially in a marketing team that is all about soft skills, then I suspect this is the cause of the issue here.

    I used to encounter this issue earlier in my career and found it easier to move companies and come in on the higher salary - the company I was with would normally suddenly find a raise for me that wasn't there before oddly enough.

  • maybe. It's more important to ask could you prove it? So these people they bring in for jobs you are turned down for (or are told you are ineligable for). Do they have anything on paper you don't? MBAs? Lots of managerial experence? (more experence than you aquired doing the job but with out the title?) Then it might be hard to make the case for discrimination in the promotion process.

    Discrimination in pay is another matter. If they are bringing in new staff at higher salary on a very regular basis but not upping your salary maybe that's discrimination, if you can argue that it's because of some sort of perseption of you that's linked to your autism (eg issues with your people skills)

    Here's a key question. are other people hired around the time you were getting raises? If they are that looks suspicious. If not it might just be an unfair buisness practice. ... Not every unfair buisness practie is ilegal but discrimination is.

    This is not legal advice though and given the amounts of money involved you should probably talk to a lawer if only for a one off consultation.

  • in reply to mrs.snooks

    Thanks- I honestly, don't know what I can do more to progress! I don't think its intentional but, honestly, I don;t know what to do anymore! 

  • In answer to your question. Yes I believe you are. I know that there is always that self-question, am I being paranoid about what is happening? But we all know the statistics that this is how it is.

    Soft-skills. Team work. Office politics. The neurotypicals just always seem to win at these.

    I know I sound perhaps bitter and that I am paranoid about these things, but I do believe that this is how it is.

    For me, I am in the lucky situation that I am more borderline with being unable to work, so i am in a slightly different position. And I am resigned to how 'it is what it is'.

    I don't think I have any advice, but you might have read elsewhere that I have found the DWP Access to Work Scheme helpful and I am currently finding an audiobook interesting - called 'Just the Job'.