I Was Told "No" To A Pay Rise... Until I Resigned

Illustration by Virginia Gabrielli.

In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young women more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here. Published stories receive £100.

Age: 29
Location: London
Current industry and job title: Sustainability communications manager, financial services
Current salary: £62,000
Number of years employed since school or university: Eight

Starting salary: £21,000 in 2015.
Biggest salary jump: From £45,000 to £62,000 in 2022.
Biggest salary drop: N/A

Biggest negotiation regret: I should have pushed for a salary increase earlier. I knew I wasn’t earning enough, as I did a maternity cover role where I was expected to do the same amount of work but for significantly less pay.

Best salary advice: Discuss your salary. I got a significant increase because I found out my male colleague’s salary, which was totally out of line with mine. People often are coy or say not to compare yourself but I was open with my manager about the issue and it led to a pay rise for me.