I'm just about to get promoted at work but they are insisting that it's company policy to put me on probation for 6 months with a salary about 18% below the full rate. I've never experienced this before, and as THEY recommended me for promotion what is the purpose? Apart from saving money....
Anyone else come across this before?
Tony
Posted on: 16 August 2007 by JamieWednesday
It's potentially a way around last year's changes to employment laws, whereby it's now illegal to discriminate between different people doing the same job (on basis of age, colour, sex etc.). The same piece of legislation specifically allows those who are potentially less experienced than others at the same job to earn less for a 'reasonable' period while learning, as productivity and costs are not likely to be comparable with experienced workers.
I believe the spirit of it though was more aimed at young workers, who naturally may not be as productive as more experienced workers, being provided with a probationary period and potentially lower earnings, such that the employer would not fall foul of these very age discrimiantion laws (for what most of us would consider reasonable circumstance). It seems to have been hijacked though for use on many new employees and internal promotions.
Check ACAS website for full details.
