Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I switched careers about four years ago to work on health policy and public health. For the past two years I’ve held a position of middling seniority in the public health team of a local council. In terms of hierarchy I am on the third level, behind the director of public health and public health consultants. After such a short time in this field I consider this to be a great achievement.
As a result of health reforms, public health moved from the NHS to local authorities. Those who transferred from one to the other kept their NHS pay. People who joined public health after the move in 2013 are on local authority contracts which are lower paid and always have been. As a result, my pay is lower than that of colleagues on the same level. That’s just how it is and I can accept that.
However, as part of another restructure I’ll likely be pushed down a rank. I will do the same job with the same duties and responsibilities as colleagues on my level but who have higher pay (and who get to keep their titles and positions), and will be expected to continue to do so in the future.
While I keep my pay, I can’t help but thinking that this will look like a demotion (it isn’t – my recent appraisal did not raise any issues in terms of performance) and hard to explain on my CV.
If this is the outcome of the restructure, should I accept this or resign? Should I not worry too much about the title and emphasise the things I have done, bearing in mind that public health can be snobbish and job titles can play a huge role in establishing credentials? I’m leaning towards the resigning, although jobs are not that easy to come by.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
