My company did a rather large round of layoffs recently for “restructuring”. And of course most of the employees who were laid off had long tenures with the company. When this one guy was laid off I was pretty flabbergasted because his role is extremely essential. Turns out, a few days later they inform me that I’ll be taking over his position, as they’ll be eliminating most of my department and outsourcing our work.
Well that was six months ago. While the work for my previous role has decreased, I’m still doing the work of two people, and received a 3% raise, which is a fucking joke. Now it’s time for my annual review and I want to address that I essentially am doing the work of two people, for even less pay than before. But I would like to go into the conversation knowing what this previous employee was making, because I’m sure it was a hell of a lot more than I’m making, as his job title typically has higher pay than mine. And he had been with the company nearly 15 years.
Him and I have always had a great working relationship, and when he initially reached out to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation I was happy to write one for him. But I’m not even sure that he knows I’ve taken over all of his past responsibilities. Would it be totally rude for me to message him and ask what his salary was? And if it’s not too rude, how do I ask that in the most respectful way possible? As far as I’m aware, he has not yet found another job. I don’t want to be pouring salt in the wound.