Annoyed that you’re doing the same work as a colleague but that you’re getting paid less? U.S. News columnist Alison Green offers five possible explanations. Some are beyond your control — maybe you were hired when the job market was worse. Another might sting a bit: “Your work isn’t as good as you think it is.” (Also known as: Your boss just isn’t that into you.)

It’s obviously not an ideal economy in which to even out such disparities, but you do have some options.

Do some research on industry norms for your particular work in your geographic area and see where your salary falls relative to those markers. If your research shows that your pay is roughly in line with what makes sense for your industry and the only issue is that your co-worker makes more than you, you can still ask for more, but be open to the idea that the pay raise might not happen. That’s not an insult, just a pretty typical result of the way different people negotiate different packages.

Have you been in a situation where you felt you weren’t being paid fairly compared to a co-worker? If so, what did you do about it?

Photo: amagill