Wage negotiations
thefairydandy
Posts: 3,235 Forum Member
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Hi all,
As some of you may remember, I've been pretty unhappy at my job for a while now. I'm currently planning to leave (provided my boyfriend does not lose his job), as I've been suffering stress related migraines and headaches for around 4 months now and I have one rule - if a job actually gets me put on medication, it's time to look elsewhere!
Just got some quick questions about an upcoming pay review, which will almost certainly happen before I give notice. I want to get the salary I deserve, no matter how long I'll actually stick with it. I've anonymised the following figures, but they're approximately correct.
My salary is 25k. I expect a minimum of the standard 10% payrise, which would take me to 27.5k. I believe I deserve at least 14%, taking me to 29k. I am doing the work competantly, including picking up the slack for others, and have met or exceeded all goals. The work is also bringing in the company 150k per year, of which I'm using just 13% on completing the work. I'm currently paid below industry standard for someone in my position, and have several opportunites to earn more than 27.5k, so there's no reason to accept it. If they were to hire in expertise, they would not be able to spend less than 28k I believe.
1) If I get offered the desired 29k anyway, should I still negotiate? A higher salary would give me better negotiation with a new employer, but I would have a harder time justifying it and I would feel the 29k salary fair anyway.
2) They're a very paternalistic/maternalistic company, and they tend to presume a lot about employee finances and always try and decide what's best for people rather than giving them a choice. They've given me a hellish time recently, and I'm considering somewhat deviantly exploiting this tendency. They assume my boyfriend is on megabucks as he's an accountant (but only earns 2k more than me), and as I mentioned, he may lose his job. I was thinking of dropping hints about this before my review, to see if it helps at all! I know they kind of assume that because I'm a girl and he's an accountant that I'll just be looked after on his salary, and they do seem to 'cater' to guys they see as providers. One the one hand, I'd feel guilty about being manipulative, but on the other, they wouldn't be susceptible to it if they didn't hold these attitudes in the first place.
Thanks for reading and any advice in advance.
As some of you may remember, I've been pretty unhappy at my job for a while now. I'm currently planning to leave (provided my boyfriend does not lose his job), as I've been suffering stress related migraines and headaches for around 4 months now and I have one rule - if a job actually gets me put on medication, it's time to look elsewhere!
Just got some quick questions about an upcoming pay review, which will almost certainly happen before I give notice. I want to get the salary I deserve, no matter how long I'll actually stick with it. I've anonymised the following figures, but they're approximately correct.
My salary is 25k. I expect a minimum of the standard 10% payrise, which would take me to 27.5k. I believe I deserve at least 14%, taking me to 29k. I am doing the work competantly, including picking up the slack for others, and have met or exceeded all goals. The work is also bringing in the company 150k per year, of which I'm using just 13% on completing the work. I'm currently paid below industry standard for someone in my position, and have several opportunites to earn more than 27.5k, so there's no reason to accept it. If they were to hire in expertise, they would not be able to spend less than 28k I believe.
1) If I get offered the desired 29k anyway, should I still negotiate? A higher salary would give me better negotiation with a new employer, but I would have a harder time justifying it and I would feel the 29k salary fair anyway.
2) They're a very paternalistic/maternalistic company, and they tend to presume a lot about employee finances and always try and decide what's best for people rather than giving them a choice. They've given me a hellish time recently, and I'm considering somewhat deviantly exploiting this tendency. They assume my boyfriend is on megabucks as he's an accountant (but only earns 2k more than me), and as I mentioned, he may lose his job. I was thinking of dropping hints about this before my review, to see if it helps at all! I know they kind of assume that because I'm a girl and he's an accountant that I'll just be looked after on his salary, and they do seem to 'cater' to guys they see as providers. One the one hand, I'd feel guilty about being manipulative, but on the other, they wouldn't be susceptible to it if they didn't hold these attitudes in the first place.
Thanks for reading and any advice in advance.
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Comments
I wondered this, There is rarely such a thing these days, They will pay you as little as they can get away with. If you are replaceable then be careful making demands
I was wondering that too (given my recent annual pay rise was just 2%).
And yes, I know this is very generous compared to other companies, but I really can't stand it here any more. I'd happily take a salary dip or stay at the same pay level in a better company, but this is about getting what I'm worth to them.
I can't understate enough how horrible I find it to work there.
My pay rises in the last 5 years have been 0%, 0%, 1%, 1% and 1.5% so having 10% every year must be really hard to cope with.
If you want to leave then walk away but I don't see you have any reason to complain about their pay policy. Many people have hardly had a rise in years.
Gauge how much you think you're worth by looking at other job adverts and start looking for jobs you think you're able to get. Wage negotiations with a new company shouldn't depend on your old salary.
I am asking for answers in the context I have given, no more. I do not want to have to state again how utterly miserable this job makes me and how I'd be willing to take a pay cut or move to a company without payrises to be happier in my work.
You have just answered your own question. You need to leave due to your health, why make it worse? Yes It is a job that pays quite a lot but you don't want to detoriate and then end up not even being able to work.
Don't think about the payrise as at the end of the day it won't help you in another job. Just look for a new job and when you find one apply, if you get it great and then you won't be at the job you don't like.
Good luck
Thanks for your reply. They're a bit funny really, they claim to want to foster long term staff, but completely ignore any suggestions for improvement. I will be the fourth member of staff to leave from 10 in 6 months. They only seem to keep hold of those who see it just as a paycheque.
I've got a couple of grad schemes I'm looking at that pay more than the standard increase. With open jobs it's a little more patchwork according to which skills I'd apply, but it's something like 24-28 in range. I put myself at the higher range as I think that in order to replace both my main functions they'd have to pay the higher end, even if they could find someone with both skillsets.
Yeah, it just stung when they chose to completely ignore the rest. I seriously wouldn't be jealous of someone who told me they were miserable, their health was suffering and I might have to stay in this job for a while if my boyfriend loses his.
I am sending my cv out into the wild tonight, for the first time in 3 years.
Yeahbuddy - you're right, I need to put getting out of the job for my health first. I will almost certainly have this review before I give my notice though, as I won't do that until I have another job. I feel like leaving on a high.
It depends what the pay is to start with. It's much better to earn £40K and have no pay rise than earn £10K and have a 50% rise.
It would be great if instead of percentage rises the media talked more about how much people actually get.
But 10% - phew, in my wildest dreams !!
2) I wouldn't personally feel bad about doing that because it's ridiculous that they think men deserve to earn more. I would be very careful though, unless you handle it right you could come off looking really bad.
That makes a lot of sense - well it doesn't it's a shitty way to run a company but you know what I mean, it's highly likely that this is true.
The whole "paternalistic/maternalistic company" would drive me nuts. The idea that my circumstances & relationship should in anyway have a bearing on what I'm worth would really annoy me.
My advice to the OP is if they offer you the straight increase and you feel you deserve more - try and push for a bonus. If you can evidence that you've made them x or saved them y and this was above & beyond what was expected from you they may be more inclined to a one off bonus rather than a higher pay increase that's compounded every year.
Last crappy job I had they gave me a zero pay rise as I was earning above "market rate" - they did throw me the sop of a 2% bonus however.
I raised this in my exit interview, they seemed surprised that I took the attitude that if I stayed on there for more than a year they had made a fool of me whereas if I left two months after the bonus...
I doubt it considering it's only £25k
Haha, yeah. I don't think it's much to brag about. It's a tidy sum and plenty to live on, sure. I think it's a social scandal that I'm earning almost the national family wage by myself, but that's a subject for another day!
There's some very helpful advice guys, thank you.
Re. Point 1, I think I need to look in detail at the numbers for the savings I've made. I've looked at some jobs and am applying for quite a few, even ones I don't especially want to see which stick.
In terms of my importance to the company I think I hold quite a strong hand because we're a small company and there are a few important functions that only I know how to do, so my worth may be higher to them than I could command elsewhere. Not that I'd stay. it's when not if now.
Re. Point 2, in fairness to them I don't think it's pure sexism because one guy is married to a dentist and they see him as taken care of. It's a level of interference and presumption that is totally out of line. I don't mind exploiting it in principle, but I kind of feel like I shouldn't encourage that behavior.