Q & A Table of Contents
They Want Me To Do More Work Now, They 'May' Pay Me More Later
From: Joanne, North Carolina
Question: I am a social worker at the county department of social services. I have a masters degree, although the job does not require one. Currently, I am earning approximately $33,000/year which is slightly above the minimum salary for this position. In addition to my caseload, which is similar to that of my co-workers' in size, I am the coordinator for the preparation for independent living program. This is a state and federally funded program which can take considerable time when done properly. I do not get any extra compensation for this.
Now the director of my division is working to get an MSW student intern, for whom I would be responsible. This would require guiding this individual, and her learning experience, to make sure she gets the most out of her time at DSS and learns some necessary practical lessons as part of her graduate school experience. When the opportunity was presented I was told I would be 'compensated appropriately' at my next review in January by earning an "excellent" rating, which gives a raise of 2.5%.
First, I feel that this extra workload warrants a significant pay raise due to the extra responsibilities I will have in relation to my co-workers.
Second, I do not feel that an "excellent" rating approximately five months after the student comes to the agency is appropriate. The fact that I may be doing an "excellent" job has nothing to do with my increased responsibilities. In addition, I feel that the increase should come when the intern does.
My question is "How much of a raise should I ask for?" I would also like to know if you have any tips for negotiating this pay increase.
Response: I cannot tell you how much of a raise to request. What you may want to do is quantify the time and effort you currently expend on the job and figure out what percentage of your work time is taken for each constituent activity. Then calculate how much you are currently paid per unit of your work using such factors as time, effort, caseload, or whatever else you can use as a measurement.
With this in mind, you should be able to develop a sense of the appropriate price your employer should be paying for your services with your current workload. Then you should attempt to use the same unit(s) of measurement relating to the supervision of a student intern and add that factor into the salary for which you plan to ask.
One thing I would be worried about: if you do decide to use the student intern supervision as an element in your pay package request/demand, does that mean you are prepared to accept a drop in pay once that element of your job is finished?
Looking for a pay raise is always a challenge. However, if you have done a reasonable job of quantifying the value of your services, making appropriate comparisons with your colleagues' pay levels, and researched the job market in other governmental units or the private sector, you should begin to feel pretty confident about the numbers you are using.
When you approach the relevant authorities for a pay increase, you should not approach them as a victim, but rather as a valuable commodity that they have an interest in retaining and rewarding. If you express any emotion in your initiation of the discussion, it should be,
"I am not satisfied with my current compensation." rather than, "I feel undervalued (or otherwise victimized) by the way you are treating me."
You can say, "It is time now for a review of my pay. If you were in my shoes, what would you think would be the fairest way to deal with this?" Don't ask questions that can be responded to with a 'yes' or 'no'; ask open-ended questions to give yourself a chance to hear what 'they' are thinking. If you listen carefully, you should be able to use their expressions of their interests to formulate your approach -- and they are more likely to take you seriously.
Good luck with your efforts,
Steve
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