Q & A Table of Contents
I Have The Information, But Don't Know How To Use It
From: Lori, Palmyra, NY
Question: I work for public industry and my individual contract is due to be negotiated by 6/30/01. My question is how to go about getting a fair salary and determine what's appropriate to ask for?
I work in the personnel office and unfortunately I know what ALL district employees are earning!
My other problem is that in my office of 2 persons, the other individual has had her job responsibilities cut down to a quarter of what was previously done in her position. She is making at least $10,000 more than myself. I have at least twice as much responsibilities....
Response: If you know the pay details of all employees in your district, that is certainly not something that is unfortunate; it is a distinct advantage that is a consequence of your job. Compare your pay with others whose seniority, responsibility, and skill levels are most like yours.
When you enter negotiations over your salary, your knowledge should not be used in an arrogant way: "I know what everyone gets paid and therefore you must pay me $XXX." A wiser approach is to ask questions ahead of time to find out what is likely to drive the decision-makers conclusions about your future pay.
Ask questions during the negotiation process itself. You'll have enough information in your head to know whether you're getting honest answers or not.
As regards your colleague who is paid more for a less responsible job, are there any issues that differentiate you that may have a bearing on who gets paid how much? Again, seniority and skill level may be relevant. But there are also questions about whether there is any sort of non-job-related issue that enters into the picture. Matters of some sort of discriminatory practice, union membership, family or other personal relationship can all have a bearing on pay. If there are objective differences between you and your colleague should be fairly clear to you and will help inform you of your capacity to influence the outcome based on those issues.
Having knowledge before entering negotiation is a great luxury. Use it creatively to develop your strategy. Also think about what alternatives you have if the company doesn't pay you according to what you think is fair. Can you get a better job situation someplace else within the company? at another company? in a different industry? Knowing when you can walk away from a negotiation because you've got something better in your pocket gives you considerable strength.
But, again, the knowledge you already have gives you a great advantage. I hope you can use it well.
Good luck,
Steve
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