Q & A Table of Contents
They Want To Double My Load And Freeze My Pay
From: Juan, Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: I need some negotiation advice on how to best deal with a proposed increase to my caseload -- from 25 to 50 patients -- with no salary increase.
I've been coordinating the Hispanic Department at a substance abuse agency for 7 years. I haven't had a pay raise in the last 3 years. Management has said I've done an excellent job.
The proposed 25 additional patients are English-speaking. I have only worked with monolingual Spanish-speaking individuals. I feel comfortable working them but insecure
with English speaking ones.
I want to stay with the same group of people. I'm willing to increase the numbers (Hispanic only) but if they give at least a 5% raise. I make 12.81 per hour. I am 8 months away from getting a bachelor in Human Services and then eligible to apply for a substance abuse counseling license.
Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.
Response: There are multiple issues you raise that could
form the basis of your discussions with the people who are
making determinations about your professional future: the
size of your caseload, the language-group of your patients,
your rate of pay calculated on a per-patient basis, and
your upcoming certification once you get your degree.
You should undertake some research before negotiating: Is
the caseload being increased due to governmental or agency
budget cuts? Has the number of caseworkers been reduced?
Is there a sufficient number of Hispanic patients that
could be added to your caseload or are the English-speaking
patients being added because the demand is greater? Is the
additional caseload a short-term or long-term situation?
Have other caseworkers been faced with the same issues as
you?
You have done a very good job indicating your own interests
in the outcome of the negotiation: stay with your
‘preferred’ language group, keep the size of your caseload
manageable, and give you an appropriate level of pay. The
question is — what is driving the agency to propose the
steps they want to take? for example, does your agency have
an interest in expanding your skills so they can use you
with English-speaking patients? If this is the case, is it
a potential step up the ladder for you? Have budget issues
forced the agency into its current stance? Has there been
a sudden upsurge in the number of patients needing
services?
As you plan your negotiations, you also need to examine
your BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement).
After getting your degree and certification, could you move
to another agency (in the same area or someplace else) that
would treat you better: smaller caseload, Spanish-speakers
only, more pay, a management role? When you have an idea
of what alternatives are available to you, it will tell you
at what points in the negotiation you can walk away — or at
least threaten to do so.
Look for factors of fairness to you and other members of
your agency staff. Get the agency to consider the quality
of the care offered to patients who are being helped by
people who have difficulty with the patients’ primary
language. Ask the agency about the short-term and
long-term expectations they have for you — and what
incentives they can offer you to accept their proposal. In
effect, when they ask you to do something, you have every
right to ask, “How would you say this is in my interest?
What do I have to gain by accepting your proposal?”
When you are examining the interests of the agency it would
also make sense to look at the interests of other
stakeholders: the patients, the public, law enforcement
agencies, and others who will derive consequences as a
result of the decision you make.
Ask questions before you go forward with the discussions —
and then keep asking questions throughout. Try to figure
out ‘what is the point?’ of each issue and proposal that is
made. By keeping yourself as analytical as possible and
using your emotions on a tactical basis rather than letting
your emotions control you, the process should work out more
favorably.
Good luck,
Steve
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