you need to ask for a raise — here’s how by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 I’m constantly alarmed by how many people tell me they’ve never asked for a raise. They feel awkward about initiating the conversation, or feel like they never get an opening to do it, or they’re worried they’ll sound greedy, or they just have no idea how one would ask for a raise at all. Instead, […] Read the full article →
our boss’s high salary is tanking morale by Alison Green on April 19, 2021 A reader writes: This is an odd question in that I think I know what I’m going to do (dodge it and run — I am a nervous creature) but I’m wondering if that’s ethically what I should do. The scenario is this: I work on a five person team for a nonprofit. It’s the […] Read the full article →
is a salary request 40% over the max enough to rescind an offer? by Alison Green on April 7, 2021 A reader writes: We recently made an offer to a candidate and I wanted to get your thoughts on what you would have done in this situation. Throughout the process, the recruiter shared the salary band and that the maximum was not flexible, and the candidate confirmed the amount that worked for them multiple times. […] Read the full article →
why do companies lead candidates on about salary? by Alison Green on March 29, 2021 A reader writes: I recently had a bizarre interview experience. I applied for a job that’s the same title as the one I currently hold, at another company that’s similar in many ways to my current one. I had a phone interview with the person who would be my boss at the new company that […] Read the full article →
is being salaried a scam? by Alison Green on March 9, 2021 A reader writes: I’m at the highest hourly position in my company. Most upward mobility for me at this point is becoming salaried, and as I’ve explored it, I am perplexed. As an hourly employee, I’m generally not working more than 42 hours on any given week. I get two 15-minute breaks and a half […] Read the full article →
my boss told me I’m “not a good human” when I asked to be paid for my time by Alison Green on March 1, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a professional firm that has a long history of devaluing non-partner contributions. Let’s just say we have problems: • The pay structure for employees is all risk and no reward. Salaries are artificially low, below market, supposedly because of our bonus structure. • If clients don’t pay, that comes […] Read the full article →
I got promoted, but I can’t get a fair salary by Alison Green on February 23, 2021 A reader writes: I was hired as an entry-level, salaried employee five years ago. After less than a year, a new position was created for me – not a promotion or lateral move, but an entirely new position, one with a different expertise. The salary for my original position was average, and my salary adjustment […] Read the full article →
our staff aren’t underpaid but think they are by Alison Green on February 23, 2021 A reader writes: I work at a nonprofit with about 200 staff. Staff constantly bring up how underpaid they are and ask for bonuses, cost-of-living increases, better benefits, everything. They take up a lot of meeting time talking about it, send all-staff emails, badger the board, send nasty emails to any committee that has anything […] Read the full article →
when asked about salary, I say “I’ll start for $X and earn the rest through merit” by Alison Green on February 16, 2021 A reader writes: Here’s what I’ve been doing when it comes to salary negotiation: When asked what I want, I’ll say something like, “I’ll start for $120k/year and earn the rest through merit.” How does that sound to you? First, I don’t care if they secretly budgeted $150k. Their budget doesn’t determine my value. I […] Read the full article →
I negotiated and got more money — why do I feel so weird? by Alison Green on February 10, 2021 A reader writes: An old boss of mine contacted me out of the blue for a position at his growing start-up that sounds perfect for me. I lost my job earlier this year so I have been seeking a position that is the right fit and this just kind of dropped into my lap, and […] Read the full article →