salary

Everything you need to know about salary — how to figure out what you should be earning, how to negotiate it, what to do if you’re lowballed, and much more.

company said they’d base my job offer on my current salary

A reader writes: After a lot of hard work and preparation, the company I have been interviewing with called me today to let me know they wanted to make an offer! This job would be a significant jump for me in terms of both seniority and responsibility, and normally I would be thrilled and probably […]

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my employee asked for a 170% raise

A reader writes: I am a new manager, and one of my reports has asked for a massive raise. He has good reasons for wanting a raise: his responsibilities have ended up being very different than what he was originally hired for, he’s been doing very well with them, and he’s definitely paid below market […]

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is my boss taking advantage of the pandemic?

A reader writes: I work for a small company (less than 25 staff). Like many companies, they slashed everyone’s salary by 30% at the beginning of this pandemic and laid off a few people. They’ve said that hopefully get things back to normal as soon as possible, and our pays would return to normal. A […]

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we’re being asked to choose our own pay cuts

A reader writes: In the wake of COVID-19, my large company has been told that “tough decisions” are ahead, and that they would first start by asking us to to take voluntary pay cuts. The more of a pay cut that everyone takes, the fewer people will need to be laid off. Here’s the catch […]

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I earn more than my peers, and they’re not happy

A reader writes: Five years ago, I was hired in an entry-level role. During the initial employment offer, the company offered their base salary for a starting amount. Since I did my homework on the average salary of the role in this area, I countered with a number closer to the average. The company agreed […]

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I ask candidates their salary expectations and don’t feel bad about it

A reader writes: You regularly talk about how inappropriate it is for employers to ask candidates about their salary expectations without giving any salary information out themselves. Well, I am a medical professional, and, along with my partners, employ two staff in our small office. I became a small business owner/employer having received no training […]

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should we cut the salary of a disappointing new hire?

A reader writes: We hired an employee almost two months ago who seemed to have quite a lot of experience in our field (which is rare in our city). She asked for a higher salary than entry-level, which we were okay with giving based on her experience. Now, almost two months in, it’s become obvious […]

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