Job not matching job spec: How to approach? 1

[mmenarry]

Okay, here's the situation:
I'm an env, health & safety officer in small/medium company (500 employees).

Recently (last 18months) I've been doing an increasing amount of what I would term "consultancy" work for our company. Find out the client's problem, come up with a solution out of options, scope & price & carry out the work. At this stage, I'm now doing this on a 5 days a week basis, mainly long-medium term projects (6-18 month).

Very different to the EHS Officer role I'm supposed to be doing (although a lot of those responsibilities still have to be carried out by me, on top of the rest of my workload)

I broached the subject with the boss a while back - the salary expectations for the role I'm currently doing, as opposed to what I'm "officially" employed for would be a magnitude apart. I was basically told that "everyone has to grow with the company". Fair enough, but why can't my paycheck grow with the company as well?

Any ideas how to proceed with this? The company is a great one to work for, so I don't want to leave. I do however feel that I'm being taken advantage of here. The turnover brought in by the work I'm doing would more than cover the salary requirements, so it isn't a budget issue (annually, I'm bringing in about 20 times what the role would pay in turnover).

Mid annual review coming up, would like your thoughts folks.

M.

 

[HVACctrl]

Not sure what you mean by "turnover" and bringing in 20 times that.

I think you should approach the subject again during review. Be sure to do some research on similar salaries and be sure that you let them know that you know a lot about what your compensation should be and how much you are worth.

Try to be sure that you leave them with a feeling that you want to benefit the company and that you feel a sense of "ownership" in the company.

Good luck!

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[mmenarry]

Sorry, bit muddy there in the language!

Difference between current salary and a reasonable salary (done my homework) for the work I'm currently doing would be about $20K. I brought in $400K in turnover in the last year through this sort of work. So budget restraints shouldn't be a problem!

The boss is aware of my value, just seems reluctant to acknowledge this through salary, as I didn't get "promoted" to the current "job" I'm doing.

It's a bit like the usual pay-rise negotiations, only on a larger scale. I could cross my arms, go into a huff and say "well if you don't want to pay me for it then I don't want to do it!" and have my A well C'd. But that wouldn't be a productive discussion!

M.

 

[HVACctrl]

I sort of think of it as a step function. Its not ideal, but it is what it is often times.

This is what I mean:
You do a $50K per year job.
You take on more responsibilities that are worth maybe $60K.
For a year you do this added value work.
At the end of the year, once you have proven you can handle it, they give you the $10K bump.
Then you do another $5K in work.
After a perid of proving you can handle this, they bump you another $5K.

My first job out of college was like this. I started WAY low, but got two raises totalling 32% within 1 year. Hopefully it works out something like that for you if not better!

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[jmw]

Use the review to explore your expectations and their expectations of you.

Make sure you know what your work is worth to the company.
Does the work you are doing bring in collateral business i.e. are there added benifits from the work?
Does it help retain clients?
Does it contribute to the business in other ways?
Is it delivering a disproportionate overhead recovery?
The actual value could be more than the billable value.

Try and undertsand this business asa long term proposition: is it just a temporary thing? is it at saturation level or can it grow?

Now think what you want from this and what you can contribute to it's success.
Does it warrant more resources, even a direct report to take over the work you were hired to do (at a lower salary since you will direct this work, i.e. become a manager)? Will it warrant more people in the future?

If you take "ownership" and provide a well presented proposal that your boss can rubber stamp, it will make him look good and that is half the battle. He will then listen to what you want. AT the moment you don't have anything to sell.... you are doing the job for a cut price salary....so if he pays you more he has to win something in return....

Bottom line: be realistic. Realistic about this work, its potential and your potential.
If necessary try and provide some win/won options he can chose between....

OH yes, it can always end up in tears so quietly have your CV/Resume up todate...

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[mmenarry]

Thanks jmw, that's just the stuff I was looking for.

He's already got one bit of his cake, I'll just have to tempt him with more of the same!

The angle that it helps get/keep clients is a good one, should have rememebred that really.

Thanks!

M.

 

[johnsmith2]

mmenarry,

How much they pay you? 50K

 

[mmenarry]

About that, more or less inc. benefits.

M.

 

[Ashereng]

Sort of a bit of "bait and switch".

If you feel strongly you should earn more, and your boss does not want to pay you more, despite your negotiations and demonstrations of your worth to the company, then you only have one decision to make, and that is:
Do I stay or do I go?

If you don't want to leave, then you will be stuck earning what your boss wants to pay you.

Ultimately, this is always the question to be answered.

Good luck!

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[SylvestreW]

best approach is to show you are making money. too many people try to qualitatively explain how they benefit a company. I say, do it quantitatively.
show how much money you are making. Show what others are being paid. Show what the company will lose if they lose you.

Bottom line, you can wave hands and allude to all sorts of things, but cold hard numbers can't be argued. If after all that, they choose not give you a raise, then you know for certain you can be paid more elsewhere.

 

[winpop123]

You say the company is "a great one to work for".

If they aren't paying you for your work then you have to deciede are the other great things worth it to stay. In my experience some of the more stable and "slower" companies won't pay so I chose to leave and take on more risk.

Good luck getting a pay raise.

 

[KENAT]

I'm tempted to refer you to my thread on Explosive Departures but it doesn't sound like the route you want to take.

 

[KENAT]

One other thing. Whatever you do be carefull and think it over before hand and make sure it's what you want to do.

My wife did something similar at her job. Her office had gone from about 7-8 staff to 2 1/2 and she had picked up almost all the slack. She asked for adjustment to supervisor level (government job) for the extra duties. Not only was it turned down but when she suggested that she be relieved of some of the extra duties because the added stress etc was affecting her health amongst other things she got threatened with dismissal being told she'd do what ever duties her boss told her to. There was a lot more to the story than what I put here but just be carefull.

In a commercial environment you hope you'd be able to earn what you're worth and that it you bring in significantly extra money by expanding your job description that you'd get rewarded accordingly but I can't guarantee it.

I'd certainly be looking elsewhere just in case it doesn't work out.

 

[Ashereng]

Also remember, it is not just how much money you are making for the company - I am sure you do make a lot. It is also how much the next guy is willing to be paid to do what you do.

If you make $100,000 a year for your company, and demand $20,000, it sounds reasonable until you find out someone else is willing to do it for $10,000.

Off-shoring anyone?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?