Negotiating a Raise 4

[vc66]

I know, I know. This has been killed a thousand times. I've read all of the other threads about it, but I'd still value some opinions on the subject.

My boss just put in for my promotion about two weeks ago, and the time is coming to start talking about the raise that goes along with it. I've only been here for 3 years, and from what I've heard around the water cooler, there is a pretty standard 10% raise that goes along with a level promotion, which to me is bullocks. We didn't receive raises last year because of the down turn, and our pay was cut by about 7% for a few months. There have been no bonuses of any kind.

To make a long story short, I've been working on a LOT of different projects spanning different groups of the company... from engineering, to manufacturing, to IT, to our ERP system implementation. I've been doing a lot of work, lately.

If I get the 10% raise, that puts me in roughly the 25 percentile for my position level. That doesn't really sit well with me. I have a wedding to pay for in a few months, so I was thinking about negotiating a lower increase with a bonus. Not sure if this is ever done.

My question is, has anyone been in this type of situation before? How have you negotiated? Any particular tactics you found useful? Has anyone negotiating something in addition to a pay increase?

I know this is a verrry subjective issue, but I'd like to hear some anecdotal opinions on the matter.

Thanks in advance.

V

 

[ScottyUK]

Bonuses are usually discretionary. Paying the contracted salary isn't. Depends on whether you trust the top brass to honour a promise of a good bonus. Some places I've worked I wouldn't trust the Brass as far as I could throw an elephant, other places they were men of their word. The latter companies were great to work for.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[Ron]

Sounds like your boss might be a bit intimidated by you or perhaps threatened. Since he is not the decider, just the middle man, be careful of his actions and representations.

If you truly show your value to the organization, then don't be shy about pointing that out (without inflection, bragging, or overstating...just the facts, ma'am). If you have "flat spots" in your performance, be prepared to answer those...not with excuses, just awareness and a willingness to correct them if possible. Let them know that you know what others are making in comparable positions (not necessarily in your organization, though).

If it isn't enough...ask for more with clear conviction and expectation. Tell them you're not trying to "hold them up", but that you strive to be excellent and deserve to be compensated appropriately (assuming all of that is true!).

Good luck. Always be prepared to walk away, but don't threaten to do so. Oftentimes, the only way to get a decent raise is to change jobs.