I'm an Help Desk manager, supporting more than 100 users in a department of one. My official title is Computer Specialist I, and I have managed numerous projects in the last year in addition to my support duties, including migration from a very old version of Great Plains to the latest version. I have been assigned as the Project Manager to these projects and I delivered them successfully, however I realized that I am the lowest paid person in the IT department. I like my job and the company I work for, but my salary seems ridiculuos compared to the quality and quantity of the work I have been doing. What kind of approach would you recommend in a situation like this? My evaluation is due in 2 months, but a regular increase in my salary will be far from what I deem necessary. Is this a normal situation where an IT professional has become the "unofficial" Project Manager but still getting paid for a lower ranked job title? Saving Changes...
You certainly have a delicate, but non-unique situation on your hands. I have been in IT for over 17 years with over 11 years of management experience. Here's my advice from that vantage point.
First, do you homework. Check out www.salary.com. I have found this to be a valuable resource keeping my own salary in check as well as the salaries of my team members. As you investigate, try to keep to industry data versus your peers. Peers can tend to exagerate, you may not be aware of responsiblity or performance nuances between you and your peers that may explain salary differences, etc. I can tell you that inequities just exist. I try to manage them the best I can, but sometimes, people are just out of whack and it takes me a while to true it up. You might be in this boat.
Second, take a look at the market around you. It is a healthy part of anyone's career management to see what other market opportunities you have. It doesn't mean you will necessarily take another opportunity, but it helps ensure that you are where you want to be from a compensation and responsibility stand point. It also creates a great leverage point in you upcoming negotiation. BTW, keep this search between you and close friends. Management does not need to know.
If the first two steps show you that you are indeed underpaid, you will need to take it to management. Here's how I would approach that.
First, prepare your position on your value to the organization. What have you delivered? What was the quality? Was it on time? Was it on budget? How are you doing on any performance metrics you might have? What do your customers (internal or external) think of you?
Second, arrange the data you gathered in your homework. What are the definitions you used to calculate industry salary numbers and why? Did you get any offers in your direct market search? What were they?
When negotiating, I would put this spin on it. Open with your concern that you are not being compensated appropriately for your contribution to the organization. Present your case. 1. Present your deliverables, performance, etc as you see them. 2. Present the market findings you have. Tell your manager that, since you were concerned about your compensation, you decided to take the opportunity to do some market research to confirm or allay your concerns. Tell him/her what you found. 3. If applicable, tell your manager that you've received a few calls from recruiters or friends, etc and that you have been offered thus and such position for whatever salary. If you truly want to continue working where you are, continue the spin that you would rather continue with your current company, but you are concerned about the inequities you have found. 4. Be prepared to hear what your manager has to say. He/She may have specific reasons why they have you at the salary they do. Be prepared for negative feedback. Stay objective. 5. If your manager believes your salary is appropriate or if they say they cannot meet your expectations, you will need to make some decisions. First, I would ask for a plan from your manager. What do you need to do to demonstrate your abilities so that you and your manager agree on your value? What do you need to do to advance to a level you are targeting? What is his or her plan to compensate you appropriately? Then you have to decide if you believe your manager or not and do you want to take one of the other opportunities you found in the process.
Sorry if I rambled, but it is a delicate situation. If you have a mature manager, they should handle the situation just fine. Best of luck.
One last tip. If, in your job search, you do not turn up any suitable other opportunities, don't make one up. Just leave that part out of the argument. I had a team member years ago come to me asking for a raise and he used the argument of another opportunity for more pay. I didn't agree with his arguments and his other opportunity didn't exist. He was highly embarassed by getting caught in his deception. I don't recommend letting this happen to you. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Thank you for your long and detailed reply. Fortunately, I did not have to do anything, a raise offer came by itself from out of the blue! -of course, with added responsibilities: besides of my Help Desk, Project Manager, Report Administrator hats, now I have to supervise the Network Admin. We spent 2 hours with HR trying to figure out a title that would cover all these areas. Any ideas? :) Saving Changes...
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