Mailbag: Handling Wage Increases

Dear Ella,

For several years, I have worked for different companies in corporate America and I am growing tired of the poor annual increases that these large companies are offering their hardworking, dedicated employees.

For example -- I've almost always been given a high rating (4.23 on a scale from 1-5), and yet I continue to receive 3 percent increases each year. Last time I checked, this small increase was approximately the rate of inflation.

Bottom line is that it hardly seems worth it to remain hardworking and dedicated when employers give basically the equivalent of a cost-of-living increase, with almost no increase for performance.

Is there anything that Joe or Sally Employee can do?

Dear Is There Anything Joe Or Sally Employee Can Do?

Companies tend to pay what the market dictates for skilled employees. If you are not making the increases you feel you deserve, start researching what like companies are paying employees with your skill set (most job descriptions have a salary range attached). I'll bet you'll find that you're not underpaid at all!

Companies cannot afford to lose trained/skilled employees, so they strive to remain competitive by paying their employees what everyone else in their business is paying. In a flat economy, however, base increases are tricky.

Here are three ways you may be able to increase your base salary:

1. Take a job with another company (move out to move up);
2. Move into a job where a larger part of your base salary is commission driven (sales, business development, etc.);
3. Get promoted (when timing meets preparedness).

Dear Ella,

I'm going into my second year of college with no idea of a career or path to take. I've heard of tests that match you to several career choices. Can you tell me where I can get one of these tests? Thank you for your help.

-- Don

Dear Don,

I can't believe that you haven't thought of going to the Web for this information or to your career guidance counselor! Ever heard of the saying "seek and ye shall find"? Well, DO IT!

First, visit your career center at school -- they offer these tests regularly to their enrolled and alumni students and have already done the research on which one of these tests yields the best results overall. You can also access these tests on the Internet by typing in the words "career assessment" into any search engine, or by contacting your local library or major bookstore chain.

Dear Ella,

I am a full-time, salaried employee, working as a Computer Network Administrator, with an Internet streaming company in San Diego, Calif. I administer the network (including servers, routers, switches, etc.) to more than 10,000 servers operating in 56 countries worldwide. I am on call 24/7 to support these machines and any client services issues.

Recently my employer announced a new company cell-phone policy requiring employees to buy their own cell phones. Once the cell bill is itemized by the employee (personal calls vs. business calls), we turn in the receipt to the company for reimbursement.

My question is this, can an employer force an employee to apply for and open a cell-phone account? I think that since the employer wants me to be accessible 24/7, they should have to pay for that convenience. Can they legally compel an employee to comply with this policy? Is this policy fair?

Dear Is This Policy Fair,

While this may seem to you like one more way the system is getting over on the little guy, it's not an unfair policy.

A policy (by definition) is a method by which an institution is administered overall. Overall means that all employees are expected to abide by the same rules, not just you. More than ever before, companies today are looking for ways to manage their operating costs. In doing so, these companies have found that when the employee initially shoulders the cost of cell phone, credit card and other services directly, they tend to use better fiscal judgment and act more responsibly.

Dear Ella,

I have sent out more than 100 resumes and have not received a single call. My resume has been professionally done and I have excellent skills to sell. I am confident that I can make a good impression in an interview, but I can't get the interview! Help! What am I doing wrong?

Dear What Am I Doing Wrong?

One hundred resumes to 100 companies -- wow! I don't know 10 companies I would want to work for, let alone 100!

From your statement, it's clear to me that the problem lies with you and your lack of a strong work ethic. Look, it's not easy to do anything well, but in order to compete, you must apply yourself and commit to doing the necessary and time-consuming company research BEFORE you execute a job search. With all the public company information available today on the Web, there is no excuse for sending a resume to a company that doesn't fit your skill set or professional ambitions. A company is not going to help you define who you are -- you need to know this going in. Otherwise, what have you got to sell?

If you don't know what types of companies you should research, then admit that you are not yet ready to go out into the job market and retrench and re-evaluate.

Dear Ella,

My wife works for a county tax collector as a supervisor (one step below an assistant manager). When she began with this company, her boss sent her to a regional office where she was expected to perform the same job duties as an assistant manager but without the title or the increase in pay. Her boss told her that since she was just learning the ropes, she would have to wait until she came up to speed before she could be promoted.

It's been almost three years now, and while she still is doing the job of an assistant manager, she hasn't received her promotion or the pay increase that comes with it. She has consistently received above-average evaluations, but nobody can tell her what she must do to "be ready" to get the job recognition and pay raise she deserves. What should she do?

Dear What Should She Do,

She must ask her boss directly what needs to be done on her part to get the promotion she is seeking. The fact that she has remained with the same company for three years without "drawing a line in the sand" is telling; it says to me that she is not sure of her work or herself.

She needs to get aggressive with her boss and inform him that while she has been patient, she expects a promotion on her next review date. Don't threaten to leave, but start looking for new opportunities outside the company NOW. Sometimes, we have to move out of a company to move up.

On the other hand, she may be working for a "flat" organization (not many levels of management) -- and there are just no more open positions at the level she wants to move into or possibly her company may be scaling back on management and freezing promotions altogether in this tight economy. Remember, education + experience + skills + market conditions = value. Know your worth.

Next week: Mailbag

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Written by Ella Kallish.
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Ella Kallish is also available for corporate and group seminars.

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