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One of the biggest misconceptions is that pay is personal. Pay is not personal.
When people think of pay they think “what am I worth.” Call it our need to be a beautiful and unique snowflake but this type of thinking is not in line with actual pay structures (unless you’re upper level management).
The truth is that very few people actually know what they should be paid. Even worse, they don’t realize that pay is based large
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Comments
02.13.09
A great boss once told me that a smart person can learn anything while a stupid person, even if they have a skill or two, can learn very little.
This is truer now than ever in our changing labor market. Get creative and figure out a way to make it known that you are capable of more. Stretch. Challenge yourself. Swallow your pride. Don't back down at pregnant pauses. Keep smiliing and remain confident in front of senior people. Speak with definitiveness. Show that you are a person of integrity, but also one who is able to make judgement calls with only a limited amount of rumination.
Do this enough times and you'll start getting jobs where you really are able differentiate yourself and demand higher compensation.
02.13.09
I gave up playing these salary games years ago. I am the only one that decides what fair pay is. By leaving corporate america and trading full time my income is soley based on my performance in the market and by no other factors. It is wonderful.
For most on Brazen freelancing is probably the best way to leave dated salary structures behind and command what you are worth.
02.13.09
Chad is right, the only way to really get paid what you are worth is to bring in the revenue yourself and pay yourself. Companies know how much they have to pay someone and if you want more than they could pay someone else who is just as good, then they're not going to give you more money.
I really like your point about pay not being personal. It's so true.
02.13.09
If you want to be part of the next layoff somewhere, hold a job where your value to the company is less than the cost to employ you.
Regrettable but often times I have found that the benefit of the position to the company has not be thought out - perhaps not even considered.
The position may have been added in haste and hasn't really been thought of as part of the equation in increased production or revenue. So at some point that payroll figure begins to appear as an expense without anything to offset it. Poor business management but something you should always be aware of.
Certainly there is not considerable or uncommon skill in greeting customers at WalMart. So there is a supply/demand aspect to consider. In such a situation being able to juggle while you greet is of no additional value to the company. Join a circus where they are looking for a juggling clown.
02.13.09
While forming your own company and paying yourself what you feel you're worth is a intriguing idea, you are still subject to the same dynamic.
If a potential customer isn't willing to pay what you charge for your services, or if they can get the same services from some other company for cheaper, you got nada. Recessions and cost cutting tend to accelerate this.
Of course, you can get other customers, but if you are charging consistantly higher prices for services and not providing something tangible for the higher price, business can be short lived.
02.15.09
First, I don't shop at Walmart - AT ALL - for precisely that reason. Perhaps if more people stuck to a certain standard, such as "Treat others like you want to be treated", Walmart would not be at the top of the Fortune 500.
While I agree with Ryan and Chad that bringing in the revenue and paying yourself is the way to get paid what you're worth, owning your own business or freelancing is not for everyone.
I value the consistency that my position affords me as well as the flexibility, benefits, and security - even in these hard times. Perhaps I am blessed that my employer treats me like gold and my raises have reflected my effort and my worth.
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