JAJT
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FASTLANE INSIDER
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The slowlane has it's own set of rules and tricks and most people don't know them.
Yes, I would agree that the slowlane sucks but what you attempted was done entirely incorrectly as well and what you experienced was entirely expected based on how you approached it. It didn't play to the rules of the slowlane.
My wife was told pretty matter of factly that a raise wasn't possible and her annual increase was pretty much capped at 1.5% instead of the max of 3% which "nobody gets, that's just how it is". Oh. Okay.
Luckily I knew a lot of the games and tricks and rules and we did some additional research to get all our ducks in the row before the play. The result? A raise, a promotion, and another raise within the span of a few weeks/months.
mindfulimmortal hit on what I'm talking about a bit earlier in the thread and he's bang on. Getting a good raise isn't a single meeting kind of play. There are hang-ups and excuses and sometimes very valid reasons (like budget) why it can't happen immediately.
Here's what we did (mind you this was for a larger company with well established hierarchy but many of the same rules apply):
- We compiled my wife's achievements at the company (numerous)
- We looked at the industry average for her position (higher)
- We determined how much work she did at her position (easily 3 - 5x more than anyone else, not even joking, it was ridiculous...)
- We contacted HR directly to figure out what the established corporate range for her position was.
We compiled all this and made up a nice "proof" folder that she could refer to in the meetings. Reports she ran, emails of praise, hr responses, the industry average stuff, everything. Printed and physical.
She requested a meeting with her manager. The topic was a "performance review". Her boss had no idea what she was in for.
The first meeting isn't about salary. The first meeting is about performance. It's getting your boss to admit how awesome you are. You get them to advocate for you, against their best interests. If you are a good worker and worthy of a raise, this is easy. People WANT to say good things about you when they don't think there's anything at stake. My wife, consciously and purposefully guided the discussion to get her boss to admit during a pleasant normal and casual conversation that:
- She was the best worker on the team
- There was nothing more her boss could think of that she could do to improve in her current position
- She handled an ungodly workload without complaint
- She was the most helpful person on the team, always willing to jump in and fix things
- She does duties well outside of her job description
- She gets constant praise from customers and other departments and other managers
- She is the definition of a "top performer"
At the end of this meeting, she says flat out that she really feels like she deserves a salary review to reflect her actual performance. This is uncomfortable and takes her boss by surprise because she realizes that's what this whole thing was leading up to. Oops. Oh well. Her boss goes on the retreat:
Boss: Not a great time right now, let's talk later (which means never)
Her: Let's schedule that meeting right now, are you free (date/time)?
Meeting #2 is a game of "F*ck you" ping pong. It's the "counter all the bullshit you will try to feed me with logic and facts" meeting. This is really a sales meeting by all accounts. They have objections and you overcome them, one by one, until the answer is "yes".
Boss: Raises are determined during your performance review at the end of the year
Her: That's a standard of living increase, and it's capped quite low, I want a separate salary review, which is quite different
Boss: We're paying you more than everyone else already
Her: Which is less than the industry average, which I have printed out right here...
Boss: We'd really need to do a formal performance review, not just a casual sit-down like before
Her: You said in your own words that I was the best on the team, I do more work than anyone else, and you don't think there's anything else I can do to improve, you did say that, right?
Boss: Sadly there's no budget
Her: Who determines the budget? When is the budget meeting held? Let's get a meeting set up today with that person before the budget is set for next year. Also, I do the work of 3 people and you even admitted it, right? I'm asking for X, which is only a small fraction of what 3 new hires would cost, right? If budget is a factor, paying me more is actually the cheaper option.
Boss: I wouldn't say you do 3 people's worth of work, I just meant you are a hard worker
Her: Here's a few reports that measure my output compared to the rest of the team, it's actually more like 4.6
Boss: Well we'd really need to get corporate approval, I'm not sure what we're allowed to do
Her: Already did that, contacted HR, here's their email and here's the range for my position
Boss: Well you're already right in the middle of that range
Her: Well you said I'm operating as a top performer on this team. Would you say it makes sense to give a top performer an average salary? Isn't that what the top of the range is for?
This goes on. And on. And on. The trick is knowing that they have a million excuses and you need a million answers. You don't let them shake off the hook.
Anyway, she got the raise. It took a few weeks (maybe a few months) but she never let them ignore it until it was done. If they needed a meeting she made sure it went into a calendar. If they fed her bullshit she fed them facts. Never. Let. Go.
When a promotional position came up a few weeks later (by chance, totally unexpected), she was a shoe-in because they knew they didn't have a leg to stand on if they said no.
One problem - they kept her existing salary. Oops. Another meeting. "Oh did you know that my current salary is on the low end of the range HR just provided me for my new title?
Boss: Ahhhhhh F*ck.
She got another raise.
Yes, I would agree that the slowlane sucks but what you attempted was done entirely incorrectly as well and what you experienced was entirely expected based on how you approached it. It didn't play to the rules of the slowlane.
My wife was told pretty matter of factly that a raise wasn't possible and her annual increase was pretty much capped at 1.5% instead of the max of 3% which "nobody gets, that's just how it is". Oh. Okay.
Luckily I knew a lot of the games and tricks and rules and we did some additional research to get all our ducks in the row before the play. The result? A raise, a promotion, and another raise within the span of a few weeks/months.
mindfulimmortal hit on what I'm talking about a bit earlier in the thread and he's bang on. Getting a good raise isn't a single meeting kind of play. There are hang-ups and excuses and sometimes very valid reasons (like budget) why it can't happen immediately.
Here's what we did (mind you this was for a larger company with well established hierarchy but many of the same rules apply):
- We compiled my wife's achievements at the company (numerous)
- We looked at the industry average for her position (higher)
- We determined how much work she did at her position (easily 3 - 5x more than anyone else, not even joking, it was ridiculous...)
- We contacted HR directly to figure out what the established corporate range for her position was.
We compiled all this and made up a nice "proof" folder that she could refer to in the meetings. Reports she ran, emails of praise, hr responses, the industry average stuff, everything. Printed and physical.
She requested a meeting with her manager. The topic was a "performance review". Her boss had no idea what she was in for.
The first meeting isn't about salary. The first meeting is about performance. It's getting your boss to admit how awesome you are. You get them to advocate for you, against their best interests. If you are a good worker and worthy of a raise, this is easy. People WANT to say good things about you when they don't think there's anything at stake. My wife, consciously and purposefully guided the discussion to get her boss to admit during a pleasant normal and casual conversation that:
- She was the best worker on the team
- There was nothing more her boss could think of that she could do to improve in her current position
- She handled an ungodly workload without complaint
- She was the most helpful person on the team, always willing to jump in and fix things
- She does duties well outside of her job description
- She gets constant praise from customers and other departments and other managers
- She is the definition of a "top performer"
At the end of this meeting, she says flat out that she really feels like she deserves a salary review to reflect her actual performance. This is uncomfortable and takes her boss by surprise because she realizes that's what this whole thing was leading up to. Oops. Oh well. Her boss goes on the retreat:
Boss: Not a great time right now, let's talk later (which means never)
Her: Let's schedule that meeting right now, are you free (date/time)?
Meeting #2 is a game of "F*ck you" ping pong. It's the "counter all the bullshit you will try to feed me with logic and facts" meeting. This is really a sales meeting by all accounts. They have objections and you overcome them, one by one, until the answer is "yes".
Boss: Raises are determined during your performance review at the end of the year
Her: That's a standard of living increase, and it's capped quite low, I want a separate salary review, which is quite different
Boss: We're paying you more than everyone else already
Her: Which is less than the industry average, which I have printed out right here...
Boss: We'd really need to do a formal performance review, not just a casual sit-down like before
Her: You said in your own words that I was the best on the team, I do more work than anyone else, and you don't think there's anything else I can do to improve, you did say that, right?
Boss: Sadly there's no budget
Her: Who determines the budget? When is the budget meeting held? Let's get a meeting set up today with that person before the budget is set for next year. Also, I do the work of 3 people and you even admitted it, right? I'm asking for X, which is only a small fraction of what 3 new hires would cost, right? If budget is a factor, paying me more is actually the cheaper option.
Boss: I wouldn't say you do 3 people's worth of work, I just meant you are a hard worker
Her: Here's a few reports that measure my output compared to the rest of the team, it's actually more like 4.6
Boss: Well we'd really need to get corporate approval, I'm not sure what we're allowed to do
Her: Already did that, contacted HR, here's their email and here's the range for my position
Boss: Well you're already right in the middle of that range
Her: Well you said I'm operating as a top performer on this team. Would you say it makes sense to give a top performer an average salary? Isn't that what the top of the range is for?
This goes on. And on. And on. The trick is knowing that they have a million excuses and you need a million answers. You don't let them shake off the hook.
Anyway, she got the raise. It took a few weeks (maybe a few months) but she never let them ignore it until it was done. If they needed a meeting she made sure it went into a calendar. If they fed her bullshit she fed them facts. Never. Let. Go.
When a promotional position came up a few weeks later (by chance, totally unexpected), she was a shoe-in because they knew they didn't have a leg to stand on if they said no.
One problem - they kept her existing salary. Oops. Another meeting. "Oh did you know that my current salary is on the low end of the range HR just provided me for my new title?
Boss: Ahhhhhh F*ck.
She got another raise.