Finally got promoted but extremely disappointed about new salary

[Fressia123]

My amazing payrise was £1k!! And I now report to 3 different people, have to use my language skills and have to bring new accounts. (I went from entry level to account manager).

I almost want to cry.

As others have said .. benchmark the new role in other companies in your area or similar areas nationally.

Contact local agencies and see what you would be worth on the open market.

If you can, look at advertised roles within your company so you can get a feel for other rates of pay. You don't want to end up suggesting your role should be paid more that the department director.

Speak to a few agencies if you can so that you know whether you would be likely to get a better salary elsewhere and whether others are recruiting, this will give you a level of confidence in case you don't get what you want or will let you know of the market is tough and and you should tread carefully.

Do some business analysis of the increase in customers in the past year and show the value you bring to business or the value of additional income that your job will be supporting.

Try to stay clear of too many %s as you may well be already negotiating from an underpaid position so a 10% increase may still put you well short of the benchmarked level for your role and well short of the increase in business you will have to cover... if the business is doing 50% more turnover for the same staff costs, you deserve a cut!

Think about whether a review and further increase based on value of new business introduced would be in your favour.

Also think about how you pitch for new business and how you would present to the people you work for in your new job so that in this process you can showcase the skills you have to do your job well so they walk out of the meeting thinking, yes... this is exactly why we gave Fressia the promotion and she deserves to be paid accordingly.

Surely you're in a strong position because they want someone to do the new job now? Definitely don't start picking up they workload or you'll be accepting the job by stealth. I see this a lot at work. Especially women I'm afraid to say. Dangled a carrot of promotion, seconded, small ex gratia payment (so not pensionable pay),do a great job then surprise surprise, permanent job goes to a (usually younger) man.

Yes @Chateau that's part of my plan at my annual review.

Honestly - if it's not enough, dont accept it. Men dont.

But ok I don't accept it and then what happens? Btw they bumped it up to almost £21k

When is your annual review? Do it now. That's all very good advice from @chateamargeaux. Don't be downhearted, look at this as an opportunity. Even if you don't get what you want at this company, you'll have gained valuable knowledge of the worth of your skills a within the industry. You can use this as an springboard to something new, or identify training opportunities etc. Be bold.

Sorry OP, I'm in the same situation. Its shit.

I didnt even want the job but was pushed to apply for it. I thought I'd be offered the job and could accept or decline based on the conditions. Somehow they forgot to offer it to me, and next thing I know the whole company has been mailed about my promotion and I'm getting lots of congratulations. That was the first I heard of it. When I did eventually get a call from HR, I'm actually going to be down on money as overtime will not be paid anymore and the increase in pay doesnt cover the overtime i did this year 🤷‍♀️

@TheMobileSiteMadeMeSignup

Don't cry. Negotiate!

This!

‘Thank you for your email regarding the pay increment. My understanding is that I will be displaying the following in the new role
x,y,z. In addition I will now be responsible for 1,2,3.’

In line with these expectations I believe a pay rise of £x would be more suitable and aligned to the wider market.
Please let me know your thoughts/is there room for discussion/please provide relevant pay scale ...’

Depending on how aggressive you want to be.

Go for it!

Different industry and job role - but this happened to me too when I had an internal promotion. I just accepted it.

Shortly afterwards they attempted the same thing with a colleague (a man) and he instigated a negotiation. He was successful and got a much higher salary more in line with industry pay rates. He did have conditions added onto his contract such as a much longer notice period. It actually did him good I think because he was seen as a person to watch after this and given more exciting opportunities as they sought to get their moneys worth.

On a more cautionary note another person (also a man) negotiated a higher salary but had to accept some really unsocial shifts as part of it (he left within a few months it was such a nightmare).

If you are sales person anyway maybe they are expecting you to negotiate (and I assume that you are good at this already)?

I would be tempted to turn down the promotion as it barely seems worth doing the extra work for 1k!

Don’t turn down the promo, see it as a stepping stone op. You’re moving up the ladder.

You can also start to look for other roles as you move forward.

All of that for shy of £21k :/ I like the role though

Don't wait until your annual review... annual increases are likely to be percentage based. You need to start this job at a higher level. Get the words... your pay will increase from £20k to £21k out of the narrative. Get it reframed to say.. You have been offered the job of Account Manager at the benchmarked salary of £25k.

Can’t you just stay in your current role?

You need to benchmark your salary against similar roles in your local area, then arrange a meeting with HR and your boss.

Be prepared; show them the job specs and similarities to your role, and the salaries on offer. Speak about your plan for the new role and how you will develop it and get results. Then ask for the salary to be reviewed. If they say no, request a salary review in 3 or 6 months depending on target achievement.

You need to look out for yourself and fight for what you are worth - the salary is low for an AM position.

I think here they go for around 23-25k . My current role is soul destroying so I'd rather move regardless.

£21k? Including fluent in at least two languages. They're taking the piss.
It's not the length of time until Feb, it's the fact that the impetus for negotiation will have gone. You'll already be doing the job, what's in it for them to discuss your salary? It's now or never. I know it's scary, but it's normal to do this.

Have you looked to see what other companies are paying for the same role?

Do what a man would do. Don't accept "it is what it is". Gather some evidence and go back to them and say it's worth £25k. In the meantime, get your CV updated, start looking, think about how you can use your current position to enhance your skill set to take elsewhere.

I'm not in your line of work, but even £25k sounds too low for an account manager job and you should be getting some sort of bonus or incentive compensation as well for your results.

Here in the SW anything between £23k and £27k. My role doesn't say "Account Manager" but that's obviously what it is.

Don’t take the “promotion”. There’s absolutely no benefit for you in taking on so much extra work for practically zero extra pay. Loads of benefit to your employer though. You’re being taken for a mug. Don’t do it. Value yourself higher. They aren’t going to do it if you don’t.

@CarrotCakeSupprise

You need to say that the pay rise doesn't reflect the new duties, which you feel are worth X. Then negotiate.

Next time, give your pay expectations in advance!

This! You can definitely go back and negotiate. My DH has got 3 pay rises in this way - by arguing his new level of responsibility and impact on the company is worth more than they are paying him. In total he has doubled his salary over 5 years this way. It's a normal part of being a grown up and having a job - I know it feels awkward, but raise it with HR and your boss. You'll have to put together (a) a view on how much you want (always start higher than you really want so they have room to go down) and (b) reasons why you deserve it. Good luck!

If the responsibilities are comparable to things being classed as account manager elsewhere, show them this.

Hi

Thank you for the offer of x told at x salary.

Having reviewed the responsibilities & skills you require for this role, these are in line with those expected at Account Manager at our competitors, and typically attract a salary of at least x.

I am expecting to be paid in line with the market for these responsibilities. X is the minimum salary I am willing to accept for this role.

Kind regards

OP

Make sure you have researched job roles being advertised elsewhere and know what they are offering, pay wise. If necessary, contact recruiters and ask what they have atm, often the salary wont be included on a public job ad, but if you contact the recruiter and ask what is being offered they will tell you by email etc.

It's tricky as many companies are current struggling to keep afloat and there are many recently unemployed who would probably love your job. As harsh and unfair as it seems, you might just have to suck it up and be grateful for a job at the moment!