To not negotiate a higher salary because I'm worried I'll look greedy

[Spearshake]

I have been offered a promotion to a managerial position, managing a team of 6 people. I was initially happy with the salary they had offered me (£46K), but my partner thinks I should ask for more, because who knows when the next pay rise will come, he says. My manager explained how they arrived at the figure, saying that the salary is in line with what the other managers are getting, but she did (twice) mention the difference in my experience and theirs, ie that they have only been with the company for a year and I have been here for 15 years. I am nervous to ask for more, because I'm worried what impression it will give them. My partner says it's business and they expect it. Is £46K a reasonable salary for this kind of role, given my experience, etc? For information, it's a US company and my managers are American. That's for cultural reference. If I do ask for more, how do I go about it?

Yes ask! The worst they can say is no. Just point out your additional experience / value to the business

It's greedy if you ask for say 25% more or 50% more, but something for your additional experience (let's say 10% as an example) I think is reasonable to ask for.

Men never seem worried about looking greedy and always ask for more which is probably why a lot are paid more

There is research that men very rarely think like this and that's a big part of the gender (sex) pay gap. It is literally don't ask don't get!

A man would never be wringing thier hands like this. Show them that you value yourself, telļ them that with your years of experience you think a 15% rise would be appropriate. That way you give space to negotiate.

They should be paying you for the job you are doing. I.e. the exact same job those others being paid more are!

Your partner is right. Men are never held back by worry about looking “greedy”. If they don’t think you are worry the money they won’t pay but they won’t hold it against you for trying.

Men do this all the time and never feel guilty. If you don't ask then you won't get it. Just say you were thinking that £50k might be more appropriate. They can only say no. I got an extra £7k just by asking!!

Have you managed a team before? Whilst exp within your company is valuable and has a price, so does a proven track record of leadership. My team managers are on different salaries depending on experience of both.

If you boss is American they will probably be more open to a frank discussion about salary, though it might be completely outside their control. There are ways to have a salary conversation without being directly confrontational: ‘I have done a bit of research (glassdoor, salary reports, etc.) and this salary seems low relative to responsibilities.’ Remind them of your broader experience, and data points on performance. If the won’t budge initially, ask about when the next salary review is and what metrics they will be looking at.

it's by ignoring this feeling and asking anyway that I've managed to get myself a very good salary. ALWAYS negotiate and start off higher than you think you should !

Do you think your manager was giving you an opening for negotiation by mentioning your greater experience relative to the others? Can you make the case that this experience makes you more valuable?

As employers we have done our research we know industry rates and we set our pay rates with a great deal of thought and analysis, so if you do ask for more make sure you know what you are talking about and have a good reason with some data to back it up.
A couple of people in our team have tried to negotiate using inaccurate information - which we easily proved to be completely wrong. One mentioned skills - which we expected as an absolute minimum to have for the role not something that deserved extra reward - tbh their negotiation tactics made them look bad not because it was greedy but because they had not done proper research and chosen the wrong thing to highlight - they looked ill-prepared and naive - which was worse than greedy as it made me question recruiting them. Our rates of pay are set to be generous, so trying to negotiate upwards when it's already 60% increase on their previous salary did look...greedy.

Have a frank conversation with your manager & say that you were expecting £50k given the role & your level of experience, so what can they do to get you that amount?

The worst that can happen is she say's it's not possible and you accept the £46k but if you don't ask, you don't get.

I would give the job your all for six months - show your increase in skills, and your suitably for the role. And then request a pay rise at your next review, with that progress behind you. Show them what you can do!

I agree on research and benchmarking, and also asking questions about the next salary review. Do you know what the historic uplifts at that grade have been?

Research broadly shows that the people who end up paid more are the ones who ask for more (to simplify it hugely). And there is a significant gender gap between those who ask and those who don’t.

DH recently started a new job and negotiated a 10% increase from the original offer, perfectly politely and no one thought he was being greedy. But he hated doing it and I had to convince him to ask! Shy bairns get nowt.

As employers we have done our research

Bold of you to speak for employers as a whole 🤨

"As employers we have done our research we know industry rates and we set our pay rates with a great deal of thought and analysis"

My arse!

Most peopen don't accept the first offer.

Look up salary reports for your sector and job title to see what the industry expectations is. Check Glassdoor also.

Just ask, what is the worst that can happen?
I ask every single time, most times I've got movement or when I haven't I've got a derailed explanation as to why not.

The manager is basically telling you to ask for more!

i would also add that in my experience (my own, dh and colleagues), you get a bigger jump when you move companies than through internal salary review. I would personally expect 25-30% uplift at a minimum to move companies, and have seen people get 50% more. Internal promotion is more like 25% max, and more like 10-15%.

Salary really depends on your industry and location, "manager" is too generic a term to be useful for salaries. Look up salaries somewhere like glassdoor.co.uk and use that to negotiate. There is no harm in saying you believe your 15 years at the company and equivalent salary comparisons suggests £52k would be a fairer rate, so you'd like to discuss the salary and benefits package further. Mention benefits as that leaves it open to agreeing a higher pension rather than salary if that's their preference.

Mmm there is, there's also research to show that when women do the same thing it can backfire, alas. We lie in a sexist world. I would look to ask after a year in post, if you're confident you can perform well, or even over perform - after all, women are generally also more efficinet than men!

Ask.

100% this - I worked in a similar corporate situation and learnt to be more proactive about describing and valuing my achievements. Felt counter to my cultural upbringing at the time: British, where understatement and nuance has coded meanings and female: taught overt asking is forward , impolite and somehow unfeminine. It’s not greedy - it’s business.