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?

I would ask them for 50k and specifically speak to your commitment to the company! I would also look at your annual leave and see if you are happy with that. I had a promotion this year and was able to negotiate terms that make the job and new role much more palatable for having a more senior role and family.

Your worries are well documented for women, I felt the same. But this is also a really important part of lessening the gap that has and continues to harm women.

Also a point about child benefit - please remember if you getting several thousand more than 50k, that is likely worth far more than child benefit.

Ask. Annoyingly if you switched companies you would get more money. Your company would pay an external person more money and probably a recruitment company. Don’t be afraid to ask, in my company anyone who gets a promotion doesn’t get a pay rise the next time. So check that out as well.

I would negotiate with an American company. Can you look the title up on glassdoor and see the range? You should also be able to see other salaries for the company on glassdoor. "I'm excited about the offer and working on xyz! Can I ask if there's any flexibility in the salary? For this role, given the scope and responsibilities and with my x years of experience in x, it would make sense for my compensation to be in a higher range of 54k-58k."

I always negotiate and I've always gotten a higher than initial offer. Only once did someone hold it against me, but they still gave me the money and I was still promoted within two years. I know you're not necessarily interviewing with multiple people, but my mentor once told me that if the company is one that would be offended by a woman asking for a higher salary then it's not a great place to work anyway. I think I read that only 10% of women negotiate and that we leave thousands in lifetime earnings on the table. Get your bags girl.

I hope you'll update us if you counter. Good luck!

I didn't - do you always like to argue over nothing or is it just a social media thing?

The salary that they are proposing is a 10% increase to my current one, but I am not sure how relevant that is, given it's a completely different job role, right?

I have managed a team before, within this company, so I have that experience. I will add that point when I make my counter-offer.

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
Some.companies might do this but others will absolutely pay the minimum they can get away with. I have been looking for a new role recently and my current position the salary ranges anywhere from 40k to 120k (job descriptions pretty much the same and all local)

I'm sure most /some employers do their research, but I'm not sure it's the case with mine. For one thing, it's not the HR department that are involved with it, but apparently the CEO and CFO. Plus, each of the managers (my counterparts) are in different locations (one in the US, one in China), with varying degrees of experience, so it will be tough for them to create a benchmark, I imagine. The raise is 10% from my past salary, but a completely different role.

We had pay freezes in the company all through covid and not as many pay increases before that, so my original salary was pretty static for ages. Plus, they stopped doing annual reviews, meaning no pay increases.

How long have the others doing the job been there? If they just joined the salary is comparable and the difference would be experience but if they've been there a few years then I'd add inflation to their starting salary and assume you'd start on slightly more than them now as the big pay rises are generally when you move rather than year on year. I'm always disappointed when a woman doesn't negotiate as a man nearly always does.

I've had two face-to-face discussions with my manager already, and was planning to put my counter-offer in an email, so as to give her time to reflect on it, etc. Do you think better to set up a third meeting with her to discuss the counter-offer, rather than in an email?

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.

Your manager is almost literally TELLING you to ask for more and their offer is too low.

The are offering me a 10% increase from my current salary.

Oh and 10% increase when you go from individual contributor to manager of 6 is also too low.

Would recieving more salary affect any child benefit?

I think child benefit stops over 50k net? So, I'd have to add up how much child benefit I get per month, vs the increase.

Managing 6 people, 15 years of experience, American company???

I'd ask for 70k and try for 65k.

Re. 50k, good point. You don't want to shoot yourself in the foot, so ask for well above that.

The worst that can happen is they say no. They are not going to call you 'the greedy one' behind your back.

I don't think a 10% increase is appropriate given the increase in responsibility. It would totally be fair to be asking for more.

Ask for more. Definitely. Value yourself.

I’m firmly in the ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get!’ Camp.

Stress your experience and ability to manage and ask for at least £50k. I once asked for almost £10k more than my salary from a US company and they gave it me! I think that was because they didn’t have a pension scheme though. Weigh up the whole package too like annual leave and if there is anything that can be done in other ways if they won’t give it you.

Absolutely ask and if you can, have data to back up your market value.

Men wouldn't blink an eye. Women shouldn't either.

Good luck!

I'm not saying don't ask, just have sensible reasons. Could you get more elsewhere? Have you tested the market, would you move for more money? If you've been there 15 years they might think you're a very low flight risk. Not suggesting you threaten to leave - just know what your options are.
And don't be nervous about asking for more, a 10% rise at the moment is standard due to inflation - never mind taking promotion into account. In our industry women do ask and men don't always ask (although I don't doubt these statements are generally true but asking when you are already been offered a very generous rise isn't smart - you haven't been offered a generous rise, so speak up.

Wow, 10% is definitely not enough. It's like going from 41/42 to 45/46 for far more responsibility? Definitely ask for a 25% increase and maybe compromise at 20%.