Workscripts by Stephen M. Pollan & Mark Levine

Author:Stephen M. Pollan & Mark Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780470912645
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2010-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

The most effective way for you to get a raise, whatever the economic environment, is to get a new job. You are worth more to another company if, in addition to bringing with you your skills and abilities and contacts, you also are taking them away from a competitor. Even in the most dire economic times, most companies are happy to poach a rival’s key people.

Many people use such an external offer as an opportunity to extort an equivalent increase from their existing employer. While this is almost always effective (after all, your employer sees your move to a competitor as a double loss in the same way the competitor sees your coming on board as a double win), it’s a gambit that comes with a very large risk. Your employer, even while matching the outside offer, will almost certainly change his or her perception of you as an employee. Rightly or wrongly you will now be seen as being more of a flight risk than anyone else. As a result, you may find yourself number one on any future hit list.

In today’s environment I believe you have two options. If the outside offer is sufficiently attractive, simply accept it and move on. If, however, there is some reason—perhaps location—why you’d prefer to stay with your current employer despite the increased risk that comes from successful extortion, you need to receive some kind of security guarantee.

However, to ask your current employer for not only a raise, but a contract or termination agreement, as well, is double extortion. Asking for the security assurance is apt to be perceived as a slap in the face. You’re implying that you don’t trust your employer not to retaliate. Truth is, you don’t trust them, nor should you. But openly acknowledging the fact isn’t going to go over well. The solution is to blame it all on the outside company. Say that their offer to you includes a termination agreement as well as a raise. There’s no sense lying about this, since you really should insist on some kind of protection when you’re thinking of leaving a company you’ve been with for a long time in order to take a better job elsewhere.

If you’re going to use an outside offer as leverage for a raise at your current job, the best time to have the discussion is early in the morning, before normal business hours. Don’t schedule a specific appointment: that smacks of preplanning. Instead, show up at the manager’s office unannounced, saying you have an important matter to discuss and asking for a few minutes. Rather than selecting a particular day of the week, have this conversation as soon after you receive the offer as possible. The more this appears to be a spontaneous event, the more likely your manager will believe it was unsolicited. See Workscript 5.2.

Workscript 5.2 Requesting a raise

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