UPDATED: Demystifying Salary Negotiations
Try not to think of it as a scary power play, both for a new job and at your current one
We’re coming up on that season where letters of agreement/contracts will be issued. It has been very interesting during my years as a senior administrator and head of school to observe the various strategies and tactics people use to approach salary negotiations. Some are extremely nervous and apologetic. Others try to barrel through and have it all be about toughness. A small percentage of people are straightforward and direct.
As someone who has tried all these strategies in my own salary negotiations, I can empathize.
For the Carney Sandoe Women’s Summit, I did a video session providing some food for thought on the dynamics of salary negotiation and suggestions on how to rethink your approach to make it less stressful for employees. This is less “three top tips for getting the money that you deserve” than “salary negotiation is an opportunity for skill building and data gathering.” Ideally, you emerge feeling heard, fairly compensated and you’ve sharpened some professional skills. At the very least, you’ll gather some crucially important data. This is the article version of that presentation.
“Julie, even reading this makes me feel uncomfortable…”
Yes, it can be nerve wracking to talk about money, particularly for women, where (in my experience) there is often an assumption in a mission driven, non profit organization that you’re not in it for the money - you’re in it for the greater good. If you were a filthy pragmatist, you wouldn’t be working at a school, right? Also, it’s pretty common to hear independent school folks say they’re just “not a person comfortable talking about money” or people even take on a school’s fragile financial situation in a churning economy as their own personal responsibility. You don’t want to be seen as a greedy guts.
Part One: Negotiating for salary in your current job
Many schools and nonprofits frequently use the “family” metaphor to describe the nature of the organization. Money is often a fraught issue in families. Use of this metaphor doesn’t help to see salary negotiation as a morally neutral aspect of professional life. And whatever the language used in the school culture, “loyalty” often feels like the #1 value that is expected from the faculty and staff.
However, on the flip side, if you do not perceive you are fairly compensated, resentment can fester. You step up all the time without being asked because you want the kids to have the best experience. And if something needs to get done, often an administrator is coming to you because they know it will get done. You also suspect some people who work less hard are getting paid more. And then you think - if this school really valued me, I’d be getting more than the cost of living raise!
So I am here to tell you - heads and administrators are not mind readers. Hopefully there are expressions of appreciation along the way, but they will not assume you’re unhappy with your salary when creating those new letters of agreement for the next school year. Heads and administrators, in general, both know more, and less, than you think. Chances are, they know the gossip and murmurings going around about school wide changes or decisions. However, there’s much less of a chance they know you or anyone else is personally frustrated with their salary. It’s not personal and they’re not trying to take advantage. (And if the school culture protects people who DO try to take advantage, well, that is data for you to think about.)
If you are unhappy about your salary (cash) or overall compensation (salary plus benefits), you may be pleasantly surprised when you go in to discuss this with your supervisor. And this is an opportunity to build your skills. It is part of professional life to voice questions about your compensation and the organization’s compensation system. And the more you talk about money and other benefits in a professional setting, the better you get at it.
Self-reflection to get clarity
Before the meeting, do some focused self-reflection and ideally, write down responses to these questions, with details as specific as you can make them.
Do I feel valued by the school? Why or why not?
Think about explicit messages (evaluations) and implicit messages
Do I think I am fairly compensated? Why or why not?
What do I hear from peers and friends?
Do I understand the compensation system at the school?
What is my intention? This impacts what will make you feel valued.
To advance professionally?
To achieve a certain salary or increased overall compensation?
Is there an alternative to cash compensation that works for you -
professional development, campus housing, etc.
To get clarity on where you fall in the compensation system and what levers might be available in the future?
If it’s to get to X salary/overall comp - do you have an idea of a change in duties or additional duty that might help you get there?
And definitely communicate if you are seriously considering leaving. There are ways to do this that don’t feel like a threat. Often at a school, there can be few ways to climb the ladder if you are really interested in exploring a department headship or academic administrator position and there are long time people in the positions who are not planning on leaving anytime soon. It is fair to share your thoughts as to your goals and ambitions with your supervisor - and how it relates to compensation. There are a million reasons one might consider leaving a school to consider another opportunity that won’t come across as “Give me what I want, or else.”
Keep in mind, if you have felt under-appreciated for a long time at your school - it may not be about your salary. If you want to talk about ways you and other faculty could feel more appreciated and perhaps intentionally part of decision making that impacts you, that is another topic entirely and whatever happens in the heads office, if it is focused on salary and compensation, will leave you feeling unheard and unsatisfied.
Collect and reflect on data
It can be hard to gather data on comparable salary at other schools. Related to the issue of “loyalty” is that often educators don’t share salary and compensation information. It is perfectly permissible to share such information and the silence doesn’t help anyone.
It is generally much easier to use your networks to at least gather information as to workload - course load, expected coaching/extracurricular duties, class sizes, etc. Administrators have tools such as NAIS’s DASL but that is also self reported and incomplete and likely still needs some parsing and interpretation. But go gather what you can! It’s important to get a feeling for how your comp stacks up. Also keep in mind you want to find as many “apples to apples” as possible - so schools with similar sized enrollments, in the same parts of the country and similar costs of living, etc.
And then there is the qualitative data on your school’s culture
Here are a few questions to think about:
Does the school have a clear, published compensation system?
Do supervisors encourage conversations about agreements (contracts) once they are issued or is it at least understood faculty and staff can have a conversation after agreements are issues and before signing?
Do people openly talk about compensation or is it a “no go” zone?
Is there an administrator you trust to ask advice before “the meeting”?
Remember - this is all data - and whatever your answers, don’t let this hold you back from scheduling a conversation with the right person if you are not feeling properly compensated. In an ideal world, it is not weird to talk about money or workload as you are deciding to sign agreements. If it is weird and difficult, though, this is data for you to think about - and think about whether this culture is still the right fit for you.
You’ve thought about where you’re coming from and you’ve gathered your data - you’ve made your appointment for the discussion.
Prepare for the meeting
Don’t wing it. You don’t need a seventeen slide presentation, but have your ducks in a row.
Be honest and think about framing. Keep the relationship in mind.
Some thoughts:
What you love about your job
State your intention for the meeting
Your questions about your current compensation
Any relevant “apples to apples” comparisons
Questions about the compensation system itself
It is fine to point out ways you go over and above
Make a note of any assumptions you have and turn them into a productive question.
Your assumption: Administrators know I was hired years ago and am still behind on the current salary scale.
A question: I was hired so long ago - where would a new hire with my experience land on the salary scale today?
So what am I thinking on the other side of the table?
First off, as a head, I talk about money all the time and I am aware that I am much more comfortable with it than, likely, you are. I respect the fact it takes effort and gumption to come in and initiate negotiations with the boss.
I will try to help the conversation along as much as I can and ask questions to get to the root of what brought you to make this meeting. Please don’t assume that I am completely familiar with everything on your plate this year and I won’t be offended if you remind me. Be proud of what you do and what you contribute. Generally, unless I, or another administrator, have sent unambiguous and documented signals that the school has found your performance lacking, assume I want to work with you and it’s not an adversarial situation.
There are realistic limits due to either the boundaries of a published salary scale or the school’s budget - or both! - that may prevent me from giving you exactly what you want. And I am happy to discuss changes to your workload that might increase your salary or non cash salary options such as professional development. I see these conversations as ways to talk to people about their experience as a community member and contributor to the school and how we can “get to yes” together.
What I have not found particularly helpful…
Generally, data presented to me that is not “apples to apples” is not helpful. I try to point this out kindly but directly. I also don’t find vague expressions of perceptions of being unappreciated or undercompensated helpful. Don’t get me wrong - these feelings are certainly valid. But if the goal of the meeting is to make progress in feeling fairly compensated, we need to have a conversation rooted in the concrete not the abstract. Remember - this is certainly not playing “gotcha” but it is a professional negotiation. I will be as candid as I can about what I can do, and if you are interested in higher compensation and you’re in line with the salary scale, it may mean taking on additional duty or a summer project, etc.
I also understand that this is my perspective. I realize this is not how every administrator or head approaches this conversation. But if you have a negative interaction where you do feel it’s a power play or you’ve been shut down - this is data. It’s not because you were greedy or you screwed up. Be grateful you have this data now and you can use it to think about your professional next steps.
More than likely, if you get clear on your intentions and prepare for the meeting, you will leave feeling your negotiation muscle is stronger than before. Don’t give away your power - speak up, approach it as an excellent way to gather information, and then you’re empowered to make any next steps you want.
Salary Negotiations for a New Position - Some Tips
A lot of the above is relevant - do your homework, have your relevant data, and most importantly, remember that salary negotiations are a professional skill to be developed - you are NOT asking for a favor or special treatment, no matter how cozy the culture.
The best moment for negotiation is during the offer process. Get the full picture of the salary, benefits and duties and take some time to contemplate your requirements and requests. Be respectful of the school’s timeline and get clarity on that timeline if they are not being clear but if they pressure you from the get-go - that’s an important piece of data about the school culture.
It’s true - right now, it’s a job seeker’s market. This is a reassuring fact to keep in mind for salary negotiations but in some sense, it doesn’t matter how much the market is in your favor - you are looking for situation where you can thrive and do good work as well as make the most cash you can.
It’s perfectly fine to ask about a salary range when you are job seeking and before you submit a resume or get far in the process - but what’s the point? No money can make up for a poor fit. And be prepared to get a very wide salary range or a canned answer from the school’s published salary scale, if they have one. But this is probably not the whole story. If it’s a great fit, there may be creative ways to “get to yes.”
Pay attention and question your assumptions. Turn them into questions. School compensation norms, workloads and campus “face time” can be wildly different from one another. “Ex: It seems everyone here does bus duty?”
Of course, be collegial, professional and polite. But it’s not your job to make the person offering you the job comfortable. You are an accomplished professional. You have a life and practical considerations. Don’t leave money on the table.
Pay attention to what the negotiation process tells you about the culture of the school and the school’s leadership - if it doesn’t feel like a good process where you are treated with quality attention, seriously assess if you want this job. Leaders have nothing to lose by explaining why you would be such a great fit or discussing different avenues to “get to yes.” And they have little to gain by acting impatient with your questions. If that happens remember - it’s not you; it’s them!
A piece of wisdom from my dad: “If a job doesn’t feel right going in, it’s not going to get better.”
One final thing: It takes practice to get comfortable with new skills. If you can practice just a few of the many tips in this article, you have built your negotiating skills. Feel good about it! Next time around, you can add a few more.
Julie
Social media post cover image - by Alexander Grey on Unsplash