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Getting worked up over not being paid fa

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I never thought I’d actually get bothered by this topic so much as to seek help from my “peers” in the industry. I can’t lie to myself any longer though- I’m finding it hard to put up with being looked over at my company. How do you approach your managers (in my case the VP of MIS and the Executive VP and President) and make them understand how you deserve better, both in money and responsibilities – without insulting them? We are a small 70 employee company, I’m the only System Engineer. I manage the spending of MIS, I am Techsupport for the company, I also am the Network Engineer. You know how much I’m getting paid? I wish I wasn’t embarressed enough to put it here! I have two associate’s degrees, I’ll be MCSE in two months, AND I have 4years of Tech Support / Networking experience. Our company sells that we are “technology based” to our clients, but they don’t want to pay for the IT talent. Their are some supervisors here (only high school educations) who aren’t doing anything technical at all and the

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Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Hi Tom, I can actually hear your resentment while I read your post. Shold I assume some supervisors are getting paid more than you? Since you will have your mcse in two months, that’s a great point of leverage for you. You can argue: experience, willingness to manage many technical areas for the company, commitment to keeping yourself trained and updated (mcse),etc. Look at salary surveys for your region and your experience level (department of labor, salary surveys at big sites such as techies.com, monster.com, brainbuzz.com, guru.com. I would approach management after the mcse is complete (a new factor in negotiations). Make a presentation of what your job responsibilities actually are and the average of $$ made by people in similar positions, same area, similiar experience. Know the ballpark $$ amount and/or perks for which you would like to negotiate and be reasonable (they probably aren’t going to give you a $20,000 raise and don’t bring other employees into the mix. Be professional and don’t show an

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

(sorry, got cut off). Be professional and don’t show them you are disgruntled or you’ll be preceived of as a “smoking gun.” You may also want to sit down and document any extras you have done (come in on weekends to do server mgmt. or backups, etc. to further demonstrate your commitment. If manangement is unreceptive, it may be time to look elsewhere. Don’t complain about managment or the company; quietly begin your job search while still employed and still on good terms. With another employer you can argue you left because you reached your potential with your employer and you are looking for greater responsibility and perhaps opportunity (e.g., training for win2k). Good luck.

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Thanks for the advice, I think you are right I need to be logical and keep cool.

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Hello Tom,
I hear you!
I’ve been there and my approach has always been the quiet one. I have my limitations, but never let it take over my deepest desires and dreams. Do not let it get to you. You probably will eventually realize that the management knows how much you worth, but will suck the life out of you while they can. they probably expect to find another pro when you leave.
That’s what I done:
Post your resume, use a headhunter, get some offers (solid ones), and confront them. There is nothing wrong with change, that’s how we accumulate knowledge and experience. A new job, new opportunities, new experiences can only be good for you. Believe in yourself and show them how much you worth.
I could bet that when you confront them with a new job offer, they will not try to cover the offer and will let you go. For some people the only loyalty in business is $$$$.
Just do what you have to do for you and your family. You’ll be glad you did it!

Good Luck!

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

I think both Calves and Ivachon have offered excellent counsel. I’ve been on both sides – I’ve been an employee and I’ve been an executive and there have been times in both roles when accumulated resentment and frustration blew up the bridge between two people in those roles trying to work out a deal. So my first encouragement is to not act out of anger… that may be hard – you sound pretty toasty already.

My second encouragement would be that sometimes situations like this persist out ofignorance rather than malice. The solution for that is for you to educate the execs to the value you bring to the company. In doing so, you need to talk their language (revenue enhancement, uptime, productivity, return on investment). What you want is to impress them with your knowledge of the business they are in, not just the technology that supports that business. This is also the time to emphasize any savings or efficiencies you’ve created that have added value to the business.

Aftersoftening them up an

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

I’ve been in a similar situation before and probably your best option is to get a new job. The attitudes and beliefs of the company are unlikely to change. You may be able to negotiate a short term raise, but the underlying issues causing your frustration will still be there. This will just continue to gnaw at you and drain you emotionally. Ask yourself the following question, “Would I be comfortable staying here until I retire?” If the answer is no, then it’s time to move on. It won’t befair to either yourself or the company to stay and become a frustrated burn out.

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

I can certainly echo the “been there, done that” sentiment that’s been posted by others.

I think it boils down to two things:
1) As an employee, what am I worth?
2) As a company, what is the job worth?

They’re *very* different things… your skills, knowledge, and experiences can make you -worth- $1M a year, but if the company only needs a $10k a year employee, it’s not a match.

You might be CIO material and be able to bring a lot of value to a company, but if all the company really needs (and/or can pay for) is a help desk operator — guess what.

So, figure out what you’re worth. Check out salary surveys and job postings out there. Then go to your company and try to figure out where they’re coming from. You might need to go elsewhere to find what you’re personally looking for.

It doesn’t mean you’re good or bad or that the company is good or bad, but if it isn’t a good match for both of you, then there is surely a better match out there.

Good luck!
Try to not get bitter ove

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

That makes sense, I guess I never really thought of it that way. I know though, that I do a lot for this company.

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

Consider your bosses to be the VPs of your top customer. You have to sell yourself and the service that you provide. If you provide a wonderful service and save them money as a result LET THEM KNOW ABOUT IT.
Make sure that you dont just flit from one fix to another, log them all in a database and get them interested in the trends or results. I would bet you that they have no clue as to what you do on a daily basis and they dont care as long as they are not involved.

If there were showstopping problems and you came in from the outside and fixed it theyd call you a hero. Tell them why they dont have these problems.

REMEMBER THEY ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS – TELL THEM WHAT A GOOD SERVICE YOU PROVIDE.

Good Luck

Kel

Getting worked up over not being paid fa

In reply to Getting worked up over not being paid fa

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