If you cannot see this here, you can view it at http://www.peopleempowered.com.au/newsletters
 
Newsletter September 3, 2010                 Get the Salary You Deserve                                                                  


Tomorrow, September 4, is Equal Pay Day here in Australia.

This represents the extra number of days, beyond the end of the financial year, the average woman has to work to earn the same amount as the average man. In 2008 it was 58 days, 2009 it was 63  and this year it is 68. This means there has been an increase in the gender pay gap this year from 17% in 2009 to 18% in 2010. So things are getting worse. Women are paid only 82 cents for every dollar men are paid.

What's more alarming is that equal pay for equal work was determined to be a right in the Equal Pay Case 37 years ago! That's not a typo. It was 37 years ago.

Organisations like the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency and Business and Professional Women (BPW) which champion the cause and are pro-active in getting change can only  do so much. As individual women we need to also act on our own behalf.

Featured in today's newsletter is an article:

Getting The Salary You Deserve.

Read it and take action. Remember what I wrote on the end of last week's newsletter: Successful people do what unsuccessful people fear to do.

While this newsletter is much more directed to women, there is much here that will be of value to men also.

                                                                                                          


                                                    

Maree Harris. PhD.

Getting The Salary You Deserve.

If we, as women, don't take decisive action to change  the disparity between the pay of men and women doing the same work, the consequences for women are serious.

  • The average 25 year old male will earn $2.4 million over the next forty years, while the average 25 year old female will earn only $1.5 million.
  • By 2019 women will have, on average, half the super men will have.
  • Women will be two and a half times more likely to live in poverty in their old age.

So What Can We Do About This?

Become Proactive and Take Action.

  • Learn how to negotiate salary increases every year. Find a successful woman mentor who can help and support you, or get coaching on how to do it.  One study showed that women who consistently negotiate their salaries earn at least $1 million more during their careers than women who don't.
  • Become part of, or form, a women's support group and work together on it. Join an organisation like Business and Professional Women (BPW) that leads action in this area: http://www.bpw.com.au
Document Your Contribution to Your Company or Organisation.
  • Keep a record of what you are contributing - sales records, clients served, new clients brought into the business or company, amount of income brought to the company, projects completed, successful innovations you initiated, anything that demonstrates your value and contribution to the company's success.
  • Gather customer/client feedback. When they express satisfaction with your work/service, ask them if they would write to your manager and send a copy to you. Ask for testimonials you can put on your advertising and promotional material - whatever is appropriate in your industry.

Because women have difficulty self-promoting, they often find it difficult to put a value on their contribution. They tend to downplay it. They therefore don't get noticed when it comes to promotion opportunities or salary increases.

Become Knowledgeable About Market Salary Levels in Your Industry
or Professional Sector.
  • Research what the average salary levels are in your industry or professional sector for your role. If possible, find out what people in your position are being paid by your company's competitors.
  • In the light of that, determine what you are worth.
  • Find out what the men who are doing the same job as you are being paid in your industry or professional sector.
Confidently Sit Down With Your Boss and Negotiate.

Many women find this very difficult to do. If they feel they are not being paid well for the job they are doing, they are more likely to find another job at higher pay than negotiate an increase in salary at their current job.

Men initiate negotiations for pay rises about four times as often as women.
  • Do careful thinking about what you want and need. Don't just think actual dollars. You may be able to negotiate other things, like a superannuation increase, or a car, for example.
  • Get your immediate manager on side supporting your request.
  • Role play with a colleague, if necessary and if it would help you, how you will handle the negotiation.
  • Have a Plan A, your best outcome, and Plan B, your second choice or counter offer when you don't get Plan A.
  • Have your facts, as per the points above, very clear and presented on a one page document.
  • Present confidently as if you deserve an increase in salary.
  • Pay attention to your body language and tone of voice.
  • Act, without being arrogant, as if you can pick and choose.
  • Don't beg, grovel or apologise for what you are doing. Some women do!
  • Don't accept the first offer unless it is what you want. Say you would like to think about it and get back to him/her. Come back with your counter offer if necessary.
  • If the final offer falls short of what you want, ask what KPIs and targets they require to be met for you to receive a salary increase.
  • Don't hesitate to decline an offer if it is unacceptable and not in line with industry standards for your role.  Do it with grace, even while it is appropriate to express disappointment. You then need to make a decision as to whether you stay in that company. 
____________________________________________________________________________________

Today's Tip

How To Be Professional When Nothing Goes Right For You.

This is about being resilient. Resilience is one of the most important soft skills today for leadership success. Things are not always going to work out the way we want them to but it's how we handle that which will separate the ordinary people from the extraordinary.
  • Carry your disappointment around with you for as short a time as possible - no more than half a day, preferably an hour.
  • Replace it with a pro-active position. This has happened. I can do nothing about that now. I need to move on.
  • Move on. Either let go of it or begin planning as to how you can come at it from another direction. Think laterally. Talk to people who can help and advise. Be positive and pro-active. Don't become a victim.
  • Believe in yourself - You can do it!
If you want to know more about being resilient, read the following People Empowered Newsletters.

http://peopleempowered.com.au/newsletter/march-2009



http://peopleempowered.com.au/newsletter/february-2009





Copyright © People Empowered-Maree Harris 2010
All articles in the People Empowered newsletter by Maree Harris are copyright, but they can be reproduced as long as they include on the bottom the following short biography- "Maree Harris PhD. is the Director of People Empowered. She is a coach, consultant and facilitator of professional development, specialising in the development and enhancement of soft skills http://www.peopleempowered.com.au "
People Empowered 22 Gent Street, Ballarat. Victoria Australia 3350.
Tel: +61 3 5333 2900 Fax: +61 3 5333 3391 Mob: 0408 351 631 info@peopleempowered.com.au

Unsubscribe me from this mailing list

You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to one of the People Empowered mailing lists or you have purchased products or services from us. Your information will never be sold or given to any third party. It will be used solely to distribute this newsletter and other information about the services of People Empowered. Privacy Policy