Salary negotiations: reframing for success



Salary negotiations: reframing for successBy Sarah Wilshaw-Sparkes, professionelle.co.nzResearch overloadThe late 1990s trickle of research on gender and negotiation has become a rushing, roaring torrent. For those of us who aren't HR professionals or researchers one sign is the frequency of articles in the general press on the subject! It's partly fuelled, of course, by the rising interest in the persistent pay gap and the enduring lack of senior women. That perspective perhaps explains why some experimenters seem fixated on the deficit model, in other words trying to identify what women don't do / don't think/ don't aspire to / etc that men do.Deficit modelThe main messages on salary negotiations in the career advice articles and blogs that flow from this research are correspondingly:women don't ask for raises as often as menwomen don't ask for as much money in pay negotiations as men dowomen don't perform as well in pay negotiations as menwomen let themselves be held back from asking for money by fear of the backlash against 'unfeminine' behaviourThere's truth in all these points, of course... and as long as many of us operate in organisations where norms and structures reflect their masculine designers, we can't ignore them. What I have been hunting for in the research, though, are authentic things women can do to lift their pay negotiation effectiveness without straying too far from what feels authentic.MindsetIf I reflect on my own experiences, as well as what we hear through Professionelle, I perceive a mindset among women when it comes to salary negotiation. It includes seeing the situation as:win-losetime-bounded (now or never!)stressfulSalryoften ambiguous (where are the limits? what's OK?)Negotiator Magazine citing Babcock and Laschever bears this out, saying two and a half times as many women as men feel "a great deal of apprehension" about negotiating and a full 20% say they avoid it completely. Only 14% of successful women said that negotiation made them feel powerful and assertive.What can we do, then, to feel more relaxed and confident from the start, which would be a much better jumping-off point for asking for what we need? This was where I began to think about how reframing our mental image of the negotiation could help us become more effective while staying true to ourselves. I found three reframes that might be useful. Reframe salary reviews in your mind to be collaborative conversations that are about more than money and will benefit more people than you alone.1. It's all about collaborative communicationCait Clarke, who has written " HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Dare to Ask", suggests women feel better reframing negotiations as collaborative conversations rather than win-lose, high-stakes battles. Collaborative exploration of a situation draws on women's gender strengths of empathy and communicating, and the element of social bonding required in a conversation makes us more relaxed.? This approach also introduces the notion that the conversation can continue, it doesn't have to be wrapped up in one do-or-die session.I believe Clarke is drawing on a top negotiating strategy taught in business and law schools: 'interest-based, mutual benefit.' It's not really headline news as the core of the concept was described in "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury over 30 years ago! It calls for understanding the difference between your position (eg "I want to sign the deal for this contract job at my going rate") and your interest (eg "I want repeat business and this company could give me that") - and understanding the other party's position and interests.Interests are about motivations, why something matters to people. Interests aren't always obvious, either, you need to be able to draw them out by listening and questioning. That's why going into a negotiation with the mindset that it will be a collaborative conversation is so much more effective than feeling obliged to stake out a position and shout.2. It's about more than moneyAnother useful mental reframe is to remember that the salary negotiation can go beyond dollars and cents. Why does this matter? A wide review of negotiation research found two things:women were less successful than men in negotiations that focused on moneywomen were less successful than men in 'distributive' negotiations but were competent in 'integrative' situations (Definitions: 'distributive' = about one issue, or a one-off situation - exactly what a salary negotiation would be. 'Integrative' involves more issues, more stakeholders, a longer timeframe).So women show up better in negotiations where there are more levers and issues to deal with than money alone. That suggests we need to think carefully before the negotiation about what ELSE would be of value to us. Flexie time? A laptop? A compressed week - 9 day fortnight? ?As Clarke says, these are not unreasonable requests, they are ways by which we can show up at our most productive best at work, which is in the employer's interests (and of course we should be seeking to understand those interests during our conversations…).3. It's about more than meReframe the negotiation in your mind to include more stakeholders than just yourself, for example your family - or even, potentially, your team if the negotiation could make you more productive. Keep in mind that you are negotiating for their good, not just your own. Why this broader view?It's because there is ample evidence (Moss-Racusin et al) that women negotiate more effectively than men when they go in to bat for someone else's salary, promotion or opportunity rather than their own.? As women, we seem to bring our A game as "agents", while men seem to bring their A game as "principals", especially in ambiguous situations that amp up competitiveness. As I read recently, "Women are better able to expand the value of a negotiation, but unfortunately fail to capture much of that value for themselves."More things to tryBeyond reframing, remember there are other things we can do to lift our effectiveness in negotiations without having to morph into someone we're not. We've written about them before at Professionelle and spoken in the national media on them too.? They can be best be summed up as prepare and practise (see below Pay-rise-tips-for-women) which draw on a common female tendency to work hard, even to the point of perfectionism.Pay Rise Tips For WomenGalia BarHava-Monteith was recently asked to comment for the Herald on Sunday on the issue of how women can become more successful in pursuing pay rises. What follows is an expanded version of the advice she gave.A There are two broad scenarios to think through. These are:Moving to a new jobFeeling underpaid in your current roleMoving to a New JobExternal benchmarking: research the market rates for the role: You'd never dream of buying a house without researching the market first - well, I doubt you would! Do the same kind of research to prepare for negotiating your salary in a new role.Ask around! New Zealanders don't like talking about money but there are ways to do it without coming across too strongly. Talk to others employed in the industry about pay rates, recruiters you know, or HR professionals in the industry.Try and get hold of published pay surveys and reports. There are websites for specific industries/professions like Teamfactors for law and Women in Technology which have useful tools. Other sources include Sheffield's reports, and Stats NZ's website.If you're taking a new role in your current company, many companies have pay rates for job bands, so check them out with your HR department."Internal" benchmarking: do a thorough assessment of your skills, experience and ability: Remember that in all this benchmarking, your position in the reported pay bands, both in your company and beyond it, will depend on your experience, your credentials in the industry and your performance.To assess where you should be realistically in the pay band you should honestly evaluate how experienced you are and how many candidates as good as you there are out there for your role. Be honest, but also don't be overly modest. You're aiming for realism.You must also assess how good you are. We suggest you write out an accomplishments list. Facts can help you feel more confident! After this exercise you should have a much better idea of where in the pay band you should be, and whether that indicates a gap.Preparation - what you actually want: Think about your total remuneration package, not just the salary. For example, do you want extra leave to cover you for when your children are sick? Do you want more leave in general? Make sure you plan to negotiate for that. Have a bottom line and a top starting position. If the top salary starting position is realistic, you might actually get it!In the pay negotiations: Be transparent about the research you've done and how you came up with the figure.Be courteous but stand your ground, make your position clear and don't be apologetic about it. You've researched it, evaluated yourself and you know your worth and you know how much or how little competition there is for it!Other tips:Flexibility - you can negotiate flexibility without compromising your pay by shifting to measurable outputs to show you're still performing. If you opt for part time work, be staunch about taking time in lieu when you work an extra day. Too many women move to a lower, part time salary and end up working considerably more than they're paid for.If your new job is a big step up (or sideways) it can be hard to negotiate as strongly at the outset. Ensure you schedule a pay review within a fixed period, preferably after six months and have it in your contract.Professional service firms can be very opaque about pay rates, but there is information out there. Use your contacts to get a good picture. Knowledge is power, especially in negotiationsFeeling Underpaid in your Current RoleLay the ground workDo your researchAssess your skills, abilities, accomplishments and contribution to your companyLift your performance by making sure you put in the extra miles and by networking effectivelyPick your timing - best after a sterling performance review following the hard work you've put in, and also good before budget rounds rather than just after!Prepare for the discussion:Set your reasons for a pay rise based on market rates and your performanceSet a band of what you're asking for and the bottom line you're prepared to expectAnticipate any objections and have answers to them that are professional and fact based where possible (use your accomplishment list!)Think in advance how long you're willing to wait for the pay rise and what you're prepared to do if it's rejectedIn the negotiation itself:Be confident! It's more expensive to higher anew then to pay you a realistic and fair increase.Consider brain storming with your boss if you're prepared to accept other improvement to your package. Such as performance bonus increase, more time off etc.Lastly… Learn from your experience! Review what worked and what didn't your salary neotiation so that you're better prepared next time!? Professionelle Ltd 2007 ................
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