New York Post - 19.08.2019

New York Post, Monday, August 19, 2019

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By VICKI SALEMI

W

HEN Kim Roberts (name changed for

professional reasons) began working

for a hospitality group in Tribeca eight

years ago, she realized she would need

to think up a way to increase her in-

come. Her salary growth trajectory, per industry

standards, was limited in its upward trend, and

asking for a raise was not an option.

So, having shown her value to the organization

during her first few months, Roberts negotiated

the health-insurance costs with her boss. Her

employer’s policy initially paid half of her total

premium, so she struck a deal to increase their

portion of the costs. This resulted in an increase

of $150 in each paycheck.

“I said, ‘I understand this is my total gross sal-

ary. My rent is this amount, and I need to bring

in more money,’ ” says Roberts.

After a few years, she spoke to her boss again

with the mindset: “I’m a rock star. What can we

do to raise my pay?”

Roberts, who was pregnant at the time, told

her boss: “ ‘I’m going to be gone for three

months. How should I handle it?’ ”

He told her to enjoy her maternity leave with

her newborn — and kept her on full-time payroll

for three months. “That was one-fourth of my

annual salary!” she says. “I was thrilled.”

Despite a labor shortage and low unemploy-

ment rate of 3.7 percent as of June, wage in-

creases aren’t in sync with the sizzling demand

for qualified workers. According to the World

at Work 2019-2020 Salary Budget Survey re-

leased in July, budgets are projected to rise by

an average of only 3.3 percent in 2020. So, to in-

crease the Benjamins without landing an exter-

nal job offer, you’ll need to get your New York

hustle on.

Elisee Joseph, part-time faculty member at Co-

lumbia University and Queens College, says that

“many adjunct professors do not get paid much,”

often less than $25,000 a year in New York City.

“The pay is non-negotiable at Columbia,” he

says. “I receive whatever they pay in the pay

band per course.”

So, last December, along with his mother, he

launched Meditech Examining Services, a para-

medical company, and receives compensation

as a medical technician and as a consultant con-

ducting research projects. While earning extra

cash, he simultaneously gains full autonomy

over his work schedule to continue his teaching

work.

“Although it is important to satisfy your finan-

cial needs, it is equally important to optimize

your time,” says Joseph.

Beverly Friedmann of Park Slope landed a pay-

ing side gig courtesy of leads from an unex-

pected source: her boss. The content manager

and copywriter for product review site Review-

ingThis expressed interest in earning extra

money freelancing for the site. Although that

didn’t pan out, her boss introduced her to col-

leagues and potential clients from other sites.

“I communicated interest,” she says. “He sensed

I needed a higher salary and found other oppor-

tunities and contacts.”

She’s now working at both ReviewingThis and

MyFoodSubscriptions.com, a site reviewing

meal kits, boosting her pay by 40 percent.

That bump is what experts say can result from

simply initiating a discussion. Jason Guggisberg,

vice president at Adecco USA, provider of re-

cruitment and staffing services in Hell’s Kitchen,

says that “even though it’s the most uncomfort-

able thing to do, to sit across from a superior and

have a conversation around compensation, it’s

important.”

He suggests speaking during a mid-year or

year-end review or after a life change.

“Schedule time outside the office to have a cof-

fee on an even playing ground,” he says. He also

advises avoiding a busy season when things are

hectic and stressful. Instead, schedule a meeting

on the calendar (or video call if long distance)

and prepare ahead of time.

Bring evidence to show your worth such as

accolades from clients and accomplishments.

Also, decide what you want.

“Don’t just ask for something and not need or

want it,” says Guggisberg. “Make sure you really

want it, because it might not be an easy negotia-

tion. Go after something that might be of value.”

Before the meeting, practice with friends or

family. Write things down, bullet-point it and

talk about why you deserve more money. Begin

the conversation by saying you like working for

the company and you want to see yourself there

long term.

Guggisberg suggests lines such as: Here’s fact-

based evidence of things I’ve been doing that

align with corporate goals. I’d like to see if I can

get x. “This can mean working from home an

additional day a week to save on child care,” he

says. “Or ask your company to pay child care

directly, so it’s tax-free, or get free lunch daily.

Be creative, because not everyone can offer un-

limited paid time off or more money from a sal-

ary perspective.”

Considering companies want to see a return

on their investment, continuing education is an-

other perk you might ask for.

Macia Batista, manager of outcomes partner-

ships and career coaching at General Assembly

in the Flatiron district, says her firm has a for-

mula to help students advocate for tuition reim-

bursement.

“Develop a specific narrative around what

you’re doing now and what the employer can

expect once their course is completed,” she says.

“The next step is determining a clear way to

showcase a return on investment.”

Demonstrating value is key, but if the em-

ployer still rejects your ask, inquire further.

“Don’t give up on the first no,” says Guggis-

berg. “Ask: ‘Do you think, in the future, we might

be able to get to this if I’m able to do x?’ Let the

employer give it back to you. The last thing your

employer wants you to do is leave.”

Once they commit, loyalty can move moun-

tains.

“I’m a lifer,” says Roberts. “I’m very lucky to

be in a job that I love, but if you don’t ask, you

don’t get. The worst they can do is say no. No-

body else is going to advocate for you. You’ve

got to be your No. 1 supporter.”

I work in a large office with the

dreaded open-seating plan. Several

co-workers regularly eat lunch at their

desks and socialize as though they’re

at a restaurant. The noise levels, per-

sonal conversations and overall chat-

ter is distracting to those of us who are

continuing to do our work. Would it be

appropriate to ask them to consider

dining together elsewhere? Isn’t the

whole point of eating lunch at your

desk to be productive and to get more

work done?

I admire your work ethic. Eating

lunch at your desk to get more work

done may be necessary from time to

time, but as a regular practice, it will

be better, healthier and more produc-

tive in the long run for everyone to

take a little break midday. And, maybe,

consider joining in with your col-

leagues once in a while. It makes it

easier for you to influence them to

take it elsewhere when you can’t join

in. Otherwise, you run the risk of being

“that person” — the one who never so-

cializes and others consider a bit of a

curmudgeon. But if that crowd just

isn’t your scene, you can politely and

professionally ask if they can take

their conversation elsewhere, explain-

ing that you have a lot of work to do,

and it is difficult to concentrate.

I work side-by-side with my buddy

as interns at the same company. I was

just notified that I was invited back

next year, and he wasn’t. We had

made plans to travel to the same city

again next summer. He thinks I should

turn it down or put in a good word for

him to try to get them to reconsider.

What do you think?

I think your buddy isn’t being a good

buddy if he’s expecting you to turn

down an internship just because he

didn’t get invited back. What kind of

friend expects that? You accept or re-

ject the offer based on what’s in your

best interest, not his. If you have an

opportunity to put in a good word,

there’s no harm in that, but I doubt it’s

going to do anything. If it’s more im-

portant for you guys to be the bros ver-

sion of Thelma and Louise, well then,

there’s your answer, but you’re not be-

ing a bad friend if you want the job and

take it.

CAREER

COACH

GO TO GREG

Get creative when finding Get creative when finding

ways to net more money

Gregory Giangrande is a

chief human resources and

communications officer in the

media industry. E-mail your career

questions to [email protected].

Follow Greg on Twitter:

@greggiangrande. His Go to Greg

podcast series is available on iTunes.

Alamy