Transcription

00:00:06 Introduction

Welcome. You're listening to Links at Bain and Gray, a catalogue of podcasts centered on all things business support in the workplace. Our aim is to bring you interesting and relevant content that will keep you up to date and thriving in your role.

00:00:20 Tray

Welcome to Links Bitesize. Today we're talking all things negotiation your hosts today are Tray Durrant and

00:00:28 Emily

Emily Bain.

00:00:30 Tray

So we have put some of these topics into some buckets, haven’t we? To sort of hopefully help you along with all sorts of different elements of your jobs, careers, and um handling different sort of bits of of your career path, and and navigating your way through some of that. So today we're specifically talking around promotion and pay rise, not necessarily all packaged up together, sort of separate issues and and sort of connected. Promotion, you know how to get that promotion, something we've been talking about isn't it Emily?

00:01:03 Emily

I think the promotion one is really, really important in that there's some really obvious aspects to approaching the question to your boss, I think the really obvious aspects are being a team player, seeing the bigger picture, being very proactive within the business and amongst your colleagues, putting in the hard work and the time. Those are all sort of the very obvious, “Wow, she's really put the time in or he's really put the time in.”

But I think there's other other more sort of not so obvious sort of career pathways that you can put together individually. So ask your line manager or your boss. Just actually, clearly say, “what does it take to get that promotion within the company and and what do you need to do to get it?”

I find that most companies irrelevant of size, have a career pathways plan and that should be accessible through HR or through your boss, and it can just be a little stepping stones. You do this, you get that, you do this, you get that. And clear objectives around that that you can follow and then act as a guideline for you to work towards so it's actually it's sort of, you, you

00:02:11 Tray

You should know where you're going and what you're doing. I think it's interesting cause lots of companies will have that career pathway. Some won't. And I think it's then asking some questions quite early on, knowing where where you need to be, what you want to get to and knowing what you need to do to achieve those next steps. And that's definitely something that comes out of which, you know, conversations that are probably part of objective setting or, you know, focus on what you're reviewing at over a quarter or a month or however your company works. But if they don't have those objectives, there's other ways to get to that, aren’t there, in terms of, you know, if they don't have that pathway, there's other ways to get get those conversations in.

00:02:46 Emily

Yeah. Well, I think the most successful person actually somebody that worked for us came to me with the business plan and had really, really spent the time on their career what they've achieved, what they want to achieve, and it was so impressive. And. And this was way before we had a career pathways plan in place have been great when we were quite small, but it really, I thought, yeah, you really deserve this? You're putting your time you've really laid out what you've achieved, what you haven't achieved, what you've done for the business, what you done for your team so, I’d say the most successful people really put something together, even if, like you say, the career pathways plan isn't there.

00:03:19 Tray

It's an interesting one because it's it's sometimes people's personalities, they're more inclined in that way than than the next person, aren't they? You know, they're quite objective and goal oriented.

00:03:28 Emily

Yes.

00:03:29 Tray

In their lives, in their careers and and so it is just making sure if that isn't necessarily naturally you that you do have these this dialogue with your boss and and and sort of know where your head is

00:03:41 Emily

Yeah. And I think also if you've got a good if you're working for a good company and a good boss somebody that you respect and he really listens to you they're gonna give you the really good reasons why you probably aren't right for that promotion there might be. It might lead you up another level of development in the business, so, don't be frightened to ask, but you've got to put the time in and know what you're worth is basically.

00:03:58 Tray

I also think outside of that, “Where am I going? What do I need to get to with the promotion?” There's so much you can do that fulfils your day job as it stands and that, you know, highlights you for promotion without you necessarily having to to prompt or initiate it. And I I you know, I'm a real advocate of continuous learning and finding topics that lead themselves into your in your space that and make sure you're informed and you stay up to date and you're very credible and you’re you know, research backed in terms of decisions that you throw into the mix in your role. And I I personally think that's a real champion of your own sort of path, regardless of, you know, this company outside your your your life enrichment as much as your sort of work path, pathway and goals. And I think that's that's hugely important too.

00:04:43 Emily

Totally. Another another really I think a lovely sort of way of being promoted is and again a lot of our clients do this is, is doing the 360 feedback review, getting the green light from the whole team, you know, not just from your boss, you know and that sort of strengthens the relationships you've got and how you impact the people that you work with. You know, it may not just be up to your boss, so there's no quicker way of getting promoted than actually getting the feedback from everyone who works alongside you.

For me, there's some very simple things. Without having to deep dive into the sort of reviews, but you know, be a really good partner. Treat people with respect. Be aware, be aware how you show up in the office, really. It's it can be that simple as the sort of the first off.

00:05:28 Tray

Yeah, I think and I, I think all of those couples together are are crucial aren't there's no one element of all this that they're bigger than the other. You know, it's knowing where you're heading, looking and researching and extending your capability and your role for yourself, not just because the company offers X,Y or Z training. And then you know, doing, being that team player that that sort of crucial sort of linchpin piece as well, and that all of those coupled together would hopefully get you identified for a promotion, let alone you having to go and sort of chase it.

00:05:53 Emily

Absolutely. Just a last couple of things on that, cause I we've talked about what to do, but what not to do. I think it's quite good. Don't compare yourself to other people in the business, if they've been promoted, that just doesn't work. There's, you're a separate case, and you've got to prove your own objectives and and and your own worth and also I think be really aware of the business wants to know the state of the business at that time.

The market, how the company is performing to really focus on promotion when the company may be doing redundancies or has had a tough year isn't really the right time. Yeah. I mean, yes, you can obviously want your own career validated et cetera. But I think just be just know the state of the company and where everyone is and also try really, really hard not to get emotional.

00:06:37 Tray

Yeah, I think the awareness piece is is everything, isn't it being self-aware, reading the room, reading your team, your peers? Definitely.

00:06:45 Emily

So that brings us on to pay rises, which I think goes almost hand in hand. Not always. So, Tray, what, what, what are your sort of key thoughts on how to ask for that pay rise? Cause a lot of people are quite nervous to ask for pay rises aren't they?

00:06:58 Tray

Well, I think you know the precursor to asking for a pay rise is some of that discussion we've just had in terms of knowing what you're achieving, knowing your worth to the business, knowing how depending on your level of seniority, I guess in terms of how much impact you might be having on the company as a whole or certainly your team or department. And so I think there's there's there's a bit of an element of leg work in terms of knowing your own self-worth, knowing your market worth in terms of your sort of your peers within perhaps your industry more specifically, but certainly across different companies and and understanding therefore that value and the value add, you might be bringing to both your role, your boss’s role, all the all the wider company and I think that's the sort of starting point. So if we if we sort of take all of that as read, we're doing OK and and you're in a in a good position then I think.

In terms of, you know, let's just take the sort of nuts and bolts to one side in terms of you're in a meeting with your boss and and you're having a dialogue. I think it's then it's really highlighting those achievements and this will, one would hope, would have come over time that you know you're having steady reviews that are you're performing or exceeding performance and you're delivering well.

I think it's then in that dialogue with your boss just highlighting what you've achieved, what you've achieved above and beyond. Perhaps your your, your roles and your responsibilities and and understanding the market and perhaps even presenting that.

If we assume all these things are done, they're done well and you know there shouldn't really be too much of an element unless it refers to something you've said that's outside of the the individual’s control in terms of market conditions or company performance. If it's smaller companies at any one time you know you know shouldn't really be too much argument, because if a company really wants you to stay and values you and recognises that you're possibly not paid market value, then that shouldn't be an issue.

One would hope that you know that pay rise will be will be in the bag. It's not always the case sadly, and and for different reasons. Not because you know you are not performing per say. It might be some of those reasons that that are outside of the of the that even your manager’s control, and if that is the case, I think it's just if the timing's not right now because the business isn't performing or or whatever it might be, then when you know what's it take, you know if if you're achieving and overachieving then I think is, you know. Is this something that could be reviewed again in another two months, three months or however long?

00:09:13 Emily

Hmm.

00:09:15 Tray

And I suppose the only sort of the, the, the, the end bits of that I suppose might be that if genuinely you know you've outgrown your role and a pay rise isn't available for you in your organisation, then that might be what prompts you into kickstarting a look outside and the look elsewhere. I don't know. Would you think there's anything else to add into the mix?

00:09:32 Emily

Yeah. No, I think I think it crosses over with what we're talking about before. I think you have to like you said, know your market value reach out to the right people. We do our by annual salary survey which we take data from our existing client base. So it's actual real data taken from the market.

Build a case. Make sure that you have your facts right before you speak to your line manager or your boss, and present your case clearly and unemotionally and we I think be prepared for a discussion because we know now in the last year, well, post COVID, things have changed so much. It's not just about pay rises, it's about benefits. It's about so much more. So I think be prepared to have a discussion with your boss, and if they do turn you down again, ask them and what are the objectives to get that pay rise. So I think it's the same sort of set of circumstances the the, the same way to approach it really. Plan the next steps, even if your request gets refused, it could be that you need some more training or they might throw some ideas at you to get that pay rise/

00:10:40 Tray

Great. OK.

00:10:41 Emily

Thanks, Tray.

00:10:42 Tray

Thanks, Emily.