Take a poorly paid promotion?

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I'm in the middle management, obviously the next step up is upper management. I've caught wind from some uppers managers on what to expect in terms of salary increase when making the move. Its very similar to the move from worker to middle. I feel the increase in responsibility/headache does not match the increase in $$.

We had a wave of promotions and i didn't go for it, they promoted some super under-qualified people and hired from outside for upper management. A lot of friends in upper management mentioned they rather have me over them and i should have applied. Honestly the only reason why i didn't want to was because the lack of pay and i was happy in my role at the moment.

Rumor has it another wave is going to happen and i'm a little torn on what to do. My direct manager is switching departments. So if i dont go for the promotion, i fear they might put another under-qualified manager above me. But if I apply and get the offer but the $$ is too low for me, then what do i do.
I have a bottom line of what I'll do the job for, honestly i feel its very norm according to google and its in the very upper range of what i've been told.

A big reason why i'm happy is because of my manager, we cover each other and work well. If they leave i might stuck with a dummy.I dont mind doing it all by myself but the $$ have to worth it to me.
 
When I was in turbines, I went from the "senior" turbine engineer to the "turbine asset manager".

The "step" in responsibility to leadership was huge, the promotion was $3k per annum but the take home dropped about $10k as a result of no overtime.

Was worth it, as my influence in the business improved markedly, and in being able to MANAGE the team rather than be lead helped us achieve great things.

Doing the pays towards the end of the year and seeing them outgross me was just something you have to get over.
 
It doesn't have to be low pay, unless there is no negotiation on pay. Ive in the past I have been able to show comparible jobs and pay. If you show why you are worth what you're asking they may go for it. I got a sales job at a Lexus dealership with very little sales experience as i was able to explain why i should get hired.
 
Best of luck to you

~7 years prior to my retirement, I took a poorly paid promotion. The annual pay increases were better over those years than what I had been receiving in the past however, they money, responsibility & stress ratio was never worth the difference.

Many of my co-workers wanted me to take this promotion for similar reasons that you want to take the promotion...so that someone less qualified didn't get the job.

The stress increase put my health at risk and those same co-workers turned against me, originally thinking that, "he's(me) one of us in this position"! But, instead over that period of time, I became one of them(upper mgt) and I had to perform the job in the name of the company & my superiors, and not the employees.

Although by the time I had retired, I was making more money than I had ever made, once it was over, I feel that it was never worth it. I would rather have stayed where I was and not taken the promotion. The extra money and short period of time that I was in this position didn't help much(too small to calculate) in my retirement anyway unless I could have had this position for 30 years.

Maybe I wasn't cut out for the position as it does take a special person that can handle criticism and stress when performing a job in the name of the company and not your friends.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Best of luck to you

~7 years prior to my retirement, I took a poorly paid promotion. The annual pay increases were better over those years than what I had been receiving in the past however, they money, responsibility & stress ratio was never worth the difference.

Many of my co-workers wanted me to take this promotion for similar reasons that you want to take the promotion...so that someone less qualified didn't get the job.

The stress increase put my health at risk and those same co-workers turned against me, originally thinking that, "he's(me) one of us in this position"! But, instead over that period of time, I became one of them(upper mgt) and I had to perform the job in the name of the company & my superiors, and not the employees.

Although by the time I had retired, I was making more money than I had ever made, once it was over, I feel that it was never worth it. I would rather have stayed where I was and not taken the promotion. The extra money and short period of time that I was in this position didn't help much(too small to calculate) in my retirement anyway unless I could have had this position for 30 years.

Maybe I wasn't cut out for the position as it does take a special person that can handle criticism and stress when performing a job in the name of the company and not your friends.


Well put. In all the years of working I cannot fill up one hand with the number of great or good managers I have worked for.

If you want to become great and reduce your stress taking this promotion, you need to work on your leadership skills big time. I suggest you get some books by John Maxwell.

Best of luck.
 
Listen to Char Baby. I've been there. You get squeezed from above and below. It's called responsibility without authority. Those above you make decisions which you may not agree, but you are held accountable. No thanks. The effect on my health and family life was never worth the aggravation. I welcomed the "down sizing" of my management position and moved into early retirement.
 
What does "poorly paid" mean ?
$5K raise, $10K raise, ....???

Sometimes the added stress and aggravation is not worth the small salary increase.
 
15 years ago I moved into middle management from a lead position with zero increase in pay. The guise was that I had to "prove myself". I obtained salary information and argued the point that had they hired an external person (who may not have the in-depth insight into the operation that I did) would be paid a much higher salary. Over the course of 3 years, I managed to have my salary upped to a point where it was acceptable.

However, the old adage, if you want a great salary increase, then quit and come back applies to many organizations. In addition, many who are promoted from within never start at the salary level an external person would because the internal person is fighting against the system. First of all, they are already employed and "on the hook" so there is little incentive for the company to do the right thing (they are hiring anyway, so if the internal person does not apply or quits, it is not the end of the world). Another point is the "prove you can do the job" syndrome. An external person does not have to prove they can do the job, they are interviewed, assessed, and hired with (typically) the proper salary. If later, they cannot perform the job, they are released, but they normally do not start at a lower salary to prove themselves, else they likely would not have accepted the position.

OP, only you can decide what you can live with, but if history proves out, you will be handed more responsibility with less salary than an external person would likely achieve. I recommend that you try to find some salary information from Mercer, map it (honestly) to your job description and responsibilities, and sector of the country. Find the median salary number and be willing to take 10% less (to prove yourself) with the agreement that once proved you receive the other 10%. You can almost bet an external person would start at the median or higher (depending on their experience, education, etc.).

Good luck!
 
The big question is this a dead end job or will it open other opportunities for you? Oh and I'm not just saying in the company you are currently with. You take care of people that take care of you and if they don't you take care of yourself!
 
Originally Posted By: bcossa2001
What an outstanding thread. Real life advice from experienced people.

re: 2015_PSD

^^^

+1,000
 
Not completely different from my situation. What is your plan for after if you do get the promotion? Do you have a goal to do something else afterwards? Will the new role open up doors to other roles you might find more suitable? Look at it as a spring board..if it can open new doors after about a year of doing your new role than maybe its worth it. My logic is keep moving ahead despite fact pay is not much better. You will gain experience in a new area, opening new doors and worst case, making your resume reflect experience in more areas. You may be able to jump to a role in another organization that pays well that needs the experience you have. It also creates new challenges for you. Apply and see what they offer, go in with a reasonable offer if they lowball you and take it from there.
 
IMO, management is a revolving door.
I've had the same job for about 37 years.
14 managers in that time. But, I admit that the Peter Principle is especially alive and well where I work.
My current manager, 10 years with the company, 10 months as manager. Head only moves in a vertical plane. He'll move on soon.
 
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I made my peace many years ago by deciding to stay at a level with less responsibility with pay levels acceptable for that work. Couldn't be happier.
 
You can go into upper management and if it doesn't work, can always change the employer now with a better looking resume.

If the pay raise is the issue, remember that when promoted from within, the salary is not as high as when someone is brought from the outside. The reason for that is that they weren't able to find someone from the inside so they are upping the offer to attract someone from the outside. Plus, the outsiders start with a clean slate and are able to negotiate better.
 
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
I made my peace many years ago by deciding to stay at a level with less responsibility and much less stress with pay levels acceptable for that work. Couldn't be happier.


+1. ... added my comment.
 
If you like your current job because of the manager, but your manager soon won't be your manager, then it would be wiser for you to become that position than to have to suffer under an outside hire who may not jive with you.
 
My last three “promotions” were laterals within the second from the top management “band”. Base pay increase was modest, bonus opportunity expanded slightly but as noted by several here, the responsibility expanded greatly. Sometimes you just have no choice. Remember one thing....HR is not your friend in any of this. They are the CEO’s #1 overhead reduction agent.

You can always try for alternative comp....increased bonus, stock options, increased PTO, or one of my company’s Favorites: a one-time signing bonus.
 
"Poorly paid promotion" think about those three words together and you will have your answer.
Good luck with your decision.
 
Originally Posted By: bugeye
Listen to Char Baby. I've been there. You get squeezed from above and below. It's called responsibility without authority. Those above you make decisions which you may not agree, but you are held accountable. No thanks. The effect on my health and family life was never worth the aggravation. I welcomed the "down sizing" of my management position and moved into early retirement.


I made such a leap too....twice. From Plant Maintenance Superintendent (50 hr weeks), to Chief Engineer (60-70), to Plant Manager (60-90). I really didn't want any of those promotions. I refused the 1st one to Chief because I knew I'd work myself to death and stress out to the max. Well, when it came up a 2nd time a year later, I was sort of "pushed" into it as no one else was available. I "killed" myself for 3 years and started a health decline that didn't end until 6 years later....putting in 60-70 hr weeks while being paid for 40.

When the plant manager job came open in 3 years, I initially refused it. I knew I wasn't mentally cut out to be that type of manager. Well, the regional VP pushed me hard to take it....I was their guy. I told them it wasn't me. He wanted me bad. So, I took the job and the next 6-9 months I filled all 3 positions (chief, maint, plant mgr)....saving the company over $100K in salaries alone. I didn't take a day off for 9 months. I was doing 80-90 hour weeks. Finally, I got the approval to fill the other 2 positions. But within 2 years, I was dragged down by the performance of my underlings and the plant itself aging and needing more money than it was truly worth. My initial concerns of not being the right type of "guy" did come to fruition. Now the regional VP wanted me out...lol. In the end, I'd have been much better off staying in one of those 2 lower positions...and I'd have earned plenty of money into retirement. As it was I burnt out early, left the business 10 yrs before I should have (after 20 yrs). My health for those 6 years really took a downturn as I rarely had time to exercise, spent most of the weekends catching up on sleep, never getting out in the sun, and adding 50 lbs of added weight. My diet went to heck. I finally got it all under control in 2009 and got my health back after leaving the business. I was a good fit for those first 2 jobs...but not a good one for the higher one, despite the big jump in pay. If I had to do it again, I'd have never taken it...though I have a feeling that might have also led to an early demise.

Sometimes "advancing up" is not the right move for everyone. I constantly told my senior mechanics and instrument techs (pulling down $90K-$110K with Overtime) that they had it made with skills that would fly anywhere at any time. They should be quite happy with the deal they had. Ironically, 9 years after I left the facility, they closed down the power plant side due to it being too costly to keep up with environment regs, and nearly all of the workers and managers had to be reassigned. The ones that had the best parachutes were the middle and senior grade techs.
 
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