There’s a pretty good chance I could be getting a offer for a job that pays substantially more than my current one. This is great for obvious reasons. However, it so happens that I love my current job; or at least, the people I work with plus the new job would be a further commute.
In an perfect world, I’d be able to get my current employer to pay me what the new place is prepared to offer. My question is: can I use the job offer to negotiate my current salary?
I’d swear I’ve heard of this happening before. I’m not sure where but I know I have. It does seem a little strange to me so that’s why I want to get advice about it. If there’s a proper way to approach my boss about it without seeming like a blackmailer or getting fired then I’m all ears.
Could I stress how much I love being there, and my loyalty to the company, but that I just can’t go on living paycheck to paycheck and I want to be able to afford a decent house for my kids while they’re still little? I don’t want to give them the impression that I’m always out looking for the next bigger thing behind their backs but I suppose that’s unavoidable.
Please, some feedback from other working professionals (or even management types) would be greatly appreciated!
If not handled very tactfully, I see how such a thing could easily backfire. But if you have a good relationship with your boss, approach him or her and explain the situation in a way that is completely honest and sincere, it could certainly work out in your favor.
However, are you really prepared to accept the new job? Because if you are just bluffing for a raise, and your boss doesn’t give it to you, that could cause you a lot of discomfort. I would only do it if I was truly ready to walk if my request for a raise was denied.
I don’t know what field you work in, but in many fields this is done all the time. Yes, once you get the offer you can talk to your boss emphasizing how much you love your current job, but also noting that you have a responsibility to your family, etc. etc., you would really like to be able to stay where you are but it would involve a financial sacrifice that you’re not sure you can justify in light of your responsibilities, etc. etc.
See what he says. Just don’t do this unless you’re fully prepared to make a choice between the following two possible options: 1) taking the new job, and 2) staying in the old job at the same salary while gracefully backpedaling from your threats to leave.
This could go a lot of different ways, depending on what sort of person your boss is and what kind of relationship you have with him. Maybe if you stay, with or without the pay hike, he’ll be resentful that you tried to put the screws on him and will consider it disloyalty (though I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do).
Maybe, on the other hand, he’ll be grateful for your choice to stay and for your honesty in letting him know you were considering another position, and will go to bat for you when the next chance at a raise comes around.
If you approach it with “I really like working here, but I’m being tempted away by better offers, could you please consider compensating me at market rates?” it may work out. IF you tread lightly, and have a good raport already established.
If you approach it with “Give me my ff*&^ing due or I’m outa’ here!” it will end badly, even if they succumb to your demands. If you are kept on, you will carry stigma of disloyalty, and every slip will be held to spotlight. Not only that, but you will deliberatly be set up to fail. Within a year, 18 mos. tops, a reason will be found to fire you.
I know. Even if it goes well, I’ll still feel a burden to be an exceptional employee and feel that the quality of my work will be viewed in a different light, maybe filtered through higher expectations. What I actually have is a supervisor who I can pretty much talk to about anything, and a manager who makes the actual calls on stuff like this. I never really talk to him that often even though I’ve been there 4 years. I regret not getting to know him as he is a very decent guy. He’s a bit temperamental about harsh client demands and rude sales staff, but when it comes to management duties he’s a good leader and never a micromanager. Neither is my supervisor either, for that matter. All reasons why I’d love to keep working there.
I think that using an offer to negotiate for better money at your current position is a risky business. You have to be sure that you have some chance of getting what you want. My experience is in the computer software business, and the commonly-accepted thinking in that business is that doing this doesn’t work. Your manager either calls your bluff, or you discover you’re not as popular as you once were.
I notice that you really want the money, and the new company seems to think you’re worth it. Why not just go there? You may like it just as much, and the money will help with the rest of your life. Sometimes it’s just time to move on! Your old company simply may not be in the position to give you what you want, and the new company is. Go spread the joy!
The worst that could happen is that you hate the new job, but if you leave the old job with good standing, they’d probably want you back. This is common in the computer business, especially when you move from a big company to a small one. I imagine that the very best people will either want to move up in the organization, or find another company where they can do more.
I’m a medium sized business owner-operator (35 staff). I’ve never had to deal with this specific situation, but I do have some opinions.
(1) You don’t get a pay rise cos you ask for one, or cos you have been there a long time, or cos you’re a nice guy. You get a pay rise cos you deliver results (usually delivering above expectations). Consider that before you go see your boss about a pay rise.
(2) Consider that if you leave, your boss will (probably?) have to replace you. That takes time, money, and hassle. There are about a zillion other things your boss could be doing to add value to the company. That means, if you’re not screwing up too badly, he probably would rather you stay.
(3) There may not be money available for him to give you a pay rise. Depends on how flush the company is, of course. Maybe you just got a pay rise. Maybe if the boss gives you a pay rise, other will know, and he’ll need to give other people in a similar position, of a similar performance level, a pay rise as well.
(4) If you do decide to leave, give you boss plenty of notice, and work with him to develop an exit strategy. Consider it from his side: if you bail before he has a chance to find a new employee and train them up, HE’s going to have to do the training. It makes sense for you to train the newbie, but getting a newbie takes time.
(5) Let me echo what **TastesLikeBurning **said: make sure you have an offer in writing before you do anything, or you’ll feel like a real idiot with no job at all.
Thanks for this advice, it’s good to hear it from your perspective. Quick questions: How long is an acceptable time to tell a prospective employer that you want to think about it? If I say I want a week to think it over is that too long? Also, if I take the job, I don’t want to make the guy wait too long for me to start, at least not much beyond the 2 weeks. Would you be understanding if someone told you they’d be glad to take the job but they want to give their current boss a month’s notice?
As an employee, I can’t imagine why I’d do this. I’ve got another job waiting for me, presumably one that I find better in some way. Unless the boss is my personal friend, it makes absolutely no sense to stay and train a replacement. By the time an employee gives notice, their mind is elsewhere, and honestly, the standard two weeks notice is more than enough time to convey the essentials of any job. Sure, most jobs have a lot more to them than what can be conveyed in two weeks, but a thorough training would take months, and that’s simply not possible in most cases.
Been there; done that. My company said “best wishes.” I was there for 15+ years. Their position in general was not to negotiate for higher wages. I’m glad I left.
It depends on how urgently the new employer needs you as an employee. There’s certainly no rule - sometimes when we find a new employee we tell them the start date is months in the future (rather, we tell them that before we interview them!), others start literally the next day.
You should open a dialogue with the new employer, tell them your concerns, gather all your information.
I’d be understanding as a person, but as an employer, it’d raise a red flag. How you treat your previous employer will give your new employer a pretty good read on how you’ll treat him when you leave his employment.
How much notice you have to give will probably be in your employment conditions that you signed when you joined the company.
If the old employer asks for more, he may really need it (consider how badly the business will be affected by you leaving, and no replacement?). In your case, seems like you like your current job a fair bit, and respect your employer, so you might be more accommodating to your current employer than if you were not kindly disposed to him.
With that attitude, you’re certainly not someone I’d employ.
I guess it depends on a range of reasoning. If you’re one employee out of thousands, I guess you’re less likely to care about this kinda thing. But if you’re one in 10, you may not count your boss as your friend, but you might have a bit more respect for his concerns, and how you departing with no replacement might affect the business.
Yeah, this is more my case. I’m sure I’d continue to be friends with some of the people I work with and one good friend there would have to shoulder the burden if I had to leave and they had to take time to find someone else.
There is one possibility not mentioned here, which has happened. Old employer agrees to raise under duress, employee takes it, and old employer quietly looks for a replacement, considering employee no longer reliable. When the replacement is found, employee gets dumped.
No matter how nice a guy the direct manager is, unless he owns the business, he might not control policy. Lots of people might make a deal under duress, and then figure out how to get out of it. Like above.
Either you want a new job or you don’t. If you do, you need to decide on a raise that will make you happy in a new place. Happiness in a current job is worth something, quite a lot, also. If you get an offer that pays enough to make you want to leave, take it, if not, don’t.
Now, if you don’t take the new job, and don’t demand more money, you can make a case on how much you are saving the company or making for the company, and how this justifies a raise. That’s safe, and it might improve the results of your next review. But I strongly recommend against threatening - even politely.
In Silicon Valley, it is customary for companies to set a fairly tight deadline on accepting an offer. Once accepted, you are not expected to wait months to take it - assuming you’re not a student, and there are no major relos to do.
The new company is short handed also. Why make them suffer for the benefit of your old company? Based on stuff I’ve seen in management classes, most people leave because of their bosses. Whatever the reason, there is some cause for a person being unhappy enough to move. If you haven’t been paid enough, why forego the extra money for the people who you feel shortchanged you.
The new company might worry that given enough time, the new employee might find a better deal. Except for CEO type jobs, no one is going to sue someone getting out of a job offer, and a lot of American laws allow dismissal or moves without cause. That’s another reason a new employer is not going to be happy about someone asking for months to close out the new job.
In any case, a good manager has done contingency planning. Even if everyone is 100% happy, someone might still get hit by a bus.
I’d ask around and find out what your current companys policy on this is.
Get your new offer in writing, 1st.
Perhaps it could be better as “Boss, I am sorry, but it looks like I have to give my notice. I really like working here, but I have been made an offer of a salary of $xxxxx, and even though I like this company, that offer is too tempting.”
Do note that many companies now don’t accept “notices”. When you give “Notice” they walk you out on the spot (sometimes with the pay, sure). Do not depend on those 2 weeks pay, in other words.
I think this is the best advice. Obviously, Potato Pancakes, the job offer with a lot more money didn’t just land in your lap without your going for it, i.e., sending your resume, interviewing, etc. That means you already concluded that the job that you loved so much had something about it that you did not like. If the new job will offer greater challenges, all the more reason to go. Staying in one place may be comfortable, but moving on can broaden your experience a lot. New jobs offer new learning opportunities, and in your case, more $$$ too.
I’ll also speak from a Silicon Valley perspective, as I’m a little surprised at some of the answers here (probably just a different work culture).
There’s nothing wrong with doing what you are proposing, however it assumes that you would genuinely take the new job with higher money. If you’re out fishing for offers to get a raise, with no intention of wanting the new job, well, that’s risky.
But if you’d rather stay at your current position, it’s perfectly acceptable to say “I got an offer for x dollars”. You could probably just leave it at that, and if they are inclined to keep you, they’ll counter-offer. You could also add “I’d like to stay blah blah blah could we work something out?”
And really, what’s the worst that will happen? Your current boss says “well, good luck at your new job!” This is a very common situation and in most cases if you are a valued employee, you’ll get counter-offered.
As far as taking time to think about the offer… maybe a few days. Notice to your current employer should be 2 weeks.
Don’t hem and haw with your current boss if you’ve decided to take the new offer. Just tell him you got offered x dollars and will take it, but are willing to stay for something similiar. Just be open and honest about the situation.