TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:FWD: Re: FWD: More problems with equity From:"Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 5 Feb 1998 18:47:32 -0700
Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.
*************************************************
On the surface, your raise sounds lousy. Tech writing is hot right now and my
raise--with a similar reclassification--was 18%. But, managers often play with
percentages and titles to get the actual dollar amount where they want it. Check
it out from multiple perspectives:
1. Is a 5.26% increase on your pay similar to a 5.26% increase on a
programmer's pay? My percentage increase was high, but I probably received an
amount similar to programmers, because 18% on my pay is less than 12% on theirs.
2. Were you near the maximum of the pay range for your old position? Sometimes
managers will give a generous review to justify kicking someone up a notch so
that they can give them ANY kind of raise. (Usually means the range is out of
wack.) Maybe you're even high on the new range.
3. Could the manager be limited by the requirements of the job? I took a job
at a lower level than I'm qualified for, because that was what the company had
open. They were very up front that they would like to have offered me a higher
level position initially, but they only had position x at pay range y-z open.
Even at pay rate z, I made less than someone with my experience usually does.
Since I was unemployed, I was glad they presented the facts and let me decide
rather than skipping me because I was overqualified. Your pay raise may be tied
to their needs, not your skills. Your best bet may be encouraging them to
evaluate the position requirements and showing them that they need your higher
skills. If they're classifying tech writers in with typists and administrative
clerks, you need to start an aggressive educational campaign. If the
classification scheme is okay, look around for positions in your company that
match your skill category (that's what I did).
Try to figure out the management perspective before you do anything. It may
change how you discuss the issue with your manager and where the discussion gets
you.
