This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…
1. Can I ask for a salary cut?
Can I ask for a salary reduction if I feel that I’m overpaid? I currently make $140k/year salary in a tech job, but I feel that I am only worth $60k. I have my house and car paid off, and I have plenty of money in savings. I can live very comfortably on $60k per year. I am single, never married, no kids, and I plan to remain as such for the rest of my life. I don’t need all the money they are paying me, and I feel that the company is wasting it.
Nope. Companies don’t pay based on what your expenses are; they pay based on what the job is worth on the market. Asking for a salary reduction would come across really strangely — and if you say it’s because you feel your work isn’t worth what they’re paying you, unless you’re an obviously top performer you risk that they’ll start scrutinizing your work, looking for these alleged weaknesses.
Also, most companies have salary bands and employees’ salaries need to make sense within those bands. If they significantly lower your salary, it could create salary equity issues across the board. You’d also be creating downward pressure on your coworkers’ salaries too, which I assure you they won’t thank you for.
If you want to make less money, you can go into a lower-paying field … or you can donate a large portion of your earnings to worthwhile charities. But don’t ask for your salary in your current job to be cut.
Related:
should I ask for a pay cut if my work isn’t very good?
2. How do I get out of sharing a bed with my boss?
I am the manager of a small local retail shop. I have worked here in various roles for close to 15 years. Pam, the shop owner, is 70 and close to retirement but does not want to close the shop yet. She has been able to stay in business due to my continued employment. She is at the shop less than I am and I have taken over as many duties as possible for her. She is a very hard person to work for. She has issues letting go of control and has a brusque personality that comes off as very unpleasant to our staff and customers. She is also extremely frugal. I’ve put up with her for as long as I have because I really enjoy my job outside of her.
Traveling with her is a nightmare. I’ve heard horror stories from past employees about having to share a bed with her. She will typically cover meals but she dictates what you can order (as in, she gripes when you order soda instead of water.) On our last work trip, I requested that I get my own room. She only agreed if I paid half of the cost. I was not okay with this at all but went along to keep the peace. I was told that we have to travel again in May. I told her that this time, I’d prefer to share a room instead of paying for myself. (She took the $500 hotel fee from the last trip out of my paycheck.) All of the rooms in the hotel are booked except for one-bed rooms, so that means that I am now supposed to share a bed with her. I know that I probably sound like a frog in boiling water, but how do I confront this issue? I’m a wimp when it comes to confronting her, and I’ve seen enough of her financials to know that there’s not a huge amount of money laying around to book separate rooms while staying cost effective.
For the record: bed-sharing is an outrage. I’m not throwing around that term lightly. This isn’t “well, finances are tight and this will save money.” This is full-on bananapants / not okay / not even a little bit acceptable.
Here’s what to say: “I’m not willing to share a bed. If there are no rooms with two beds, I’ll need the company to cover a separate room for me.” If she gripes and tries to get you to pay for it again: “I shouldn’t have agreed to that last time. This is a business trip that I’m taking as part of my work here, and so it’s a business expense I can’t cover myself.” And if necessary: “Again, I’m happy to go, but I won’t waver on having my own bed. That’s a very normal thing for companies to provide on business travel, and it’s not something I can compromise on. Knowing that, does it still make sense for me to go?”
It sounds like you have a lot of leverage here, so use it! (And really, if the business can’t afford separate rooms — or at least a different hotel that provides two beds, at the bare minimum — then it can’t afford to send you both on the trip, period.)
3. I’m the only one doing a shared task
I am part of a small team that supports a large group of consultants. The consultants coordinate larger projects, and the support staff help with the individual tasks comprising these projects. Our manager assigned us (as a group) standing tasks, plus we have regular meetings where the consultants tell us what is coming down the pipeline and we fit those tasks around that. So we don’t have clearly delineated duties. It’s more like, “This is everything your group needs to do, how it gets divided up is up to you.”
Obviously, some weeks are busier than others. One specific task often falls to me. In the past six months, one coworker has never done the task and the other has done it twice. I have been assigned to other items, so the others really need to step up and start working this task. I have mentioned that it needs to be done (it’s more than two weeks overdue and should be done at least twice weekly), but my teammates always have a reason why they don’t do it (something else is more important, or they say they’ll get to it then never do). I’m frustrated for many reasons too long to write here. Short of tattling to the boss, how do I get them to do their part?
Try being direct: “For the last six months, I’ve been the only person doing X except for two times. I need others to step in and help. Cecil, can you plan on doing it the next few times? And Jane, can you take it after that? I can’t keep taking it 95% of the time.”
If that doesn’t work, you should talk to your boss. That’s not “tattling”; it’s bringing your boss a work issue that’s directly impacting you and your team’s workflow and requires her intervention.
4. Can I use my work computer to look for a new job?
I am currently job searching after being with the same company for almost two decades. My company-issued computer is my only computer as we’re allowed to use it for non-work-related things (within reason) so I do not have a personal computer but I have a personal tablet. Is it wrong to use my work computer to search for and apply for new jobs outside of the company? I don’t really have the funds for a new computer and using a tablet will have limitations, but it seems wrong to use my work computer to look for a new job outside of the company.
I wouldn’t say it’s wrong (especially since you have permission to use your computer for non-work-related things), but it’s a risk. Some companies will monitor what you do on their equipment, even outside of work hours — and even ones that don’t do that as a matter of routine can end up having reasons to look at your computer history (even reasons that have nothing to do with you personally). And while managers should generally assume some of their team might be looking around at any time, (a) in reality of some of them bristle when confronted with evidence of that, (b) even those who don’t bristle can still mentally write you off after finding out (meaning you won’t be as high on their list for good projects or professional development, and you could end up first on the list if they have to do lay-offs because you’re “planning on leaving anyway”), and (c) it’s not great for your employer to know specifics of your search. You also risk an additional layer of “she must be really checked out if she’s using her work computer to do it” annoyance in there.
You might decide you’re okay with the risk, but you should be aware it’s there. If you do decide to do it, definitely don’t do it on their network or during work hours.
5. Acknowledging bereavement
I work with multiple branches, overseeing work and offering guidance. I mostly work remotely but do visit each branch on occasion. Recently, I was scheduled to make the rounds of some branches. I received an email from my contact at one of them telling me that her father was in the last days of his life and she likely would not be there when I visited. I assured her that I completely understood and that she should definitely take whatever time she needed. Sure enough, she was not there when I arrived, and a condolence card was circulating. I signed the card.
Was that enough, or should I have acknowledged her loss in a more personal matter? We don’t talk often. Most of our communication is via email. I have sent a few work emails since but have not expressed any sympathy. When my parents passed, sometimes it was all I could do to hold it together at work, and well-meaning coworkers could destroy that with kind words. I didn’t want to be the person to do that to her.
If you were her manager, it wouldn’t be enough; in that case you should be checking in more on how she was doing. But as a relatively casual/not-very-frequent contact, you’re probably fine. Still, though, it would be thoughtful to add something like “I hope you and your family are doing okay” to your next email. (You’re right that some people don’t want to talk about it at all at work — but other people feel invisible if a devastating event isn’t acknowledged. Putting something in email that she doesn’t need to respond back to is a reasonable balance.)
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