It Can Be Done: Landing A Raise In A Recession

转眼又到了每年加薪的时候，许多人或许正在为是否该在眼下这个时候向公司提出加薪要求而犹豫不决。经济衰退时，人们通常会更加努力地工作，不过当许多公司都面临亏损困境的时候，人们也在考虑，因为承担额外的工作而希望得到补偿是否现实呢？答案是，得到加薪是有可能的，但要注意把握时机。尽管加薪并非不切实际，但是公司管理专家普遍认为，如果你想要加薪，那么就需要给出比以往更加充足的理由。而且，你要降低预期，因为公司──尤其是金融公司和其他直接受到经济低迷影响的公司──口袋里的钱比往年要少。全球性管理咨询公司埃森哲(Accenture)负责人才和组织业绩的董事总经理大卫•史密斯(David Smith)表示，“总的来说，薪酬水平将整体呈现持平趋势，但某些行业或许有能力奖励表现突出的优秀员工。”的确，如果你在以下几个方面付诸行动的话，在2009年获得比象征性加薪更多的奖励还是有可能的。首先，大多数加薪都将是为公司最优秀的员工准备的，这是根据包括翰威特公司(Hewitt Associates)和华信惠悦咨询公司(Watson Wyatt Worldwide)在内的数家雇员福利追踪公司的调查得出的结论。所以，如果你计划要求加薪，就要对自己做一次实实在在的自我评估，看看你在2008年是否为公司做出了突出贡献。如果你认为自己可以跻身优秀员工之列，那么就要把你的“优秀”好好地书写一番。罗列出你的突出业绩，以及其他的优异表现。你为公司带来新客户或者是开拓了什么新项目了吗？把这些事情也写进来。在这种情况下，列举出你为公司节约成本或者创收的办法将为你的加薪要求加分。哥伦比亚大学管理学院(Columbia Graduate School of Management)教授迈克尔•费纳(Michael Feiner)说，“你必须指出你取得的切实成果。”或许和许多员工的想法相反，老板们在当前的形势下迫切希望留住能干的员工，所以他们可能乐意寻找途径为有价值的员工加薪。位于芝加哥的薪资顾问杰克•查普曼(Jack Chapman)说。“员工人数减少，成本提高，利润空间缩小，所以老板们对那些兢兢业业贡献突出的员工特别青睐。”沙伦•坎贝尔(Sharon Campbell)是纽约一家软件公司的培训师。近来她在业绩考评过后向公司提出了加薪的要求。她强调了自己对公司的贡献和她在考评中得到的嘉奖。“我感觉自己的表现非常突出，”她说。“如果我认为自己只是一个仅仅完成了工作的普通员工，我也不会提出加薪要求。”她说，老板已经同意加薪，现在她正在等待着最后的审批通过──尽管该公司已经冻结了员工的薪资。当把自己的突出业绩都落到纸面后，在和老板提出加薪要求前，你还要研究一下公司的状况。尽管经济大环境不景气，但不是所有的公司都举步维艰，其中一些做得甚至还不错。Zwell International首席执行长及《六位数薪资谈判术》(Six Figure Salary Negotiation)的作者迈克尔•茨威尔(Michael Zwell)说,大多数公司都公布了财务数据，你可以认真研读以评估雇主的财务状况。Zwell International是一家位于美国伊利诺斯州格伦维尤(Glenview)的人力资源咨询公司。在依然保持了相对强劲势头的产业，比如医疗和教育，要求加薪算不得是什么禁忌，但是费纳还是建议要合理设定期望值，要求加薪时提供证明材料。如果你所在的公司已处于亏损状态，而且正在大规模裁员，那么你或许应该推迟加薪要求，等到公司业务稳定下来再说。同样，如果你所在的公司已被收购，比如贝尔斯登(Bear Stearns)和雷曼兄弟(Lehman Brothers)，那么你在薪资问题上就要更加小心，费纳说。“在一些公司里，有的老板认为你有一份工作已经算幸运，不应该提起加薪的事，”他说。今年还有一些公司的薪资模式非常透明，其中某些公司还会预先告知全公司的员工加薪幅度将有所下降，史密斯说。金融公司的情况最明显，比如T. Rowe Price。这家巴尔的摩资产管理公司全球人力资源部主管格雷琴•帕克(Gretchen Park)说，“整体而言，我们正在限制薪资，不论是加薪还是奖金的额度今年都有所减少。”帕克说，在如今的经济形势下，加薪要求要少一些，员工们都非常理解现在的市场情况。如果你所在的公司目前暂无加薪，要记住：许多冻结薪资的公司并没有限制职务晋升。而在大多数情况下，升职就会带来加薪。如果你觉得自己的表现足以让你获得晋升，就把你的业绩写出来。同时注意打听最近有没有同事得到晋升，因为这表明公司管理层是否对此持开放态度。茨威尔的一位客户所在的公司冻结了员工的薪资，但这位客户写了八页的材料来说明他应该得到晋升，要求升职。最终，这位客户升了职，随后也加了薪。如果你今年的加薪要求被拒绝了，那么不要在意，要立足长远。许多专家认为现在正是你为经济稳定后升职和加薪做准备的时候。普华永道(PricewaterhouseCoopers)人才管理部门负责人杰夫•萨默(Jeff Summer)说，“市场实际上提供了职业发展的机会，因为公司高度重视‘解决问题’，而如果你能帮公司解决问题，那么你就成为组织中不可或缺的一部分了。”萨默建议，搞清楚你的公司来年的目标是什么，然后结合你的技能帮助他们适应市场的困境。此外，不要在公司运营刚刚好转时要求加薪。相反，萨默说，要通过争取为公司发展做贡献的机会，努力为下次薪资考评做好准备。如果你的老板愿意但无法批准你的加薪要求，你该这么做……**曲线救国，为自己争取其他方面的利益，比如说休假或股票期权。**别灰心。当公司业务好转资金充裕时你可能会得到迟来的报偿。**为自己制订一个专业技能发展计划，让自己能从容应对下一次薪资考评中可能给你提出的更高要求。Dana Mattioli相关阅读奥巴马限薪措施带来的问题 2009-02-05原声视频：企业高管薪金限额的影响 2009-02-05奥巴马限制受助公司高管年薪   上限50万 2009-02-05华尔街高额奖金背后的文化 2009-02-04华尔街薪酬体系向现实屈服 2009-02-02美国受助金融机构薪酬限制趋紧 2009-02-02


With raise season under way, many employees may be stumped about whether they should ask for a salary increase this year. During a recessionary period, people often find themselves working harder but wonder whether it's realistic to expect to be compensated for bearing the extra burden when many companies are facing losses.  The answer is, probably, but with a catch. It isn't unrealistic to expect a salary increase, but the general consensus among management experts is that if you want a raise, you're going to have to justify it more than in previous years. And, you'll need to pare down your expectations, as companies -- especially financial firms and others directly affected by the downturn -- have less money to dole out.  'In general, we're going to see things from a flat compensation standpoint, but certain segments may find the ability to reward their top performers,' says David Smith, managing director of talent and organization performance for Accenture, a global management-consulting company.  Still, getting more than a token raise in 2009 is possible, if you take a few important steps.  First off, most raises will be reserved for top performers, according to studies by several employee-benefits-tracking firms, including Hewitt Associates and Watson Wyatt Worldwide. So if you plan to ask for one, make sure you've done an honest self-assessment about whether you've made significant contributions in 2008.  If you believe you're one of these top performers, you'll need to make a strong case on paper. Prepare a list of accomplishments, as well as other ways your performance has been above average. Have you signed new clients or spearheaded special projects? Add those in. And in this climate, outlining ways you've saved the company money or brought in revenue will help bolster your request. 'You will have to be able to point out specific end-results you delivered,' says Michael Feiner, a professor of management at Columbia Graduate School of Management.  Contrary to what many workers might believe, bosses in this climate are eager to hold on to strong workers, so they may be willing to find a way to increase compensation of valuable people, says Jack Chapman, a salary coach in Chicago. 'They have fewer people, higher costs and thinner margins, so bosses are really appreciative of people who can step up and contribute,' he says.  Sharon Campbell, a trainer for a software company in New York, recently made a case for a raise following her performance review, pointing to contributions she'd made for the company and reiterating accolades she received during her review. 'I felt like I had gone above and beyond with my performance,' she says. 'If I thought I was just an average employee who did the minimum, I wouldn't have asked.' She says her boss agreed and she's currently waiting for her raise to be approved -- despite a salary freeze at the firm.  Once you've established your accomplishments on paper, but before you talk to the boss, research your company's standing. Not every company is in dire straits and some are even doing OK, despite the economy. Most companies have published data that you can read to gauge your employer's financial health, says Michael Zwell, chief executive of Zwell International, a human-resources consulting firm based in Glenview, Ill., and author of 'Six Figure Salary Negotiation.'  In industries that have remained relatively strong, such as health care or education, asking for a raise won't be taboo, but Mr. Feiner still advises keeping expectations in check and using supporting evidence when making the case.  If your company is in the red, and mass layoffs abound, you should probably put off your request for more money until business begins to stabilizes. Similarly, if you're in the remaining arm of a company that has been acquired, such as Bear Stearns or Lehman Brothers, you need to be even more careful about compensation, says Mr. Feiner. 'In some companies there are bosses who think you're lucky to have a job and shouldn't be talking about' a raise, he says.  Other companies are being transparent about their compensation models this year, with some warning employees that there will be lower raises across the entire company, says Mr. Smith. That's evidenced most in financial firms, such as T. Rowe Price. 'Generally, we are restraining pay; both raises and bonuses are down this year,' says Gretchen Park, director of global human resources for the Baltimore asset-management firm. Ms. Park says there have been fewer requests for raises given the economic climate, and employees have been very understanding of the market conditions.  If you're faced with a no-raise policy at your firm, keep in mind that many companies instituting salary freezes aren't banning promotions. In most cases, a promotion comes with a salary increase. If you feel that your performance is worthy of a step-up in title, outline your accomplishments. And keep an ear out to see if any of your colleagues received promotions recently, as it shows whether management is open to the idea. One of Mr. Zwell's clients at a company with a no-raise policy made his case for a promotion, putting together an eight-page document demonstrating why he deserved the advancement. The employee got the promotion and subsequent raise.  If your request for a raise is turned down this year, take it in stride and consider a longer-term view. In the interim, many experts agree that now is the time to position yourself for promotions and raises once the economy stabilizes. 'The market actually affords career opportunities, because businesses are highly focused on solving problems and if you can help solve those problems you become integral to the organization,' says Jeff Summer, principal with PricewaterhouseCoopers and lead of the accounting firm's talent-management practice. Mr. Summer advises figuring out what your organization's goals will be in the coming year and aligning your skills to help them adjust to the difficult market.  And don't ask for a raise at the first sign of your company's turnaround. Instead, try to position yourself for a raise at your next review by asking for opportunities to contribute to the company's growth, says Mr. Summer.What to do if your boss wants to -- but can't -- approve your raise.-- Inquire about other perks such as vacation time or stock options.-- Don't be discouraged. You may get delayed gratification once business starts to pick up and funds are available.-- Create a development plan to meet the objectives established in your performance review to be on track for a raise once they are back on the table.Dana Mattioli