How to Pressure my Management for My Past Due Promotion...

As the title states...

And to give some background...

I accepted a new position at work which is a great move from me (moving from L2 net-ops to L3, L3 being the final support group and end-of-the-line for network support for my company. We see all the cool issues to resolution and play a deep involvement in handling the big / complex issues of the firm). This was offered to me to start working for the team back in October, which I openly accepted. However due to the end of the year my company was locked up with hiring freezes so it was not possible at that time to actually extend me an offer. I was told it would come toward the beginning of 2017 when freezes would be lifted and promotions would be issued. I understood this and frankly didn't think much of it nor felt the need to worry. Now it being February promotions are going out. Just not for me... not yet... not even a word of detail...

The part that is troubling is (and this was in my last discussion with my new manager) that I am being told that "I am being highly considered and that I am near the top of their list" of people to consider for promotions as I am currently working UNDER the minimum pay requirements for my position. This got me thinking... being underpaid I would think that SHOULD put me AT THE TOP of "said list" or make me one of the very first people to be considered. Also considering the fact I worked as hard as I did to grow as a L2 engineer, interview, and be accepted as a candidate to fill my now position. This promotion is not only deserved but to rightfully adjust my pay to meet the actual position requirements.

Instead within my same org I have seen middle managers get special treatment and get title promotions where it's hardly as justifiable; these particular individuals are maintaining the same role and not doing a single thing different day-to-day. These individuals also not only received their promotions already but also received public recognition of it as well. I feel because I am the tech I am low on their radar and middle mgmt often is considered before the techs who bust their butts working tirelessly to become key technical assets.

So at this point I just want to continue putting pressure on my mgmt to provide what I deserve (and was promised) yet handle it in a professional way. I am tempted to bring up the fact that others in my org DID already receive promotions yet I haven't even been talked to with the hintest of a detail about what to expect for mine. I fear bringing this may compound on me negatively (honestly feels a bit unprofessional). I feel if I did that I might be labeled as a complainer and would be gradually fueling a blaze that I could not put out. (you can see my sense of trust...)

Being in my current predicament creates fear that I will continue to be over looked. Also because I don't meet the minimum pay requirements I don't feel as protected as the other engineers on my team as they are real members (on paper). I wonder if I should bring up my fears as well or maybe save that for now as I am hopeful these are just an over exaggeration of my emotions.

Thoughts?

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Comments

hurricane1091

If you feel you're underpaid then ask or quit. I got a $10k raise last week and a bonus, and I'll make almost exactly the average for a network engineer this year if you take both of those figures and combine them. But whatever, I have two interviews that pay even more than that and it's substantial. Learning is great and all and my place is the place to be for learning, but I'm trying to get paid over here.

On the contrary, I have an inside track on a job paying 80k but passed on it because it seemed dead end. So you do need to be somewhat careful and not always chase the money.

Danielh22185

hurricane1091 wrote: »

If you feel you're underpaid then ask or quit. I got a $10k raise last week and a bonus, and I'll make almost exactly the average for a network engineer this year if you take both of those figures and combine them. But whatever, I have two interviews that pay even more than that and it's substantial. Learning is great and all and my place is the place to be for learning, but I'm trying to get paid over here.

On the contrary, I have an inside track on a job paying 80k but passed on it because it seemed dead end. So you do need to be somewhat careful and not always chase the money.

Actually my current role is actually what is to be considered more dead-end. It is strictly operations with an occasional project to make a repair / upgrade / design revision (those projects are far and few though).

I've been thinking on this a while that if I stay at my current job too long I might be hurting myself more than doing good. My current company is a very large organization of 200k+ employees so everything is silo'd into teams. My team particularly deals with the advanced core networking stuff. I feel doing this long term will limit my field of expertise and I will become less marketable as I am not getting any / if at all experience in design, implementations, upgrades, migrations, etc.

This new role actually is for a MUCH MUCH smaller company where they do not have tier'd support and silo'd teams like I am used to. The network team does everything, even rack / stack sometimes. However I worry that job might be a bit overwhelming and they might be trying to skimp by with the little resources they have. I actually read some glass door reviews about the IT of the company as well and found some that were less than great (however not sure if you can 100% take glass door for face value).

I think I need to make a serious list of pro/cons of staying (and waiting for my promotion) vs leaving. I'll also know a lot more about the day-to-day job of the company I am interviewing for tomorrow as I have another interview.

keenon

then continue to look and refresh resume. a new version of your resume will do wonders ( don't just update it change it completely)

Archon

Did you ever get the promotion?

Danielh22185

Nope. Still waiting...

Also the other company I interviewed for came down to them ready to send me an offer. I gave that company my leaving number and they didn't even want to attempt to negotiate pay and turned me down. I would have accepted a bit less but never had the opportunity to negotiate... I guess some places are like this and won't ever budge. Their loss...

So currently I am still at my current company. I had actually ANOTHER 1-2-1 with my manager just a moment ago. I laid it all out there pretty heavily but professionally and not backed with emotion. I also spoke with my father who is a director / executive for his company and he gave me a good piece of advice:
- 1st, ask for a time line of expectation (I had asked for this 2 weeks prior, still nothing concrete).
- 2nd, ask to set up a meeting with my manager and my director (in the presence with my manager) to ask the same questions, etc.

So... My manager gave me another fluff answer stating he doesn't have any answer of a time line. So... I asked to a sit down with him and his manager (my director). My manager was a bit apprehensive about this at first and immediately countered with: "oh well he is going to say the same thing" . So I gently eased into that stating that it's not a matter that I don't trust him about the information he is giving me, I believe him when he says there is nothing new about my current progress, but I want to take every possible step possible to show tenacity about me asking. If I don't show I am asking to the fullest extent I won't get what I deserve. He understood.

We then got to speaking about it more candidly and he actually then went on to explain how he was jerked around the same way (previously under different mgmt years ago) which actually made him feel forced to leave the company to seek out the pay he deserved. He found that after leaving he fell into a role where he was left to do much, much more for unfair pay again, only to later return to my same company under the "right" pay / management.

So in a way this gives me a bit a security knowing that the same management that finally made things right for him is my current management. Does it make me feel absolutely comfortable? Not exactly, because nothing has actually happened yet.

He also went on to tell me he thinks things should be moving more rapidly after the close of the 1st quarter here soon. So he has a layer of expectation to know more soon. I personally can only hope... Also, he shocked me and told me he would be very transparent with me and if he sensed it would carry on another quarter he would personally tell me to maybe start looking elsewhere (because he's been in this same position).

So as a summary, I don't know anything new. I feel I am pushing harder / stronger but with the right attitude and that hopefully is being noticed up the chain. I feel a bit of easement that I could talk to him about this more candidly and hear about his same type of similar experiences.

So the plan for now is to meet with him again in 2 weeks and ask again where we are at. Then to prod into making that meet with my director happen with the 3 of us if nothing concrete.

The waiting game continues...

9bits

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

When I passed CCIE, my company didnt give me a raise right away. They told me that there was a hiring freeze. I waited a few months and nothing. So I did what I thought was best for me. I looked for jobs outside. I got an interviewed on by well known companies.

I got an big 6 digit offer right away from a well known hospital. I told that to my boss. Showed them the offer and the position. Guess what happened? I showed it to them thursday. By Sunday they sent me their counter offer. With the adjustment of cost of living. They offered me more.

I learned that company gives you these BS excuses that there is a hiring freeze. I recommend you find a better paying job and let them counter. If they dont want to counter, then move.

Did you go with the new job or take the counteroffer? I've read that it's usually a bad idea to accept counteroffers, so if you did, I'm curious how it worked out.