I'm featuring a question from a reader today, which I do when I believe the question will be interesting for other readers. Your thoughts for this reader are welcome.
Reader Question:
"Here's a question on how to handle a situation I am in.
"I am 7 months overdue on my annual job performance evaluation. I work in healthcare. I have gone to HR which promised me a month ago that something would be done asap. Well, nothing has come forward from my director. What do I do next? Am I also due additional compensation for waiting so long?
"Money that would have come to me and my family, if on time, could have gone to many good uses: college education, payment of bills, a dinner out, a small vacation, etc."
Answer:
Sounds as if you work in an organization where the performance evaluation process is linked to raises. That's unfortunate because thousands of employees experience exactly what you are experiencing nationally every year.
Your boss does not have to give you a raise at all unless you have a contract that requires one. (If you are a union represented employee, talk with your union rep.) Making the raise retroactive will also be up to your organization. You can ask that it be made retroactive to the original appraisal due date, but whether and when you get raises is not up to the employee.
I'd go to your boss and say that you had hoped to have an increase in wages this year and it appears that can't happen without a performance evaluation. Offer to write or help write the performance evaluation to save her/him the time, energy, and work. You may also go back to HR for an update.
Supervisors avoid performance evaluation for a variety of reasons, including that they are "too busy" but the fundamental issue is that most really dislike doing them in the traditional way.
One of the perennially favorite topics on this Web site deals with team work, team building, and how to lead teams. I get a lot of email asking about team building ideas as well. I realized, when asked the question, in one of my client companies, that I needed to create some basic knowledge about the team building process on this site.
So, I developed team FAQs that address the most fundamental team building concepts like what is a team and the stages of team development In my work with managers about team building, these basic ideas are critical.
Recently, I worked with a group of managers on team building ideas. I covered forming, storming, norming, and performing, which are the traditional stages of team development. To these I have added transforming to indicate high performance, rarely found teams. And, I have added ending to give weight to the fact that teams end and teams must mark their ending with celebration and analysis.
But, the most important reminder I rediscovered, in working with this group, and in working with most groups over the years, was the critical role that executives or team sponsors play during each stage. And, my suspicion is that the role of the team sponsor is foundational when teams succeed.
Yesterday, I cited research that indicated women who work as Human Resources managers earn 67.9% of what their male counterparts make. I'm wondering if this statistic holds true for site visitors?
Please take my poll so we can find out. This poll presents response options randomly and you can add your own answers. I'm looking for your feedback. Do you like it?
Leaving Money on the Table? Women in HR Are Underpaid
Thursday July 9, 2009
The highest paying jobs for women caught my attention this morning. Reporting at Forbes.com, Jenna Goudreau says that Human Resources, a field in which two out of every three employees are women, pays the eighth best salaries. Women Human Resources Managers' median earnings were $59,124 per year which is just 67.9% of what their male counterparts make.
Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau 2008 analysis, women make about 80% of what men make across occupations. What other jobs made the best paid list for women? Pharmacist, computer engineer, computer science and system analyst, physician, management analyst, lawyer, chief executive, and more. Women need to stay out of female-dominated professions like administrative assistant and elementary teaching if a woman wants to make money.
Yes, I know that many women value non-monetary items such as flexible work schedules. I also recognize that women tend to move in and out of the workforce for family-related reasons. What's obvious here, even when you take these kinds of issues into consideration, is that women are paid less than their male counterparts - shockingly so in Human Resources.
And, it's time to do something about it. Who but you is better prepared to understand the job market and know what others in the field are making? Take time to do your homework. Make your job measurable and make where you spend your time matter to your company's business success. Make your success visible. Come to meetings with recommendations and a plan. Speak up for yourself and prepare to negotiate. No, with that discrepancy, 4% isn't going to cut it. Are you riled yet? Here's the best advice for women I have on the site.
