Bonus programsThis is kind of long, so please bear with me. I am really in a quandary and need advice. I am an experienced HRIS professional and have been with my company for 2 1/2 years. When I first started this job, I was at a negotiating disadvantage, having been laid off from my former company due to extreme cutbacks. Also, I wanted to get back into working with PeopleSoft, but my technical skills had fallen behind (even though I had several years of prior experience, my last company had gone to a different platform). So I accepted the job at a greatly reduced salary (30K below my prior salary), knowing that I could prove my worth. I also knew at the time of hire that there was a bonus program, but as a "non-manager" in my company I was not eligible for it. The job I went into was HRIS Administrator, and after a year, I was able to justify a re-evaluation and series of increases. I was re-titled Senior HRIS Programmer/Analyst (still a non-manager title), and was brought up by $20K. In addition to the opportunity to return to working with PeopleSoft HR, I also have a wonderful supervisor/manager, challenge in my work assignments and the opportunity to take initiative, and a nice commute. Just recently, my (privately-held) company owner decided to institute two additional "bonus" programs in addition to the discretionary program mentioned earlier. They include a cash-based "service award" program with money paid on milestone anniversaries, and a "profit-sharing" bonus, payable on company profits. However, BOTH programs are - you guessed it - eligibile for managers only. I know I am very marketable, and have the option of leaving. BUT I also know my function is growing and at some point (within 2 years) there will be a need to add staff in the HRIS function. However, this is not on the table, and when I asked the question, I was told the company has no plans in that regard. However, I am very disheartened and unmotivated by the recent news. So my question is, do I keep quiet and HOPE that there is a future with my company in which allows for my growth to manager status, or voice my feelings about the latest changes and risk being viewed as a complainer? What other options do I have? Thanks for reading this. I appreciate any and all thoughts and advice as I am working hard to cope with my feelings on this! What makes you think you'll be the manager if they do increase your group? They'll just hire you a boss to make you work harder. By the way, PeopleSoft Sux! Deltek is much better. As a private company owner, your boss can make any bonus program he wants and is responsible to no one but himself. He has chosen (I think foolishly) to restrict bonuses to managers. Your options are (a) hang in there in hopes that you get to become a manager or (b) move on to another job. I would suggest looking around to see what other employers would offer you. If you find the same salary and no bonuses, you are probably fairly paid where you are. If you find management positions at better salaries and bonuses, you should make a move. If I were you, I'd think about scheduling an appointment with whomever the appropriate person is to talk informally about your future with the company and your desire to move up to a management position. Try to get a sense, in other words, of what your future prospects are. I would not, however, threaten to leave or even intimate that was a possibility. If you get the sense that you're highly valued, stay put for a while. On the other hand, if you get the sense that you're pretty much stuck in a non-management role, I'd quietly start a job search to see what opportunities might come my way - keeping in mind that it's always easier to find a job when you have one, plus the fact that having a job increases you negotiating power with prospective employers significantly. Zat help? Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert Honestly? I think you're being a little unreasonable. You've only been there 2 years and you've already had one promotion with a $20K increase! Geeze Louise how much growth do you want? How can you realistically expect your boss to be able to predict what kind of HR staff they're going to need 2 years from now? You can stay where you are and continue to rebuild your career and your skills or you can look for something else. As I'm sure you know, HR is a VERY competative field and it can be very tough to find exactly the right thing. It might not be a bad idea to (quietly) have a look and see what you're really in line for elsewhere but keep in mind that 2 years ago, you were only in line for the HRIS Administrator position so there may not be much more out there now. In the meantime, really, chill out. I don't think it is wise to whine about a bonus that didn't exist when you were hired and that you were never in line for to begin with.
Tess OK, first of all I appreciate each and every response. I know I need help being objective. To NewShopper: At first I thought your reply was a little flippant, but as I gave it more thought, I realized you are right. There's nothing that says management won't hire more staff just to have them report to the current manager. I hadn't really considered this before because the manager isn't an HRIS person. I guess if that does happen, the handwriting would be on the wall. To Chet: I think you're right. It's not a very intelligent decision on management's part. Makes us ripe for a union. To Paul: Thanks for your insights. I should tell you that I just had my annual performance rating and was rated outstanding in 6 out of 7 categories (as well as overall). It was in the course of that discussion that I asked the question about my career path with the company - and was told essentially (1) I don't know, we haven't thought about it, and (2) there aren't any current plans to change anything. So when you say, "I'd think about scheduling an appointment with whomever the appropriate person is to talk informally about your future with the company and your desire to move up to a management position.", I'm not sure if your advice would be to go back to my manager and flesh out that discussion or go to the head of HR and discuss. I have had multiple discussions with my manager about the increasing workload and the risks are facing as a result of having no additional support or backup. To Tess: I can respect your opinion and I appreciate your candor! However, I think we CAN predict some explosive growth in the not-too-distant future. Our system currently supports 300 employees. Within 3 months, we will begin rolling out to a workforce of over 8000. Everyone here understands that the need for additional support is a given. The bigger question is exactly when will it become totally unmanageable at the current staffing level. I am willing to wait. I just don't want to wait if the handwriting on the wall says there isn't going to be a payoff at the end. I hope this additional information is helpful! Thanks for all your thoughts. I'd wait a few weeks and still go ahead and schedule an appointment to talk with your manger to let it be known that you're more than mildly concerned about your future with the company - I wouldn't go over anybody's head just yet. If you get some more of that "we haven't thought about it," I'd be really tempted to politely ask if someone could think about it and if there's anything you can do to help initiate the process. Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert I still think you're barking up the wrong tree for no reason. Let's say you talk to your manager about it. Here's how it would go if I were on your manager's end.
You- (words to the effect of) I want to know if I'm going to be in line for a manager spot when we expand over the next two years. Me- I don't know. I don't know if we are going to have more HR spots or not. If we do have them, I don't know what sort of skills and what sort of person we'd be looking for to fill them. I do know we plan to expand from 300 to 8000 but I don't know if that's going to work out, if the time line will work out, if our product will grow enough in the marketplace to support that growth the way we hope it will, etc. If we do put on a manager, of course you'd be eligible to apply for it, assuming you still work here. Are you going to be working here 2 years from now? You- Ummm... Well, I'd like to be if I knew that I was going to be able to move up. Me- Well, I don't know if anyone will be able to move up because I don't know what kind of staffing we'll get...
You're just going to roll around in the mud in a chicken and egg kind of way and I think you could easily find yourself sounding like you're giving an ultimatum. Your mileage may vary! Tess I totally agree with Paul and with Chet. Flesh out the matter more thoroughly with your supervisor, and if you don't get a better sense of where you are headed with this company, I would, very discreetly, start looking around to see what is available. On Chet's point, it is incredibly short sighted, counterproductive, and I might add, arrogant (IMHO), to offer bonuses only to management. It is, after all, the work of your and your peers that make profits possible. Management does not work in a vaccuum.... Frankly, given what you have said, although you have seen a very nice salary increase in 2 1/2 years, it sounds as if you were started out rather low to begin with, even though your technical skills were dated. You've proven yourself, and if your company is experiencing rapid growth and isn't adequately preparing/planning for the impact that will have on personnel issues, I'd seriously think about taking another position with a more forward-thinking or pro-active company. JMHO, of course! You've all given me good advice. I did have an"informal" chat with my manager, who indicated that some thought is now being given to near-term future staffing growth. I am somewhat encouraged by that, but will also do some more deliberate checking as to other opportunities. I really do want to stay, but as they say, you have to look out for your best interests. I am also hoping that management comes to their senses as far as the bonus structure. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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