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April 12, 2010 1:19 PM Subscribe
Six months ago I started doing the IT for my company on top of the job I was hired to do; at the time I received a 10% raise (it was also my six-month review). Well, we've doubled in size since then and now the IT work is taking up at least half of my time, but I'm still being paid based on the job I was initially hired for. How much extra should I be getting paid for my IT responsibilities?
Our company has 16 employees in two locations (two miles apart) and one in another state, roughly 20 workstations and laptops, two internet connections, two wireless routers/firewalls, an IP-based phone system that tunnels over a VPN between the two locations, a Volusion-based web store/CM/inventory control system, and I'm currently migrating us to Google Apps and building out a Wiki for internal documentation (there is none). I'm solely responsible for keeping all of that working smoothly, including contacting vendors when something is broken outside of my control.
I also recently spent a week getting our new location ready to move into, which included running ethernet and setting up the network, workstations, printers, fax machine, phones and even a couple desks. All of this was at my regular rate of pay.
As you can see, it's not as simple as plugging "Systems administrator" into salary.com; I'm doing systems, networking, facilities, user support, telecom, etc etc etc. I feel as though I'm not being fairly compensated for this work, but I'm at a loss for what the salary range is. When I was hired the owner was doing the computer stuff and outsourcing the phone stuff, so I don't think they have a clear idea of the actual support costs for a company of our size where everyone depends on computers and the internet to do their jobs.
I have my 1-year review this week and I'm worried they're going to just offer me another cost-of-living raise. I know that one of the two owners does not see the value in the IT work I do (even though the company couldn't run without it), so I'd like to be prepared to make a case for a more substantial raise. Based on my responsibilities, what do you think I should be getting paid above and beyond my present hourly rate? (it's between $15 and $20, and I'm in Seattle, if it makes a difference)
Our company has 16 employees in two locations (two miles apart) and one in another state, roughly 20 workstations and laptops, two internet connections, two wireless routers/firewalls, an IP-based phone system that tunnels over a VPN between the two locations, a Volusion-based web store/CM/inventory control system, and I'm currently migrating us to Google Apps and building out a Wiki for internal documentation (there is none). I'm solely responsible for keeping all of that working smoothly, including contacting vendors when something is broken outside of my control.
I also recently spent a week getting our new location ready to move into, which included running ethernet and setting up the network, workstations, printers, fax machine, phones and even a couple desks. All of this was at my regular rate of pay.
As you can see, it's not as simple as plugging "Systems administrator" into salary.com; I'm doing systems, networking, facilities, user support, telecom, etc etc etc. I feel as though I'm not being fairly compensated for this work, but I'm at a loss for what the salary range is. When I was hired the owner was doing the computer stuff and outsourcing the phone stuff, so I don't think they have a clear idea of the actual support costs for a company of our size where everyone depends on computers and the internet to do their jobs.
I have my 1-year review this week and I'm worried they're going to just offer me another cost-of-living raise. I know that one of the two owners does not see the value in the IT work I do (even though the company couldn't run without it), so I'd like to be prepared to make a case for a more substantial raise. Based on my responsibilities, what do you think I should be getting paid above and beyond my present hourly rate? (it's between $15 and $20, and I'm in Seattle, if it makes a difference)
Just talk to your boss openly, that you are comfortable with the type of work you're doing, but that the increased demands (because of new hires) are requiring a substantial time commitment beyond what was required six months ago.
There are really three options here for your continued employment: your company gets someone else to do IT and you go back to concentrating on your old job, your company gets someone else to do your old job and you concentrate fully on IT, or you decide you can keep doing both jobs and doing them well, but you want to be compensated for the additional hours and effort required to do so. Decide which ones you prefer/which ones you won't tolerate, and when you talk to your boss find out what she/he has in mind going forward.
Better to do it before the review, by the way, as if you wait until after you might miss the opportunity for a larger bump/reduced workload for the coming six-month period.
posted by davejay at 1:24 PM on April 12, 2010
There are really three options here for your continued employment: your company gets someone else to do IT and you go back to concentrating on your old job, your company gets someone else to do your old job and you concentrate fully on IT, or you decide you can keep doing both jobs and doing them well, but you want to be compensated for the additional hours and effort required to do so. Decide which ones you prefer/which ones you won't tolerate, and when you talk to your boss find out what she/he has in mind going forward.
Better to do it before the review, by the way, as if you wait until after you might miss the opportunity for a larger bump/reduced workload for the coming six-month period.
posted by davejay at 1:24 PM on April 12, 2010
Response by poster: KokuRyu: I'm hourly, not salary, and my last review paperwork specified my new wage but not a range. The job has changed significantly since then. Also, there are no other jobs like mine in my community; it's a very specialized field, and my company is the industry leader on the west coast. Finding another job isn't really an option, nor would I want to; this is a great place to work.
davejay: I'm planning on saying pretty much exactly that, and I have a great relationship with my boss so I think it will go well, but I'd feel more comfortable going into it if I had some idea of the numbers involved.
posted by bizwank at 1:34 PM on April 12, 2010
davejay: I'm planning on saying pretty much exactly that, and I have a great relationship with my boss so I think it will go well, but I'd feel more comfortable going into it if I had some idea of the numbers involved.
posted by bizwank at 1:34 PM on April 12, 2010
I would point out that "systems administrator" often covers exactly the list of tasks you've detailed. As time has gone on, the term has narrowed ("Linux sysadmin", "Active Directory sysadmin", "Exchange sysadmin"), not the other way around. But the job title still exists in the form you've described. In smaller companies such as the one you are working for, your case is much more normal than not.
However, keep in mind that the average or mean salary you see on these pages online often is weighted to the top end (that sounds strange, given the "average or mean" statement, but it's because the position within large companies has evolved part of the job title and compensation but not all of it and because salary surveys for a technical position are given to technical companies more than non-technical companies [for example, I am one of 5 sysadmins at a major forestry company, which is quite different from being a sysadmin at Google or Microsoft]).
posted by swimming naked when the tide goes out at 1:37 PM on April 12, 2010
However, keep in mind that the average or mean salary you see on these pages online often is weighted to the top end (that sounds strange, given the "average or mean" statement, but it's because the position within large companies has evolved part of the job title and compensation but not all of it and because salary surveys for a technical position are given to technical companies more than non-technical companies [for example, I am one of 5 sysadmins at a major forestry company, which is quite different from being a sysadmin at Google or Microsoft]).
posted by swimming naked when the tide goes out at 1:37 PM on April 12, 2010
Three years ago, I was in a nearly identical situation, at about the same salary. Talking got me nowhere, so I jumped ship, and now work somewhere else with far less responsibilities, for about double the salary. Three years after I changed jobs, I still smile when I think about how much more I get paid now. I just wish I'd done it sooner.
Whether you are thinking about leaving or not, you could talk to an agency, or a temp agency, and see what they think you should be making. They'll have a good idea what the going rate is in your area.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:38 PM on April 12, 2010
Whether you are thinking about leaving or not, you could talk to an agency, or a temp agency, and see what they think you should be making. They'll have a good idea what the going rate is in your area.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:38 PM on April 12, 2010
Double your rate is the very, very least you should be getting paid for those responsibilities. They're milking you.
posted by rhizome at 2:31 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 2:31 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Document everything you're doing IT-wise from now until your review and present it to the bosses. Contact a local IT consulting firm or three and see if you can get a quote for what that work would've cost the company on the open market and present it. Ask for a reasonable raise, pointing out that you're still saving them money compared to what they would have to spend to replace you.
Prepare to get nothing anyway and start formulating an exit strategy, don't feel like you need to cushion the blow to the company. If you leave and the place crashes, offer to come back on as a consultant at an insane markup.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:54 PM on April 12, 2010
Prepare to get nothing anyway and start formulating an exit strategy, don't feel like you need to cushion the blow to the company. If you leave and the place crashes, offer to come back on as a consultant at an insane markup.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:54 PM on April 12, 2010
A consultant would likely charge somewhere between $100-150/hr for all of that work.
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on April 12, 2010
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on April 12, 2010
Best answer: Based on my experience, and that of friends I know who work IT (which is almost all of them actually) in the Seattle area, I'd say you could easily be making double that at a different job, if you were only doing the IT stuff.
If you're doing all that, but it's only 50% of your workload, and you're working 40-50 hours a week, then you could make a solid case for $30/hour.
However, as I'm sure you well know, unemployed IT people are literally a dime a dozen in Seattle. Off the top of my head, I can think of three unemployed friends in Seattle who would pretty much kill a hobo in order to have your job, even at that reduced salary. So it behooves you to tread lightly In These Difficult Economic Times.
Talk to your boss, but don't make a big noise about it. I suspect you're going to have to switch jobs in order to get the pay scale you deserve, but you never know! If you can negotiate some other perks instead (certs, better insurance, 401k, whatever) that's more than you had before.
posted by ErikaB at 3:27 PM on April 12, 2010
If you're doing all that, but it's only 50% of your workload, and you're working 40-50 hours a week, then you could make a solid case for $30/hour.
However, as I'm sure you well know, unemployed IT people are literally a dime a dozen in Seattle. Off the top of my head, I can think of three unemployed friends in Seattle who would pretty much kill a hobo in order to have your job, even at that reduced salary. So it behooves you to tread lightly In These Difficult Economic Times.
Talk to your boss, but don't make a big noise about it. I suspect you're going to have to switch jobs in order to get the pay scale you deserve, but you never know! If you can negotiate some other perks instead (certs, better insurance, 401k, whatever) that's more than you had before.
posted by ErikaB at 3:27 PM on April 12, 2010
I sort o disagree with ErikaB. You said above that the sys-admin part of your job is only about 50% and that there is really no other company that does what you guys do, which means that if someone else came in, it would take ALOT to bring them up to speed on not only the sys-admin part, which would be easier, but the other stuff you do.
This makes you valuable! Think about all of the hours of training, and knowledge about the company you have and how much it would actually cost the company to bring someone new in. Hiring/training.
I would say bring in a couple of things: your job title/duties when you started, an outline of your current duties, and a fleshed out idea of what you want to do/where you want to be between now and your next review.
Show them that you have taken the initiative to come up with some new ideas/a new place where you will fit in, and ask to be compensated accordingly. While you are at it, you might as well ask for a new title as well- minister of communications might be good since you are THE IT guy.
posted by TheBones at 4:45 PM on April 12, 2010
This makes you valuable! Think about all of the hours of training, and knowledge about the company you have and how much it would actually cost the company to bring someone new in. Hiring/training.
I would say bring in a couple of things: your job title/duties when you started, an outline of your current duties, and a fleshed out idea of what you want to do/where you want to be between now and your next review.
Show them that you have taken the initiative to come up with some new ideas/a new place where you will fit in, and ask to be compensated accordingly. While you are at it, you might as well ask for a new title as well- minister of communications might be good since you are THE IT guy.
posted by TheBones at 4:45 PM on April 12, 2010
If your company is really as unique as you say, and your skill set is as unique as you say, then they kind of have no choice but to raise your salary or risk losing you. That said, it sounds like all that IT/sysadmin stuff that you are doing is pretty average stuff. If you want to prove your value to the company, you'll want to play up those skills that make you unique, not the breadth of stuff that you do.
posted by kenliu at 8:17 PM on April 12, 2010
posted by kenliu at 8:17 PM on April 12, 2010
I just want to chime in and say you're getting utterly ripped off. You would be paid more than that if you were living in BFE somewhere with a low cost of living. In Seattle? Yeah, total ripoff.
Personally, I get paid crappy wages for IT and telecom work, but I accept it because my job is incredibly flexible. I can essentially take off somewhere whenever I want and if I don't feel like working, I don't have to. I accept the lower wage (which is still higher than what you're making!) for that reason and that reason alone. If my work actually impacted my leisure time in a material way, I would either be paid double what I'm making now or would tell them to lose my phone number until they see things my way.
I think $30 an hour would be an absolute bare minimum for what you're doing, and your employer would still be stealing from you. $50-$60 would be more fair if you have any idea what you're doing. I know many consultants who bill $100-150 an hour for the sort of work you're doing. Obviously you should take some off that for any benefits you might get, the fact they're paying 7.5% or so of your salary to the government for SS/Medicare, and the reliable work, but taking an 80% haircut is out of line.
posted by wierdo at 11:49 PM on April 12, 2010
Personally, I get paid crappy wages for IT and telecom work, but I accept it because my job is incredibly flexible. I can essentially take off somewhere whenever I want and if I don't feel like working, I don't have to. I accept the lower wage (which is still higher than what you're making!) for that reason and that reason alone. If my work actually impacted my leisure time in a material way, I would either be paid double what I'm making now or would tell them to lose my phone number until they see things my way.
I think $30 an hour would be an absolute bare minimum for what you're doing, and your employer would still be stealing from you. $50-$60 would be more fair if you have any idea what you're doing. I know many consultants who bill $100-150 an hour for the sort of work you're doing. Obviously you should take some off that for any benefits you might get, the fact they're paying 7.5% or so of your salary to the government for SS/Medicare, and the reliable work, but taking an 80% haircut is out of line.
posted by wierdo at 11:49 PM on April 12, 2010
Response by poster: This reply is a bit late, but work's been really busy :) Thank you for all the replies and advice; basically I laid out how much money I was saving them over a full-time IT person or contractor and negotiated a 50% raise for the 10-15 hours a week that I do IT work. This brings it a lot closer to industry standards, and I also got a little bump to my other hourly wage, to keep it in line with the rest of my department's raises. I'll probably re-negotiate the IT wage again at my next review as the company is continuing to add employees and I've got two more large IT buildouts coming up, but I'm happy for now as I feel my work is being acknowledged and properly compensated.
posted by bizwank at 7:36 PM on September 20, 2010
posted by bizwank at 7:36 PM on September 20, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
When you negotiated your salary, you basically locked yourself in. Unless your employer formally renegotiates your job title and your responsibilities, you're unlikely to get a big raise.
The only way to figure out how much you should be paid is to canvass around your community to see what other companies are paying. And if you want to earn that raise, you probably will have to get a new job.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:23 PM on April 12, 2010