Can you determine my worth?
May 16, 2013 12:36 PM Subscribe
I work as a graphic designer/layout/print production person, and this particular job classification has always been a problem at my company— they are deliberately comparing those of us with this position to other job titles with a lower pay scale. Can you help me determine an appropriate wage comparison?
I am particularly interested in any input from HR professionals with access to salary data, but any and all help is appreciated.
I was hired for my position 13 years ago (which was advertised as a "desktop layout specialist"), and the position's job classification was already an issue with the current employees then. At that time, we were classified as "marketing specialists", even though marketing positions are usually much different than graphic design or layout positions. So there was a push to get us reclassified as graphic designers—that would be an accurate title for our education, skill-set, and job duties. Although our titles were eventually changed to graphics specialist I or II we were told they would not use the graphic design salary data for review/comparison because it is too high. (!) At least they were honest, I guess?
To skip over a long story, currently, the graphic designers in my company are not all located within the same workgroup and there have been a lot of changes to HR, position classifications, salary, etc. in the last decade. I recently had a performance/salary review under yet another new system with a different supervisor than other coworkers with the same position as mine, and I was informed that my position was being compared to a field tech for salary comparison. I was appalled and am still pretty upset about this.
The field tech position in my company requires no education or experience; it's something a high-schooler can be and has been hired to do. It's probably one of the lowest paid positions in the company.
If not unethical, this seems down-right skeevy, but it's an at-will employment state and I guess they can do whatever they want and if I don't like it, I can leave, right? Yes, I know it's probably a losing battle, but I would at least like to try to compile some data to present before my next review in order to get this fixed.
If it was just a matter of looking up the average wage of graphic designers, I could do that. But I live in an upper-midwest state, so I understand that the wage of a graphic designer in Minneapolis or Chicago is not going to be equivalent to what I could expect. Does anyone out there have the data and know-how to provide me some definitive comparisons of what my salary should be on par with, considering where I live and also considering that I now have 13 years of experience and receive rave reviews? The last part is important—I don't want to just present average starting salary for my position, I really need to know an average calculation for someone in my position that exceeds performance expectations for this length of time.
I am particularly interested in any input from HR professionals with access to salary data, but any and all help is appreciated.
I was hired for my position 13 years ago (which was advertised as a "desktop layout specialist"), and the position's job classification was already an issue with the current employees then. At that time, we were classified as "marketing specialists", even though marketing positions are usually much different than graphic design or layout positions. So there was a push to get us reclassified as graphic designers—that would be an accurate title for our education, skill-set, and job duties. Although our titles were eventually changed to graphics specialist I or II we were told they would not use the graphic design salary data for review/comparison because it is too high. (!) At least they were honest, I guess?
To skip over a long story, currently, the graphic designers in my company are not all located within the same workgroup and there have been a lot of changes to HR, position classifications, salary, etc. in the last decade. I recently had a performance/salary review under yet another new system with a different supervisor than other coworkers with the same position as mine, and I was informed that my position was being compared to a field tech for salary comparison. I was appalled and am still pretty upset about this.
The field tech position in my company requires no education or experience; it's something a high-schooler can be and has been hired to do. It's probably one of the lowest paid positions in the company.
If not unethical, this seems down-right skeevy, but it's an at-will employment state and I guess they can do whatever they want and if I don't like it, I can leave, right? Yes, I know it's probably a losing battle, but I would at least like to try to compile some data to present before my next review in order to get this fixed.
If it was just a matter of looking up the average wage of graphic designers, I could do that. But I live in an upper-midwest state, so I understand that the wage of a graphic designer in Minneapolis or Chicago is not going to be equivalent to what I could expect. Does anyone out there have the data and know-how to provide me some definitive comparisons of what my salary should be on par with, considering where I live and also considering that I now have 13 years of experience and receive rave reviews? The last part is important—I don't want to just present average starting salary for my position, I really need to know an average calculation for someone in my position that exceeds performance expectations for this length of time.
Best answer: they would not use the graphic design salary data for review/comparison because it is too high. (!)
...Well, that entire job sounds like graphic design to me. All the jockeying and repositioning to have some weird job title seems to just be avoiding that fact as hard as they possibly can. "Its not a duck, it's a swimmy bird. Sorta like a fat sparrow that swims! See, that ones brown!". Screw that.
I have no idea why, but it seems that people in design get shafted early, easy, and often. It's something I've seen and heard from a couple friends I have doing that kind of stuff. No one wants to pay for it. They always want to pay the design guys on the back end of the project, or keep calling them back to do one little piece of a project then half ass the other bits, or they get hired and underpaid, etc.
Nthing going on glassdoor. But look at graphic design, because that's what you're doing. This is like hiring someone for sysadmin stuff and calling them a "desktop management specialist" and paying them less. Look at the top end for your area on there under graphic design too. Start right there, and explain your justification like they do in this video. It's very "there's sharks, and then there's sheep"... But you areva top performer.
Look at my history, I have an askme about a vaguely similar situation. Some of the advice was "the correct answer is $0, find a new job". Be prepared to do that as well.
posted by emptythought at 12:52 PM on May 16, 2013 [3 favorites]
...Well, that entire job sounds like graphic design to me. All the jockeying and repositioning to have some weird job title seems to just be avoiding that fact as hard as they possibly can. "Its not a duck, it's a swimmy bird. Sorta like a fat sparrow that swims! See, that ones brown!". Screw that.
I have no idea why, but it seems that people in design get shafted early, easy, and often. It's something I've seen and heard from a couple friends I have doing that kind of stuff. No one wants to pay for it. They always want to pay the design guys on the back end of the project, or keep calling them back to do one little piece of a project then half ass the other bits, or they get hired and underpaid, etc.
Nthing going on glassdoor. But look at graphic design, because that's what you're doing. This is like hiring someone for sysadmin stuff and calling them a "desktop management specialist" and paying them less. Look at the top end for your area on there under graphic design too. Start right there, and explain your justification like they do in this video. It's very "there's sharks, and then there's sheep"... But you areva top performer.
Look at my history, I have an askme about a vaguely similar situation. Some of the advice was "the correct answer is $0, find a new job". Be prepared to do that as well.
posted by emptythought at 12:52 PM on May 16, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The Aquent AIGA Salary Guide has regional data. It's here.
I have worked at many design firms as an IT Consultant but in a former career was a recruiter for MacTemps and Aquent.
Depending on the type of work you do there is a pretty broad range for pay... and depending on where you work, there is a pretty broad spectrum of respect for what you do.
Here in California, designers are still revered as "thinkers and creators", when I worked in Philly, they were looked at as the production line.
The field is being watered down by a flood of design students and the cheezy "we will do your brand identity for $50!" online shops... but smart people with good taste will always pay a fair price for good work.
If your employers don't get that, I'd start looking around.
posted by bobdow at 1:14 PM on May 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have worked at many design firms as an IT Consultant but in a former career was a recruiter for MacTemps and Aquent.
Depending on the type of work you do there is a pretty broad range for pay... and depending on where you work, there is a pretty broad spectrum of respect for what you do.
Here in California, designers are still revered as "thinkers and creators", when I worked in Philly, they were looked at as the production line.
The field is being watered down by a flood of design students and the cheezy "we will do your brand identity for $50!" online shops... but smart people with good taste will always pay a fair price for good work.
If your employers don't get that, I'd start looking around.
posted by bobdow at 1:14 PM on May 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
This is a regional market issue, too - if you can't go get a job at another firm paying more, and if they don't have to pay well to get the best designers, they will have less incentive to pay you at the level you are asking.
posted by amaire at 1:36 PM on May 16, 2013
posted by amaire at 1:36 PM on May 16, 2013
sounds like you need to know what job titles you should be looking at when reviewing some of these salary reports (like on the AIGA site or glassdoor). yes? here are some things you could be called:
(Sr.) Production Artist
(Sr.) Print Production Artist
(Sr.) Studio Artist / Studio Manager
Prepress Specialist
Production Designer
agreed that you aren't a graphic designer, and looking up salaries for junior designers doesn't take your years of expertise into account.
hope this helps!
posted by apostrophe at 7:39 PM on May 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
(Sr.) Production Artist
(Sr.) Print Production Artist
(Sr.) Studio Artist / Studio Manager
Prepress Specialist
Production Designer
agreed that you aren't a graphic designer, and looking up salaries for junior designers doesn't take your years of expertise into account.
hope this helps!
posted by apostrophe at 7:39 PM on May 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you for the responses; the resources on glassdoor and AIGA are very helpful. Alas, they do not have regional data for my region, which is what I was hoping to find—I can calculate a percentage down from those figures that I think is applicable, but I was really hoping to find something concrete so my manager/HR department can't say that I'm just guessing and what they are using is correct. However, it's a good start and I will definitely apply the advice from emptythought's video! Luckily, I'm halfway there because specific metrics have been defined and I've already exceeded two out of the three. Now to exceed the rest, document the results and present some solid numbers. :)
If all else fails, job search for a company that appropriately pays and respects my position...
posted by Eicats at 9:30 AM on May 17, 2013
If all else fails, job search for a company that appropriately pays and respects my position...
posted by Eicats at 9:30 AM on May 17, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
That's as good a place to start as any.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:43 PM on May 16, 2013