Welcome to the DEB Talks blog

3-27-18

Often negotiating salary when applying for a job can be intimidating. And awareness of the disparity in pay between male and females workers is making headlines more than ever this year. The article below written by Samantha Spano gives some interesting statistics of the wage gap and three suggestions for ways of closing it.

NAVIGATING THE WAGE GAP

Discussing salary with others is still very taboo. But when it comes to the wage gap, it very much needs to be at the forefront of conversation during the hiring process. According to a survey done by National Partnership, women in the United States are still only paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to an annual gender wage gap of $10,4701. That same study shows that on average, women employed full time in the U.S. lose a combined total of over $840 billion each year due to the wage gap.

You’ve seen it all over the news lately – especially in Hollywood. The #MeToo movement has been very prominent at all of this season’s award shows.  Tinsel Town’s leading women and men of all ages, races, and backgrounds have joined together in solidarity to promote this movement to push towards equal pay.

More notably, the entire country of Iceland has moved forward as of January 1, 2018 to make it illegal for organizations to pay their female employees less than their male equivalents.

This is all a great step in the right direction, however, we’re quite not there yet. Additionally, it’s not only women who are making significantly less than their male counterparts. Research has shown that other races are also experiencing less pay compared to their white male colleagues.

White men are often used as a benchmark because they previously made up the largest demographic group in the workforce.  In recent years, the demographics of the workforce has seen a dramatic shift and pay scales need to reflect it.

So, how can you close the gap in salary when looking for the next step in your career?

Do Your Research

When searching for potential jobs, it is key to leverage all of the data available to you. There are plenty of tools available to you online that allow you to see where you stand regarding salary.  Sites like JobStar.org, Salary.com, PayScale, and Glassdoor can provide you with easy to use salary or market value estimators. They also have comparisons around what your male colleagues in similar roles are making.  On the flip side, if you’re already employed and concerned about having a talk with your supervisor about a pay increase, the AAUW or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission2 have resources who can educate you on options.

Negotiate

According to research3 from Glassdoor, 68% of women will accept an initial salary offer and will not negotiate. That’s a lot of money left on the table! There are a lot of concerns around damaging one’s reputation or being too bold when negotiating salary. One way to overcome this is to talk less about why you need the extra money and more about what you can bring to the organization to excel in the role and increase productivity if they were to give you that increase.

Know Your Worth

Don’t be afraid to walk away from an offer. You’ve done your research and you what your market value is now. If your next potential employer, or current employer, is unwilling to meet you in the middle based on what you have presented, it’s important to take a hard look at this company and see if you’re actually a fit. Does the organization care about their employees? Is there additional opportunity for growth long term? Are there other aspects of the job offer you could negotiate to meet your needs?

Working towards closing the pay gap is still a work in progress today. Fortunately, it’s been recognized as an issue that must be addressed, and fast. Through the tips above, you’ll confidently be able to work towards the job offer you want and in turn, set both you and your next company up for long term success.

Resources:
1 http://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/workplace-fairness/fair-pay/americas-women-and-the-wage-gap.pdf
2 http://www.eeoc.gov/
3 https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/3-5-u-s-employees-negotiate-salary/

3-20-18

There’s no doubt the work place is changing due to Millennial’s, the largest group in the employment pool today. The article below  by Philipe Bruce is well written. You can also follow the link:

Sourcing

It brings out some key points about their preferences in the work place.  Including opportunities to continually learn new things to avoid stagnancy, to have flexibility in their hours and focus more on the work accomplished rather than adhering to a conventional 9-5 schedule and to work for a company who cares about the greater good. Joining social causes and local charities is high on their list of personal values and they likewise want their workplace to be involved.

Everyone is talking about the war for talent. That war is being influenced by the single largest talent pool: Millennials.

Yes, they don’t stay long in an organization. Yes, they are laidback and rebellious. But they also bring value and talent that Millennials bring to an organization. They have just what you need: innovative ideas, creativity, and the thirst for knowledge. These Millennials are optimists, they don’t back down from taking risks, they are more well-versed in technology than any of the generations preceding them—and you need all this.

But there’s an issue with the way we treat them. For years, organizations have developed set procedures and standards that govern their Human Resources departments. Anyone that doesn’t conform becomes more or less an outcast in the organization—and that’s what we’re doing with Millennials right now. That’s what makes them hop organizations every now and then—isn’t that the basic reason why you hesitate before hiring them in the first place?

So, where to begin?

Let’s start with understanding what Millennials want from you. The demands are pretty simple and straightforward:

Continuous Learning

The Millennial generation is keen on learning. Although desired and needed, a salary raise or monetary benefits will not motivate them as much as a chance to learn and improve their skills and expertise. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, they are looking for employers that would help them progress through specific learning and development programs. This would prevent them from falling prey to stagnancy.

Regular trainings, employee development initiatives, and various certifications are things that attract Millennials to an organization and motivate them to increase their productivity.

Flexible Schedules

Millennials are choosy. They don’t like the conventional 9-to-5 work day. They prefer doing things their way with flexible hours and the ability to work from home. Millennials defy number-of-hours-worked as the basic measure of productivity. For them, the quality of work delivered takes precedence over the quantity of work delivered, which is something that would raise eyebrows in most organizations. Nonetheless, Millennials wouldn’t have it any other way—they want work/life balance with their fair share of fun in it. A flexible schedule is all they ask, and it doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.

Greater Good

The seemingly selfish Millennials are actually big on bringing about positive change in society. In spite of limited financial resources, Millennials are still actively involved in supporting local causes and charities. They wish to see the same in the organizations they join. How your organization impacts the society around you will greatly contribute to a Millennial’s decision to join your organization. A number of modern organizations have joined hands with social causes and local charities for greater community good—any guesses why?

Millennials want a complete makeover of the corporate culture. They want conventional organizations to adapt to their agile and fast-paced lifestyle. There are organizations that have already switched gears for this paradigm shift. The change obviously doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years. Organizations need to work towards creating a system that provides Millennials with the environment where they can be themselves—enthusiastic, creative, and vibrant.

There’s a reason why organizations like Microsoft and Google are so popular with Millennials. These corporate giants have transformed their organizational culture into one that allows Millennials to breathe free.

Philipe Bruce is the founder of P.O.D.S Professional and Organizational Development Solutions, a business coaching consultancy based in Omaha, Nebraska.

2-14-17

Happy Valentines Day!

With today being the day we in America and many other places in the world celebrate LOVE, and because love has many faces, I decided to do some research on the big question.  What is it that makes people love what they do in relation to their employment? Granted not everybody is so crazy in love with their job.  For many it is just a means to an end… a paycheck… a J-O-B. So I’ve been reading up on some tips for finding happiness with your career and it turns out it has a lot to do with 3 things.

First let me give credit to the author of the article written by Ms. Jennifer Winter titled: Three Secrets of People Who Love Their Jobs. She broke it down into these three characteristics:

1. They’re comfortable with failure. The reason being that they realize with every failure, there is a nugget of wisdom attained to add to their “tool box” (as Ms. Winter put it). Although failure is not always pleasant, it can be an opportunity to learn something valuable in creating success in the future.
2. They’re confident. Showing supervisors and co-workers that they are confident in their abilities. Giving their best builds trust and allows for more freedom to work independently.
3. They don’t always love their jobs. Everyone has bad days at work. It is going to happen and people who love what they do have confidence in their ability to weather through the bad days and realize things will get better.

Be sure to follow the link to read the article. https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-secrets-of-people-who-love-their-jobs