Talent Trade Tidbit - Getting Congruent with Today's Market / Money Talks

Hi, this is Stephanie Maas, partner with Thinking Ahead Search Firm.

Today I want to talk to you about recent experiences I've had working with folks in the marketplace who candidly were quite happy in their current situation, but they had noticed because they had been with their current organization, their compensation had become incongruent with what the rest of the market was bearing.

Oftentimes what most people think is, Hey, I'm 20 to 25 percent less than my peers or recent hires.

I need to go out and get a counter offer to make sure I get another offer from another organization.

Tell my current organization about it and that's the only way that I'm going to get caught up.

And I have really been counseling a lot of folks that this really is not the most professional way to try and get congruent.

In fact, the most effective way is actually to go to your current manager, let them know how happy you are and that the fact that you enjoy what you do, you like representing who you work for, you know, is the reward for you, but you have noticed that you have become because of that loyalty incongruent.

With the market from a compensation standpoint, that is a much better approach versus threatening, backing them into a corner saying, Hey, if you don't match this, I'm going to leave.

And quite frankly, let's face it.

You are happy.

You like where you're at.

People don't make moves for money, nor should they, unless they are grossly underpaid.

So if you find yourself in a good situation, but you are incongruent with the market, don't go out and get another offer from an organization.

That's a waste of your time.

It's a waste of their time, and it puts your current employer on the defensive.

Instead, have a sincere conversation.

Let your employer know you are happy and you're proud to work there.

But, you've noticed you're incongruent and you want to try and get congruent to continue being happy.