Advice and Tips
Here’s some advice on how you can read this year’s salary statistics to find a good indicator of what managers at your level are being paid.
You’ve been promoted to manager and have been given more responsibility, different tasks and everything else that goes with your new position. But what kind of salary can you expect? More than you were making previously, claims Tekna advisor Katrine Olsson.
– This is definitely what happens. You get more responsibility and, in many cases, more duties – for example, becoming accountable for personnel and finances. These things often add up to your having to work longer hours. Quite often, you don’t get overtime pay as a manager because you’re exempt from working time provisions in the Working Environment Act. You should be compensated for this combination of more work and more responsibility.
– You must therefore negotiate these provisions when you’re offered a management position, either internally in your organization or upon moving to a new organization, she says.
– Will the salary review meeting be similar to what I had before, or will there be a lot that’s new?
– A manager is still an employee – but one with managerial responsibility. So you and your own manager should have both performance and salary review meetings – just like you did before getting promoted, she says.
Your best bargaining chip in salary negotiations is seeing what others with your background are earning. Because we offer our members some of the country’s best banking and insurance deals, legal assistance and a lot more, it pays to join Tekna.
Managerial responsibility can be multifaceted. For example, is it professional management of a small group of employees? Or a top management position with financial and personnel responsibility? Or something in-between?
When an employee is promoted to management, this move often comes as a result of this individual’s experience and personal suitability. It’s therefore a useful starting point to look at your own cohorts’ listings in the salary statistics. Managers are usually placed on a slightly higher salary level than the rest of their cohorts – because managers have more responsibility, and their position requires experience and expertise.
At the same time it’s important to remember that geographical variations and branches can make a difference. Wherever there’s a lot of demand for your area of expertise, it’s natural for you to ask for a higher salary. While a Technical Manager position probably won’t command as high as salary in Båtsfjord as it would in Drammen or Oslo, the cost of living in these cities varies a great deal as well.
Branch differences also make a big difference when talking about employees’ wages. For instance, in the private sector the oil service industry offers the highest salaries. Yet private R&D (research and development) companies and the healthcare sector often offer lower salaries because they have to compete with the public sector.
– How can Tekna help you as a new manager with regard to your salary?
– Tekna offers advisement connected with salary and other work-related provisions for all its members, including those in management. So we encourage everyone to contact our legal hotline to get advice dealing with all contractual and salary provisions.
Are you wondering how your salary compares to others working at your same level?
