The Work Thread 2 - Get back to work!

[Jenuall]

Can't say I've ever had to look into get wreaths or other kinds of specific condolence flowers so I'd have no idea what the budget would be for that sort of thing, but £75 does seem on the higher side - it's certainly a large enough amount that you'd want to be checking with someone else if it was going to be a split cost.

Also yeah, buying from a local place would probably have been my view as well

[Tomous]

Definitely poor form to order without checking with you first.

Do you know much delivery is costing?

[Clarkman]

Definitely poor form to order without checking with you first.

Do you know much delivery is costing?

I've gone ahead and transferred the money without asking. High stress day already with planning out how to cover the boss's work for the rest of the week. I think the moment I ask that question things get a little messy.

[Tomous]

Definitely poor form to order without checking with you first.

Do you know much delivery is costing?

I've gone ahead and transferred the money without asking. High stress day already with planning out how to cover the boss's work for the rest of the week. I think the moment I ask that question things get a little messy.

Just make passive aggressive references to it in the future. For example, if you have a pizza day and he is in charge of ordering ask "if he's going to be ordering it through international delivery again"

[Lagamorph]

Have agreed to go into the office for one day in a fortnight

I don't want to but I figure if I don't go in for a single day per month when asked it hugely undermines me when I ask for one day per month rather than 2 days per week to be my normal

[Qikz]

I currently work in a three person team, and my boss has sadly had her mother die out in Spain last night. She's taken at least the rest of the week off to fly out and make arrangements.

My colleague and I agreed we'd reach out to her husband and get details so we could send some flowers for the funeral. But without consulting me, he's gone ahead and spent £75 on flowers from a UK business that offers international shipping.

Am I right to feel a little annoyed by being lumped with a £37.50 hit on flowers? Buying a wreath was my idea and I know they're pricey, but I'd have tried to find somewhere more local in Spain. Maybe a max £40 total spend?

Why is it up to you guys to pay and not the company?

[Red]

It's a personal gesture not a corporate one?

[Clarkman]

It's a personal gesture not a corporate one?

This. Besides, working for a charity makes expenses a weird governance issue.

[Green Gecko]

Yeah it wouldn't qualify as a business expense and the charity commission isn't best pleased by any expenditure considered unnecessary. Except excessive executive pay, but that's an issue everywhere.

Plenty of charities exist as profitable enterprises. The degree of scrutiny that they have to face owes rightly to whether or not that's equitable to the social good they do.

[Rocsteady]

I've been offered a new job. It's the exact same pay for all intents and purposes as my current role; that was within the range I was looking for, but would have preferred 1 or 2k a year more.

Should I try to negotiate that? Is it worth it to begin on potentially bad terms?

[Xeno]

Why would it be bad terms?

[Rocsteady]

Why would it be bad terms?

I think I could have spoken better in the first interview where basically I told my current salary (~38k) and said I wouldn't go lower than that. I should have worded it that I want more, but at this point it seems in bad faith to go back and say actually, give me 39 or 40. (The range the job offered was in, was 32 - 40).

Also the factor that 1k as a % of the above isn't incredibly substantial.

[Rocsteady]

It's quite a small org which may be factoring into these feelings. I feel as though if it was P&G or another monolithic org it would be easier to go back and push for more.

[Xeno]

Maybe accept it now and when you get to a review you bring it up then with evidence of targets being met, quality of work ect.

[Rocsteady]

Maybe accept it now and when you get to a review you bring it up then with evidence of targets being met, quality of work ect.

Yeah I think that's a good shout. Thanks.

[BTB]

I'd say ask, if they want you for the job I imagine they would stretch to 1-2k more. If they don't want to/can't the they'll come back with a line about budgets, but as the job was sayin up to 40k it shouldn't be a budget issue really.

Just make sure if you do that you make your case, mention your experience, suitability for the role and knowledge of the going rate for that role (obviously of they are paying above that anyway it may be a bit difficult). Obviously don't just say can I have more money.

I did this recently for a new job and they improved the offer straight away, they basically seemed to accept that people would negotiate. I was nervous doing it and again was thinking I don't want my first impression to be greedy/money grabbing. But they were happy to and I'm glad I did!

[Green Gecko]

You can negotiate a salary at any point until you sign the contract (and even then, that assumes your pay is stipulated in contract).

So while perhaps you made a mistake answering the question (it's a common trick really, to ask what your minimum salary expectation would be, or to assume that's what the candidate will say under pressure), you're perfectly entitled to clarify your salary expectations if you are to fulfil the role they're asking you to fulfil. After all, there's no reason for them to assume you don't have other job offers or interviews pending.

Is £1k a year really worth worrying about defaulting to their 2nd choice candidate? Not really.

After payroll is set up and budgets potentially reallocated etc I imagine that's the more painful ask.

A petty hiring manager might say well that's a renege because you said what salary you were after, yet to be fair, you stated what your minimum would be, not what you would need to accept the role. To be honest it's their problem if they think yup this is the guy we want for the role, and what a bargain as well, when they advertised the position with a salary range up to 40k. That's on them and it would seem unreasonable to me to complain to you about asking what the wiggle room is. It's 1-5%.

[Rocsteady]

I told my current work about the offer and they've offered to up my pay by 6,500 and accommodate my request to take the lead on a practice area I'm interested in. Either way I go this is looking like a win now

[aayl1]

I told my current work about the offer and they've offered to up my pay by 6,500 and accommodate my request to take the lead on a practice area I'm interested in. Either way I go this is looking like a win now

Your milage may vary, but the general advice in this situation is to not stay with the current post. They know you're on the way out the door and can make things difficult for you/look to replace you. Anything they promise you at this point should be put in writing (including taking the lead in that area you're interested in).

If you do accept the offer, again, the advice is usually "don't stop looking and try to get out ASAP", but I may have just read too much US oriented job advice forums and you know your situation and current job better than anyone.

[Rocsteady]

I told my current work about the offer and they've offered to up my pay by 6,500 and accommodate my request to take the lead on a practice area I'm interested in. Either way I go this is looking like a win now

Your milage may vary, but the general advice in this situation is to not stay with the current post. They know you're on the way out the door and can make things difficult for you/look to replace you. Anything they promise you at this point should be put in writing (including taking the lead in that area you're interested in).

If you do accept the offer, again, the advice is usually "don't stop looking and try to get out ASAP", but I may have just read too much US oriented job advice forums and you know your situation and current job better than anyone.

It's definitely a really good point about getting everything in writing. I've told them I need it in print by Monday. They sent me an initial email which instead of £ was in USD, making it a huge paycut lol. I've told them I need it in the proper currency and not heard anything in the last few hours so will see..

About the long term prospects, I'm lucky in that I have a very niche skillset in one regard that makes the company a gooseberry fool ton of money so should be relatively safe.