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I have two friends, a married couple in their early forties with one child, who appear to be at pay levels well below the norm despite years of faithful and satisfactory service. I need some ideas from the floor as to how to deal with their situation.
I want to emphasize as well at the outset that my reason for seeking help is that all or of us are introverts by basic nature, and not possessed of a personality oriented toward "selling ourselves".
The husband is a animator/commercial artist, working in an area where established studios sometimes send sub-contract work in pursuit of lower wage levels. Despite the fact that all his annual reviews have turned up no obvious conflicts or negatives, and that he has pursued additional skills via continuing education, his base pay has not been raised in seven years.
The wife works for a specialized medical practice (oncology) based some 200-plus miles away, in a growing, retirement-centered community located near the seacoast. She works from home, dealing mostly with insurance and specialty-pharmaceutical concerns, and has also worked hard to maintain current skills and knowledge. Her skills are apparently valuable enough that she is expected to spend several days working at the "home office" from time to time; but she is indisposed to relocation due to the higher cost of living, responsibility for the safety of a housebound parent, and lack of opportunities for her spouse; her base bay is only about $32K annually.
Both are active participants in a church which emphasizes traditional Biblical values, but does not emphasize proselytization or unnecessarily-outgoing or manipulative behavior. They have previously enrolled in multi-level marketing programs but with only limited success. A seasonal-sideline tax-preparation business, in which we are all engaged, brings in some additional income.
My thanks to anyone who can offer some advice with regard to this problem.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-29-2015 at 05:37 PM..
I should have added that our lives have been intertwined for may years; I lived in a spare room at their house while mine was being remodeled, and the lady is the closest thing to a daughter I will ever have. We are about as close as three people can grow, but I tend to believe that the similarity of our personalities is preventing us from coming up with a new strategy. But thanks for the interest.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-29-2015 at 09:48 PM..
They can try researching market value for their current positions and discussing a wage increase from their current employers, but the best way to get paid market value (or closer to it, since you're saying that they're starting far below market) is to switch jobs. They need to start interviewing. Even if they don't want to leave their current jobs, having an offer in hand can be used to negotiate their current salary.
The oncology practice that the wife works for probably participates in clinical trials - testing new cancer drugs. If so, there would always be people in and out monitoring the studies (Clinical Research Associates). Maybe she can have a chat with one of them about what the job entails and how to break in to the field. She might be able to stay where she is and at least double her income. The industry is always hiring but there is a lot of outsourcing and contracting so her first jobs might not include sweet benefits packages but it's a foot in the door.
We are about as close as three people can grow, but I tend to believe that the similarity of our personalities is preventing us from coming up with a new strategy. But thanks for the interest.
What other strategy is there but to look for new, higher paying jobs?
Exactly. It doesn't matter how close you are. It's not your business.
This.
Husband works in the bottom rung from what you're describing. People send work that way for one reason and one reason only: price. It's his business if he wants to work there. Maybe it's a revolving door and he's the only sucker staying for seven years; maybe he's not good enough to get work at the studios directly or for a company they subcontract to when they care more about the product. Either way, it's not your business. Wife works from home which is a huge perq for many people, especially those with young kids. $15/hr is about what medical billing and coding pays anyways.
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