How to Negotiate a Pay Rise for Construction Professionals
Posted by Steve Thomas , Construction Recruitment Director, UK & Canada on Monday, July 10, 2023
As a specialist white collar construction professional, you work hard every day using your expertise to achieve some pretty complicated goals and targets while of course doing your best to make money for your employer. It’s therefore only fair that you should reap the rewards of your hard work with a decent salary and benefits / bonus package.
However, for many, asking for a pay rise can seem daunting, and some employers may seem to actively discourage such conversations. In this blog, we’ll share with you our suggestions on how to negotiate a pay rise, so you can walk into that meeting feeling prepared and empowered – and as a consequence only feel the need to look for a new job when there is a definite need to do so.
Do your Homework
Before you sit down with your boss to discuss and perhaps renegotiate your pay as a construction professional, it’s essential to do your homework. This could mean researching the going rate for your job role and level of responsibility within your specialist area of the construction industry. You can use online tools such as Glassdoor, Salary.com, or Payscale.com to gather an understanding of what your peers are earning, or you could ask friends and colleagues in the industry. Experienced construction recruitment agencies like Maxim Recruitment can often help too. Armed with this information, you can confidently and articulately make an evidence based case for your raise and correctly discuss an appropriate compensation package.
It is worth bearing in mind that different employers within the QS, PM, Engineering, contracting and consultancy fields do pay differently, and do structure their packages and bonus structures differently. Some companies are more entrepreneurial than others and you will need a culture fit for your preferences to match with the employers method of rewarding hard work.
Prove Your Worth
To secure a pay rise, it is reasonable to be expected to be able to prove your worth to the company. Highlight your achievements, contributions, and exceptional work completed. Keep a record of specific projects you’ve worked on, positive feedback from clients or colleagues, and any other notable accomplishments. This data can serve as evidence of your value and demonstrates why you should be earning a higher salary. Be confident in your abilities and bring hard evidence and key performance indicators to the conversation. Happy clients and repeat business are reasonable measures for being worth more!
Know the Right Time to Ask
Timing is crucial when it comes to asking for a pay rise. A tough economic climate or a time when the company is going through significant changes is not the best time to request an increase. However, for some employers there is never a right time – so the least worst time to ask is surely during a probation review or at a performance or annual review. Even after successfully completing a big project that has made a good profit could be a good time. Make sure you time your request well and prepare for the conversation ahead of time – and give your employer warning too so they can be prepared for the conversation and the choices available to them as a consequence.
Be Open to Negotiation
While it’s crucial to know what you’re worth and what you’d like to earn, you must also be open to negotiate. Use your knowledge of industry average salaries and be aware of the company’s current financial position but remember to be flexible. If your request cannot be accommodated, ask about the possibility of additional benefits such as increased annual leave, remote working or other perks that might be more manageable for the company. Larger companies often have less room to make personalised salary or bonus offers or gestures to valued staff. Consider whether the kind of pay rises offered and the answers to pay rise requests are matching your expectations for what is reasonable and fair in the round after other intangible benefits for working for the company have been taken into consideration.
Practice Negotiation and Agree Future Targets and Review Dates
The more prepared, confident and experienced you are, the better the likely outcome. Role-play the conversation with a colleague or friend who can offer a different perspective and provide feedback. Anticipate the questions and objections from your employer and prepare to respond. Remember, the key to securing a pay increase is to remain professional, confident, and composed. If the answer is ‘not yet’, then seek to agree a set of targets and a timeline to sit down again and review again.
Conclusion:
As a recruitment consultant, I have been recruiting people into construction jobs for over 20 years – and there are times when people are looking to leave in search of a pay rise that they clearly don’t deserve or warrant; and I generally tell people that where it is the case. The best way to increase your pay is to develop your career and skills and be working for a company that values them highly. Job hopping for a pay rise is dangerous and can implode if you are not able to perform at or above the pay grade you have hopped into.
Understanding your worth is all about benchmarking your current salary against your current skills (not the skills and experience you are hoping to gain or aspire to be able to demonstrate). A proven track record of success in your specialist field is the best route to a pay rise and a promotion – whether this is with your current employer or with a new one that might appreciate you more. With a definite performance management plan in place, employees should know where they are in relation to career and salary growth. Also knowing the culture of your employer and its match to your priorities (for example the balance of salary v bonus in your package) is also important, as is the sense of whether your employer is a generous or less generous payer in the market.
If you believe you’re worth more and you’ve done the research to prove it, there’s no reason why you can’t arrange a meeting to request a pay rise. By following the advice above and making your case with hard evidence and professionalism, you will be well placed to secure a higher salary one way or another when the time is right.
Good luck!
Steve is responsible for Maxim Recruitment in the UK. He is based in the Maxim head office in Leicester, Leicestershire and regularly travels to meet employers, job seekers and to attend construction industry networking events all over the UK. With over 20 years' experience in construction and property recruitment he works with a number of repeat clients and engages in search and headhunting assignments for a range of premium UK and international clients.