Negotiating Salary

[RNgonewild]

I am entering into a new area of nursing: Management

I have been a staff nurse for many years at my hospital, most recently a charge nurse on my floor for the past 2 years. There has been a major upheaveale in the management staff at my hospital. I was asked to become a supervisor. This is a job in management, which will cause me to leave the union. I haven't done this sort of job before but have observed it being done and feel I can perform the job. The last person who had the job before this was fired in the management shift. I will have to negotiate salary with human resources, which I have never done before, especially since the union came in and I have been getting gauranteed regular raises. In fact we are due for a raise next month. I want to negotiate a raise that would put me above the amount I have been earning, which has been peppered with large amounts of time and a half overtime. I made a very good salary last year and would like to continue to do so. What I would like is if nurses could comment on how they dealt with negotiating salaries with human resources/management. Since this job would involve more work and hours and I would be salaried, I want to make the best of the situation. I am thinking of coming in at a higher hourly wage and letting them negotiate. If they can't meet what I want, I am quite comfortable remaining at the level I am at with my regular raises. The above management really wants me for the job, so I am hoping that puts me in a good position. I also will have to negotiate the contract with a backdoor clause so I dont end up outside looking in like the last supervisor after having union support for the last few years. Please post comments on how you negotiated with HR or management if you could. Thanks.

[CathyLew]

Interested in hearing responses myself, since I will be in the position in the near future. I have already submitted a proposed contract to HR, but with the closing of the end of the finantial year, they have put off doing anything about my contract.

most of our management take a pay cut going from union staff to management.

I don't want to take a cut.

Yea, I'd like to think Im one of those nurses who is in it for the compassion, caring, saving lives one bedpan at a time..... but it does also come down to the money.

[RNgonewild]

You go girl! I'm trying to stay positive about this. I don't plan to risk my career by going into management. I can see where that is going at my place. I want to be a positive influence in my department, which is something we haven't had in a while. But in reality, it does come down to the bottom dollar, I'm not taking a 10 or 20k pay cut to work more hours and that's just the way it is.

[Batman24]

Figure out what you feel is a good and fair salary for this position and then go 15-20% higher to give yourself room to negotiate. This is very important so you don't back yourself into a corner. They will know you are going high. They won't agree to your first request so be prepared for some back and forth.

You should not accept a lower wage than you currently make as you are moving into a higher position. They might try and go that route but just politely tell them that is unacceptable and you will stay a staff nurse instead.

They will know your are nervous so try not to get rattled. Remember that you are there to do a job and earn a fair salary. Those above you don't work for free either. Even though they make act put out by your request they will respect you more if you demand a fair salary for your work.

Make sure you work O/T into your new salary because you will no longer be on the clock. You will still be doing plenty of O/T and you need to work that into your request. Try and check around and get a feel for what others in this new job title are making and remember go higher to give yourself some leeway.

Make sure you get your new salary in writing. Ask about yearly raises and ask what the raises have been in this position yearly over the last 5 years so you can see what you are dealing with. See if any bonuses are given in this new position as well. And remember all of this should be in writing.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

I would agree start high since they will drive it down the salary and you won't be getting regular raises like in the union.

[CathyLew]

yea, the contract I gave HR was to pay me no less than I made in 2008. either by hourly, or calculate it into a salry position. I'll let you all know how that goes!

[RNgonewild]

Thanks all for the advice. I'm also going to have a backdoor clause put in, just in case they don't like me and I don't like the job. The job will be similar to what I'm doing but with a lot more responsibilities, so I don't want to be caught without a job. I'm not really nervous to ask for what I want if I think it's fair. That compensation for overtime( I would be salaried) is something I hadn't thought of.