Business

Employers and Your Ego Are Constantly at Odds Over Your Value

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2022

When considering the value of an item from a holistic perspective and through the philosophical lenses of existentialism, you realize an item has no value until someone is willing to pay for it, whether it’s a Porsche 911 GT3, a 26th-floor condo in Vancouver, a cup of Starbucks coffee or pair of Levi’s jeans.

Have you ever bought an item, a leather jacket, for example, for $400 and then a month later, it was on sale for $250? The retailer reduced the price of the leather jacket because the number of customers willing to pay $400 had dwindled to the point where it wasn’t selling. Taking this analogy further, the jackets that ended up not selling had no value.

Value doesn’t simply exist. Value is assigned by supply and demand—demand being the keyword. The value of your skills and experience on the job market is determined by how much employers are willing to pay for them, which constantly fluctuates.

It’s no secret most employees feel underpaid. The perception is mostly personal, based on:

Your assessment of your worth, which is highly subjective, and
The amount of money you need for the lifestyle you created.

Neither is relevant.

In general, compensation isn’t arbitrary. A job’s value is determined by:

Job-specific educational requirements
Skillset required
Experience level
Responsibilities
Location

Additionally, those who criticize what employers are offering them never think about the scenario that the employer may have ten employees currently earning $65,000, whereas you want $75,000. It would cause turmoil to hire you at your asking salary.

“Getting paid what you’re worth!” has become a popular sentiment. In reality, though, the value you place on yourself and the value employers in your region are willing to pay you are two entirely different perspectives.

Recently, someone asked me if I felt underpaid. “Nope,” I replied, “I’m getting paid the amount I agreed to when I joined my employer.” I have never understood nor empathized with people who accept jobs and then complain about the pay.

Your ego and sense of entitlement may have convinced you that you deserve $75,000, but you may find that employers disagree with your value assessment. Anyone with a slight sense of business acumen understands an employee’s compensation needs to correlate with the value they bring to their employer.

Hiring involves taking a candidate’s words at face value, especially regarding their work ethic, past results, and ability to work well with others. Gut feel plays a significant role during interviews. Skills and aptitude can be tested, but only to a certain extent.

A hiring manager can only do so much due diligence (multiple interviews, testing, reference checks). Work ethic, ability to achieve results, having the skills they claimed, and being a team player are only proven or disproven after a new hire starts. Most of the tension between job seekers and employers results from job seekers expecting employers to pay them “their value” for abilities that they haven’t actually proven. In contrast, an employer’s best interest is to mitigate hiring risks by starting new hires at the low end of their budgeted salary range.

There’re 2 types of candidates:

Unemployed
Employed

Those employed should not accept a starting salary less than 20% higher than their current salary. Unless your motivation is other than money, it’s not worth the stress of starting a new job and reproving yourself for your current salary.

On the other hand, if you’re jobless, your income is $0. Unless the compensation offered is insultingly low, I don’t suggest you try and negotiate for the starting salary (WARNING: Brutal truth ahead.) you made up based on what you think of yourself. Financially and emotionally, having no job and, therefore, no income is a worst-case scenario for many.

I know you’re now asking, “But Nick, how will I get the compensation I feel I deserve if I accept what I’m offered?” Whether employed or not, you need to prove your worth, which requires the following:

Getting the job (Proving your worth is impossible without a job.), and
Negotiate and get in writing that upon achieving specific metrics, milestones, revenue targets, or whatever else you can think of, within your first six months, you’ll get a 15% salary increase or whatever percentage you feel appropriate.

IMPORTANT: I can’t stress enough to be sure your employment offer letter includes everything you and the hiring manager discussed and agreed to.

Number two makes it much easier for an employer to say “Yes” to you since they aren’t taking all the risks of hiring you at a salary you want and then finding out you can’t deliver. Offering this option demonstrates you’re confident in your skills and abilities and aren’t afraid to prove them.

Who would you choose if you had two more-or-less equally qualified candidates to choose from and one of the candidates offered you the option of proving their worth before getting the salary they feel they deserve?

______________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send Nick your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Business

Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

Published

3 days ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

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Business

Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

Published

4 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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Business

Transat AT reports $39.9M Q3 loss compared with $57.3M profit a year earlier

Published

4 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.

The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.

The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.

Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)

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