Senior executives from Bumble, Spotify, Audi & T2 Tea answer our burning careers questions.
Michelle Battersby
After starting her career in corporate banking, Battersby, 28, was recruited to launch Bumble in Australia and is now the company’s associate marketing director, APAC.
QUESTION: How do I ask for a pay rise – and actually get one?
“Asking for a pay rise can be a daunting and uncomfortable experience, but it really doesn’t need to be.
When asking for a pay rise outside of a regular review cycle, the first piece of advice I can offer is to remove all personal emotion and attachment to it. Pay rises should be based on facts, so it shouldn’t feel emotional if you’re prepared in the way you should be. Preparation will put you in the best position for success.
I’d like to preface this by saying, I have never asked for a pay rise and not received one. In my career, I’ve asked for one four times, and I’m 28.
Of course, there may be business challenges outside of your control that could inhibit your ability to receive a pay rise, such as decreasing budgets or changes to overall business structure. Those types of setbacks are what you should be prepared to process, however, if they do come up, an important thing to remember is: don’t ask, don’t get. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking for a pay rise, but I wouldn’t recommend asking for one every week!
At Bumble, encouraging women to make the first move in all aspects of their lives is at the core of the work that we do every day. In fact, Bumble Bizz was launched specifically to help women do this in a professional setting. Everyone who works at Bumble is encouraged to make the first move when it comes to asking for a promotion or a pay rise, so it’s something that we actively build into our culture.
Before asking for a pay rise, ask yourself if you’re worthy of one. You shouldn’t be expecting a pay rise within your first 12 months of working somewhere. This is unrealistic and honestly – coming from a gen Zer – it seems entitled. When you’re brought into a company, you need to push for a salary you’re comfortable sitting on for at least a year. Upon offer is the best time to ask for more and know your worth.
If you feel genuinely worthy of a pay rise, you need to evaluate your position in the business and tackle three key things.
1. Experience: How many years’ experience do you have?
2. Output: What output have you driven for the business, and what are your results?
3. Role: What does your role require of you?
If you look at these three things, you’re looking purely inwards. You are not comparing yourself with anyone else internally, which, in my opinion, is one of the worst things you can do. Asking for a pay rise is about you, your role and your output – not competing against other people’s experience, output or role. However, I do think it is worth looking at external market data such as Hudson’s Salary Guide to see what people in a similar role are being paid and if your current salary is competitive in your industry.
Be prepared, because you may not receive a pay rise immediately. You may need to wait until a review cycle or you hit some new KPIs in order to justify the jump. If the pay increase isn’t something that comes immediately, don’t let this discourage you – document everything. You’ve made it known you are seeking more and this is still a strong first step, just make sure you follow it up.
Don’t expect the big dollars without hard work, determination and commitment. It takes time to make money, but gaining solid results and experience along the way puts you in a great position for long–term financial gains.”
“When you keep someone in silence, you disempower them. The first thing you must do is tell someone at work, ideally your manager. I know it takes great courage to admit to yourself you’re struggling – and to then tell others, too. I have so much respect for anyone brave enough to confide about their mental health.
Good managers will not only understand, but they will also build a plan with support levers to help you. Mental health doesn’t just affect the individual; it affects everyone around them – so please have faith in these people. You’re not alone and sadly it’s more ‘normal’ than you think, however, most suffer in silence.
Over the years, I have seen friends and family run into these obstacles in their personal and professional lives. I have also managed many people facing varied mental health challenges, from the early stages of anxiety through to ongoing, clinical mental health problems. Despite the differences in these instances, the first step always has to be the same – tell someone. By talking about mental health, we normalise it; we need to remove the shame because there isn’t any.
I feel lucky to work at a company like Spotify, which has programs in place to reduce this stigma through education, open dialogue, shared experiences and understanding. We want to create an open, safe forum for discussion around mental and emotional health, self-care, and seeking treatment.”
Karen Lawson
Spotify’s Managing Director ANZ, 46, is also an advisory board member at Sydney Startup Hub and was previously the CEO at Slingshot Accelerator.
QUESTION: I’m really struggling with my mental health. How can I stay professional and focused at the office?
When you keep someone in silence, you disempower them. The first thing you must do is tell someone at work, ideally your manager. I know it takes great courage to admit to yourself that you are struggling and to then tell others that you are going through it too. I have so much respect for anyone who is brave enough to confide in me about their mental health.
Good managers will not only understand, but they will also build a plan with support levers to help you through. Mental health doesn’t just affect the individual; it affects everyone around them, particularly those that care most – so please have faith in these people. You are not alone and sadly it’s more ‘normal’ than you think, however, most suffer in silence.
Over the years I have seen friends and family run into these obstacles in their personal and professional lives. I have also managed many people facing varied mental health challenges, from the early stages of anxiety through to ongoing clinical mental health problems. Despite the differences in these instances, the first step always has to be the same – tell someone. By talking about mental health, we normalise it; we need to remove the shame because there isn’t any.
I feel lucky to work at a company like Spotify, which has programs in place to reduce this stigma through education, open dialogue, shared experiences and understanding. We want to create an open, safe forum for discussion around mental and emotional health, self-care, and seeking treatment.
Nikki Warburton
Audi’s chief marketing officer lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons. Earlier in her career, Warburton was group director of product, sales and marketing at media company AUSTAR.
QUESTION: I’ve experienced gender bias in my workplace. How can I get ahead in a male-dominated industry?
“Having worked in automotive, media and now back in [the former], you could say I have always worked in traditionally male-dominated industries. Starting out in my career, I recall asking the then-CEO how a young female in a male-dominated industry could succeed. He looked at me and
confidently replied, ‘50 per cent of our customers are female.’ Of course he was right, but it firmly put my focus on the customer – which is where it should always be.
Very early in my career, I learnt that I needed to focus on my performance rather than worrying about what others were thinking. I clearly remember being in a dealer meeting presenting a new campaign when I was asked a very basic question, to which I did not have the answer. It taught me to really understand the key drivers of the business and to be thoroughly prepared when going into a meeting.
I don’t sit around thinking, ‘I need to be better than him.’ I prefer to use my energy focusing on what I can do, to do my job at the best of my ability. Know your value and demonstrate it.
Never stop learning. Be curious, ask lots of questions. Spend time with other departments within your organisation, as this will help you understand the business … and also what is important to other stakeholders.
Don’t spend time focusing on your gender. Trying to be someone else is just wasting time – [but] you can always grow and be a better version of yourself. As a mentor, I find I learn from my mentees every time I talk to them. Find a male or female mentor who will give you advice, and someone who you can run your ideas past and use as a sounding-board.”
Nicole Sparshott
The global CEO at T2 Tea, Sparshott, 45, lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. She was formerly a vice-president at Unilever, where she oversaw a portfolio of brands worth more than $1.5 billion.
QUESTION: I can’t keep up with my never-ending list of duties at work and home. How can I do it all?
“We’ve all had that feeling of walking through treacle, feeling like it is rising minute by minute and that the load you are carrying is increasing in proportion to it. It can feel overwhelming. The more energy you exert to help yourself out simply results in you finding it harder to breathe. Life can be like that at times. I have certainly felt overwhelmed with what I want to do, be and achieve. Trying to be ‘the best I can be’ in all my roles … mum, wife, CEO, board director, friend … juggling dual careers with my husband, travelling a lot given the global nature of my role, fitting in some exercise along
the way and also hoping for some semblance of a social life.
Before you press the panic button, dial a friend. You do not get prizes for struggling – you just get battle scars. Awesome leaders know how to leverage the expertise of others, how to ask for help at the right time in the right way and, most importantly, give generously of their own knowledge when asked for help themselves. Karma is a thing. A couple of tips that may help you:
• Prioritise ruthlessly: make sure the key items on your to-do list are really worth the time you are spending on them. Are they your big rocks or are they someone else’s?
• Rubbish in, rubbish out: be really clear and specific with what you need. The sharper you are on where you need help, the easier it is for someone to give it.
• Be a teacher yourself: you do get back what you put out there. So when someone seeks your help, see if you can find 30 minutes for them, without expecting anything back. You will feel great for doing it, you will remind yourself what you are good at … and some day, for sure, it will come back to you. We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
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