How long is too long?

By Kate Sykes, CareerMums

Some of our users have sent questions to CareerMums on how to deal with the challenge of having worked for an employer for over 10 years but are now facing a redundancy or are being performace managed out because their salary levels far exceed the typical salary range for that role.

I should start by saying what a wonderful achievement for anyone to stay with an employer for more than 10 years - even 5 years demonstrates loyalty these days. For some people, incremental pay rises over a long period of time can sometimes price people out of the market. I heard about a woman in a PA role who was earning $105,000 because she had been with the same employer for over 20 years. She has since left her employer - a redundancy was offered. In these cases it gets to a point where certain roles are worth a particular range in salary.

For people experiencing this challenge, it may be worth looking for a new role. New roles provide new learning opportunities and new challenges. Another solution is to talk to your employer about non-monetary benefits so you don't price yourself out of the job.

Regardless, employers should be up to speed on career paths and performance management for each employee and it should be dealt with appropriately and in a professional manner.