Is your organization breaking a promise to you and blaming Covid-19? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Leigh Thompson, a negotiations professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In this bonus episode, they talk through what to do when your boss can no longer afford to give you a planned raise.

 From Alison and Dan’s reading list:

Book: Negotiating the Sweet Spot: The Art of Leaving Nothing on the Table by Leigh Thompson — “Indeed, our research suggests that too much self-focus is a recipe for missing the sweet spot, because it leads us to fail to understand our relational partners. What’s more, the more we focus on ourselves, the more likely we are to distort others’ views.”

HBR: 15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer by Deepak Malhotra — “Those who are unemployed, or whose current job seems shaky, have seen their bargaining power further reduced. But job market complexity creates opportunities for people who can skillfully negotiate the terms and conditions of employment. After all, negotiation matters most when there is a broad range of possible outcomes.”

HBR: How to Be a Good Boss in a Bad Economy by Bob Sutton — “As a result, most bosses—like you, perhaps—are operating in difficult and sometimes unfamiliar territory. Equipped with skills and approaches honed over long years of business growth, they now find their roles defined by an unexpected question: How should people be managed when fear is in the air, confidence is slipping, and it looks as if the road ahead will remain rough for many miles?”

HBR: What to Do When Your Boss Betrays You by Ron Carucci — “Two of betrayal’s common side effects are believing you deserve restitution for what you’ve suffered and feeling indifferent toward your work. Entitlement can begin gradually — taking longer lunches, padding travel expenses with luxurious meals — and escalate to more voracious acts of self-compensation, all justified by what you’ve tolerated.”