A client wants to cut costs

[damjan-dimitrov]

Due to temporary decreased revenue for a project as a consequence of more global factors, a client warned me that he is going to decrease my hourly payment by 20%. I'm curious to know if that affects my Upwork profile in any way? Meaning, may I be seen by Upwork or other clients as incompetent and therefore had my hourly payment decreased? Does it affect my rating and client satisfaction rate?

What do you suggest? Should I accept and endure until things are well again or should I look for other jobs which may pay me the same amount or more? I should say I'm satisfied with the job and what I'm being paid is way over my country's standards, but still it's a large pay cut.

Thanks

[spectralua]

You can search for other tasks at same time. Also you can close current contract at any time.

So if you have no more jobs now then you can accept change. Your decission in any case.

Price changing up\down won't affect your JSS.

[paywell]

In Western countries, workers can ask for a pay increase every 6 months or so.

During this process, the worker provides arguments on why they want the increase.

The employer provides counter-arguments, why he can’t have as much as he wants, and offers a lesser increase.

What your client is saying, is one of those reasons, why you should receive less than you are right now.

And he has a point there: the global situation is changing, due to many factors. 

If you like the job and would like to keep earning the same amount, or have a smaller pay decrease

then you will have to come up with arguments in your favor.

If you are successful, you should be able to cancel out the payment decrease in full or at least to some extent.

Good arguments could include workload increase or the rise of task complexity level

which occurred since the base level of your hourly pay has been set.

If you are privy to any details about company revenue or new clients, you could say to your employer

how well his company did, since your pay level was set.

Especially if this influenced your workload, but even if it didn’t – I bet that the companies’ success didn’t 

influence your pay before, so there is less reason for a decrease now.

Etc. etc.

If you start searching for a new job and are at the point of almost getting hired (for the same pay or more) - that is a good argument as well. But I would recommend using it only, if there is a good job offer on the table.

I would recommend watching some YouTube videos on payment increase talks and thinking it over very well, preparing yourself and then talking to your employer directly, if you feel confident. 

Or chatting with him, providing those arguments, one by one.

If you are well-prepared, with good arguments in your favor

and if you don’t freak out or throw a tantrum, if you keep your cool – there is a chance, that you will be taken seriously and lose less on your hourly pay, than the 20%.