Chrisreak

I have also heard that some SMPs have to pay every time they eat at the lunch room.

So, be careful and get everything in writing.

I was offered to come as an SMP, bcuz this was the only way for NEOM to be able to offer me a salary outside of the range for my grade (my previous salary was at the higher end of the range already, so there was no room for any uplifts).

After doing some research, I desided to take a lower salary, but as a direct hire.

Also, NEOM started reserving 75K relocations to families and tries to offer 25K to singles, which you will also need to discuss and negotiate.

peterpipper12

Where did you get this information about the 75k relocation being reserved for families/ single only getting 25k ??

Chrisreak

From NEOM's HR manager - this is what I had in my original offer (actually it was 35K) before negotiating it to 75K. So, the HR manager advised me that they started reserving the 75K allowance for families.
They also explained how the salary ranges for different Job Grades work, and that they cannot apply a 25-30% uplift on salaries that are outside of the normal ranges (which was the case for me) - the only way is to get you hired as an SMP with a higher salary.
Hopefully, this can help those who are currently in the negotiations phase.

peterpipper12

Absolutely! Thank you for this.

Do you know what the case would be if an applicants current salary is below the Job Grade they are applying for? My current base salary is on the lower end but i receive some great benefits....although i feel like they won't view this as "income"

Chrisreak

Try to push for it, just draft a summary letter showing how much you are making in total including your benefits - just show the total amount. If you get tax deductions, include that as well. Never hurts to ask... They really tried to work it out for me an bring my salary up (there were a lot of discussions on different levels), but the only way to do that was to bring me in as an SMP, and then transition to a direct hire next year, once new org chart is developed. I refused this option and went back for the direct hire option. Seeing how slow they are, the next year for the org chart might easily turn into like 2030... lol

apospark

They do not care. It's an uplift on your previous base salary. They didn't take into account my stocks, or even my cash sign on bonus that is provided multi-year and paid out each month. I'm on the fence about declining it, because I'm not taking even pay and a title demotion....

*Edit: Saw Chrisreak's response, there's no harm in pushing until they say final offer btw.

ZeroCool_HTP

They really don't care. As I have said before, exceptions can be made but they are probably very rare and require your future manager to go to bat for you and make a case for higher salary and get it signed off by HR Exec Director which is near on possible.

peterpipper12

Thanks everyone.

I am not asking for a salary higher than my job grade. I am asking what if my current salary is lower than the minimum salary of the job grade. I am more than qualified for the role but my current company is notorious for low pay due to the travel benefits we receive.

apospark

Again, the answer is they do not care. You will simply get your current salary + uplift. They won't move you into the minimum salary of the job grade just because you're under it.
When you interview for the role and you're successful, you do not automatically become eligible to get something in the job grade. It's all determined on your current salary. If your offer comes below the job grade, your official title will be adjusted for that.

Example, I interviewed for a Senior Manager role. But because the pay they were offering is below the range for that role level (based on my previous pay, which they didn't take into account a large chunk of cash), I'm going to be just a manager. Seems like they simply can't afford me.

Chrisreak

Did they offer you Grade 7 instead of Grade 8? Have you signed your offer yet?

Also, you were asking about sick days earlier - I found this website really helpful - it summarizes the labor laws in the KSA:
https://www.papayaglobal.com/country.../saudi-arabia/

This excerpt answers your question:
"In accordance with Article 117 of the Labour Law, employees are entitled to 120 days of sick leave per year as below:

• Sick leave with full pay – First 30 days
• Sick leave with 1/3 pay – 60 days after first 30 days
• Sick leave with no pay – Last 30 days

Employees are required to provide a medical certificate for all sick days."

apospark

They didn't specify the grade, but based on the pay amount, their response to my clarification for job title, and what was shared on these forums earlier about pay grades, yes it is Grade 7. No, I have not signed the offer as I probably will not take it. Have to discuss with family. I find the project interesting, but it's a big risk to go and also to be away from family.

Thank you for the resource regarding the sick days, that helps a lot!

Chrisreak

If you have not received the offer yet you might be surprised - they might up your pay, since you raised your concerns about the pay previously.

apospark

I'm working through an external recruiter with the NEOM HR folks (as in, they're on the email chain). They've said this is all they can offer, but I have not received actual documentation. I'm discussing further with family tonight about whether its good enough for us to take the leap or not, as I have a very good job right now already. I'm leaning more towards just declining, telling them that they can come back later on with an appropriate offer if they actually want me, and then just move on. They haven't hit my very reasonable threshold, which was what I was led to believe from the onset of our discussions, so I'm pretty annoyed that they wasted my time.

Edit: And the fact that we're stuck in a studio in NC2 for who knows how long....

Chrisreak

Maybe just wait for the offer, cuz you will be given a direct contact from the company and you can respond to Neom directly explaining your position.
They might adjust your offer, unless it is outside their prescribed pay ranges. It is possible to negotiate with Neom directly, I don't think the recruiters will have enough drive or interest to do that...

ZeroCool_HTP

Where in the world are you working currently?