Community

If I could do one thing, I’d make sure we stay healthy.

If you could do one thing for your community, what would it be? More walk-in clinics? More funding for health services closer to home? Completing the 2020 Census is a safe and easy way to inform billions in funding for hundreds of services and programs in your community. Respond online, by phone, or by mail.

2020CENSUS.GOV Complete the census at:

HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS 3 Expert Pay Negotiation Tips for Women

(Statepoint)

As advocates continue to put gender equity under a microscope and some progress has been made, there’s still a long way to go. The income gap between men and women has yet to be closed, and while employers have a huge role to play in creating a level playing field, many women could advocate for themselves more effectively during salary negotiations.

A recent Randstad US survey found that 60 percent of women have never negotiated their pay. Additionally, roughly half of the women surveyed (51 percent) also said they’re more likely to leave a job because they’re underpaid, rather than ask their manager for a raise.

Asking for more money can be stressful, particularly for women. Research has shown that women have a tendency to both underestimate their value and avoid assertiveness (an essential skill for negotiating). These factors make negotiating more difficult, but no less

important -- which is why you should be extra prepared. According to the experts at Randstad US, here’s how:

1. Know your value. Seventy-four percent of millennials expect a pay raise every year in order to stay at their companies, versus 62 percent of boomers and 66 percent of all

workers. It appears younger generations know their value and aren’t shy about asking for fair compensation when it counts most -- during salary negotiations. Do the same! Take inventory of your achievements, new skills and contributions that demonstrate your value, and be prepared to showcase those once negotiations start.

2. Know your market. Sixty percent of all workers surveyed wish their employers would publish salary or pay ranges for what each role earns across the company. Even if your company doesn’t do this, you’ll still want to familiarize yourself with the going pay rates in your industry. There are plenty of resources online (including Randstad’s comprehensive salary guide) to help with your research.

3. Know when to speak up. Be proactive. If you didn’t receive a raise in your last performance review or if you don’t have formal performance reviews, consider scheduling a meeting with your supervisor to talk about your performance and compensation. Of course, if the company has been cutting budgets or is struggling to meet its business goals, it’s probably best to wait to ask for a raise. Instead, use this time to ask your manager for feedback: What are you doing well? How would they like to see you improve? Show your manager that you want to do your job better, and then go make it happen. Then, revisit that pay conversation a few months later.

Ultimately, the best thing you can do is advocate for yourself. For your employer, it’s all about the return on investment, and if you can make a solid case, most employers are willing to negotiate rather than lose you to one of their competitors.

NEW CARD DESIGN!

COVID-19 Virus Update

• The annual “State of the Bor ough” event on March 29. • An evening with Rachael The City's Dept. of Small Business Services has this webpage up with "guidance

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Coping with the unknown is never easy, but with the risk of se rious illness or death for those who catch the COVID-19 virus, cally, along with many other city electeds (Public Advocate, Comptroller). Most employees are working remotely, and our phone lines are up and running: Cerrotti on her grand mother’s journey through the Holocaust (and an accompa nying professional development program for educators) in late March.

I will keep you posted with any new developments and I for businesses impacted due to novel coronavirus." https:// www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/index. page

If you have a large-ish space that might be suitable as a com munity location or health care screening site, the Office of

the stakes are high.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand is that we’re all in this together, dealing with situations that none of us -- in government, business or our private lives -- have ever faced before. A little kindness and pa tience will go a long way!

Here’s what I hope is USE FUL information:

-- As you must know by now, public schools are closed until April 20. As of today, stu dents may go to the NEAREST school -- which is not neccesar ily their own school -- to pick up a grab-n-go breakfast and/ or lunch between 7:30 am and 1:00 pm for at least this week. The Food Education Fund has established a website to gather all food-related information in one place, which will be con tinuously updated: Food Hub NYC

--Beginning today, Monday, March 16, Charter cable will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/ or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription, and installation fees will be waived for new student households. For eligible low-income house holds without school-aged children, Charter continues to offer “Spectrum Internet Assist,” a low-cost broadband program delivering speeds of 30 Mbps. They are also opening its WiFi hotspots across their service area for public use. To enroll in the free broadband service or Internet Assist, call 1-844-488- 8395. (It’s their standard cus tomer service line, so use the “new service” or “add service” option. To avoid long wait times, call early in the morn ing or later in the evening, until 1:00 am EDT)

-- The Hebrew Free Loan Society Coronavirus Financial Impact Loan Program provides interest-free loans of $2,000- $5,000 to residents of New York City’s five boroughs, Westches ter, or Long Island who are facing financial challenges caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. All low- or moderate-income New Yorkers are eligible, regardless of credit history. Loans require one guarantor. For more infor mation or an application, visit https://hfls.org/loan-pro grams/coronavirusfinancialimpactloan/

-- Evictions are also sus pended indefinitely. Housing Court will also be closed indef initely, except for emergency cases (such as illegal lock-out, post eviction, emergency re pair cases). People with emergencies should call the court, or the Housing Court Answers hotline: (212) 962-4795. NY CHA hearings are also cancelled. Tenants will receive a postcard with a new date to go to court. The nonprofit Housing Court Answers operates a ho tline that will still be open Monday though Friday 9am to 5pm. Any folks with questions about court or evictions can call (212) 962-4795 for more information. Visit their website for new in formation: hcanswers.org. -- We’re told that Apple has also made contributions of de vices to the 1 Million Foundation, and that the DOE is working on a plan to distribute these devices to as many students as possible. More information will follow.

-- We’re told that the May or will sign an executive order sometime tomorrow (Tuesday) that will suspend all land use time clocks for the City Plan ning and LPC public review processes. The Governor has suspended the open meetings law, so the Planning Commis sion can meet by teleconference, which they will do tomorrow to vote on a project on 96th St. and the Union Square South Hotel Special Permit. The meeting will be live-streamed and recorded so the public will have access.

For RELIABLE health in formation, visit • The City’s Department of Health: https://www1.nyc. gov/site/doh/index • The State Dept of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/ • The Federal Centers for Dis ease Control: https://www. cdc.gov/

Finally, here’s some house keeping information for my office: We are closed, physi

downtown at (212) 669-8300 and at my Northern Manhattan Office,(212) 531-1609. All 12 Manhattan Commu nity Board offices are closed and meetings postponed/can celled; visit each Board’s website for further information. Technological solutions are be ing worked out to allow Boards and their committees to conduct business virtually.

We had three events sched uled for March which we have cancelled or postponed: • A rally on the steps of City Hall March 19 to demand funding for 1 social worker per school. • hope useful information!

The Mayor says a final deci sion on an ACTUAL shelter in place order will be made in the next 48 hours.

The City of New York is seeking New York State-certi fied healthcare workers to support healthcare facility needs. Learn more at nyc.gov\help nownyc

This week everyone should have received, by snail mail an invitation to fill out the Census form. You can fill it out on line at https://2020census.gov/ en.html.

You can text "COVID" to 692-692 to stay informed with official health information.

Emergency Management wants to know about it. Send an email to publicprivate@oem.nyc.gov. Community Boards are us ing technology to overcome social distancing, even in the absence of ULURP deadlines. Three boards are using Zoom to manage and meet virtually. Others are using Facebook and Google Hangouts. Their tena ciousness is to be admired!

Alternate side parkung rules have been suspended until 3/24. Please feel free to call me at (212) 669-8191 if you have any questions or problems.

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