Pay rise under inflation (3rd year running)

[bigglewig]

Hi. I work for one the top pharmaceutical companies in the world (in the UK), and for the 3rd year running got a pay rise under level of inflation (1%ish). My manager says it can't be increased as I'm at the top of my work pay banding (but still don't pay higher tax earner) and said there is nothing they can do (despite them saying I'm an invaluable asset to the department etc etc!). What is the norm regarding yearly pay increases?

(My manager said I'd should be incredibly pleased I had a pay rise at all, as she knows no one out side of her work who does...and was wondering is she's just trying to shut me up)...

Join the club, I got below inflation as top of my level, also when I asked about a promotion to next level it was meet with surprise. Apparently I should be happy to take on extra work for no money

I don't think I've ever had a pay rise linked to inflation, part of the reason there's a massive shortage of people willing to do my job

Not been a company pay rise in around 6 years and it's a big company

I don't think there is a norm. I've had at least one every year in the 6 I've been in my workplace (above inflation) but Dp has been stuck at the top of his pay band with nothing at all for years.

I've changed roles and have a way to go to get to the top of my new band though.

Basically, in your situation you might now need to change role or company to earn more. We have administrators who've been with us for years but are never going to earn more than the 18k or so they're on, because that's the maximum market worth of the particular role.

I've worked for companies where you didn't get one at all. They're not legally obligated to raise your pay.

The only way to get true pay rises now is to go to a different company. Shame as companies keep moaning as they can't keep good experienced workers, but still won't pay them correctly. Most people move every 2-4 years

Try working in public sector! We have to comply to restrictions that prevent more than 1% pay increases for the last 6 years and for the foreseeable future.

There is no norm nowadays. We only give annual increases above inflation to our lower paid staff to ensure they remain around 22% above NLW. Middle management upwards get reviewed dependent on performance unless they are at the top of their bands.
The only way to get a big salary jump is to either get internal promotion to a more senior role or go elsewhere.

Public sector. Had to take on more responsibility in a restructure to avoid a pay cut

If you’re the top of your band then there’s not an awful lot they can do unless your job changes!

I've never had an inflation-linked payrise.

Usually it's 1% in alternate years. So 0.5% per year in reality.

Try going several years with no payrise, which was the case in the public sector a few years back. And even when we started getting them again, they were/are always well below inflation. Oh, And the pension t and c changed too, so unlike a lot of private sector employers, our work pensions now won't pay out until we reach state pension age, so for many women like me, we now have to work on extra seven years than we expected and our private pension will pay out less than we expected even though we'll be paying in for seven years longer.

Thanks for your comments. Gives me a bit of context to it all. Feel it may be time for a move though.

I've had my best pay rises by leaving. Sometimes it takes that for an employer to realise your value.

Once I left a job, did 6 months somewhere else then was asked back to the original place on 10k higher. Stayed there happily for years then. A palaver but a great career move

In a freaky twist of fate I actually got called into my boss' office today and given an unexpected pay rise.

I hope this charm works for others on here..!

That is so weird....so did I (& I don't think we work together!!).

@yorkshirepud44 and @bigglewig - me and two of my female colleagues this week too. I bet its no coincidence that, in the public sector, the snapshot date for gender pay gap reporting is the end of March (April in private sector)

We're too small to need to report publicly but that's a really good point.

I definitely don't work in pharmaceuticals.

Best bit is that the rise has also been backdated to last year when I changed role (and got a small raise at that point) so that extra bit alone has covered the summer holiday we booked last week.

What bizarre timing. Fingers crossed for others on here!