Disappointed in pay rise

[december2020]

It feels bitter sweet and very ungrateful.

I was lucky enough to get a pay rise, but it's barely 4% of my salary. I was told I'm up for a significant pay rise (so my expectations were around 7%+) and this means I'm easily out of the running for the foreseeable future - at least a year unless I get promoted.

I understand people are struggling, companies are clamping down and no one should turn up their nose on money - I work in media and advertising for context.

The rationale was that there is a limited pot and it beds to go around. I've been working 10-14 hours a day, fixing client relationships, building bridges and making things happen. When there's a problem, I'm the solution. I'm currently working the equivalent of 2.5-4 peoples jobs as one person.

Everyone is grateful, clients are happier, happy days.
Yet they prioritise other employees countless times (from the same pot for pay rises).

It's not from my lack of asking for progression or objectives to work towards (I'm vocal about this weekly - I've not had any objectives of a growth plan for over a year).

I feel like I'm either clearly under performing - and there is nothing more for me to give. Or I'm performing above and beyond yet I'm being overlooked or assumed I won't kick up a fuss.

I don't know what to do? Should I confront my line manager? Just move somewhere else asap? With the hours I'm working i don't have time to interview - so do I just resign?

I love my clients and my team, just not how my company is treating me.

Why on earth eod you take a job with the same salary when a payrise is what your issue is? As I have said upthread, I think a 4% payrise is very reasonable and 7% pretty much unheard of unless there is a promotion. But if you want to make a step change in salary level, then changing jobs is the time to do it.

I’d think quite carefully about moving heading into a recession, especially if you have 2 years of continuous service where you currently are. I’m sure you have considered this though.

I think the general public are going to be horrified very shortly about the amount of CS going on strike. For well over a decade there have been 1% increases and we are sick of it. I think the majority of Gov Depts have voted to strike. Had my salary kept pace with inflation I would be on the salary of 2 grades higher. There are CS who claim UC. There are CS who are earning minimum wage. When the minimum wage goes up they will be earning almost as much ph as the grade above.

It's going to get REALLY bad very quickly.

Ask for more , I was told 4% too and send a email telling them it was unfair due to rise in inflation and cost of living , they offered 5.5 I replied I was expecting at least 7.5% . Still waiting for a reply

Keep it factual, but my advice would be not to mention the salary of the other job offer being the same, if you were planning to mention it at all. You want them to assess how much they value your work and make you a reasonable offer based on that, which they’re more likely to do if they’re stabbing in the dark as to what you might be worth to someone else. It’s a candidates market right now, and chances are they’d be paying more to replace you than to offer you a reasonable raise.

Unfortunately this is a really poor position to negotiate from. You want a bigger raise, so you need to demonstrate why you are worth that money to the company. They were already aware of inflation and CoL, and they still came back at 5.5%, that’s not suddenly going to change.

This has been been me. I now don’t do a second of overtime for my current company. I am part time and can’t leave as my hours are gold dust in my industry.

I have been given a 2 per cent pay rise. They know I won’t leave. It’s a horrible situation to be in.

if you can leave then do!

The issue is that percentage means I will probably be worse as it’s at a bracket I will start to pay more tax . I know they won’t have anyone to do my position , I just had my review , I know I deserve more , I think they will offer at least a bit more .

You are being very illogical. You will not be worse off by going into a higher tax bracket, tax is proportional, you know that?

I was in your shoes. It doesn't get better IME.

When my boss walked out I took on her job as well as mine. Eventually, 16 months later I was given a COL pay rise.

A few years later after accepting all the promises made but never delivered on. I saw an advert for a job exactly like the one I was doing but for 50% more than I was on plus significantly better benefits.

I applied and got that job. My then employer was gobsmacked when I handed in my notice. They saw me as part of the furniture. They genuinely looked shocked as though one of the desks had stood up and said 'I'm off'.

You have said a couple of times you are very vocal. Are you sure they share your view on how much of the recent success is down to you?

You also note in your op something about asking them weekly for objectives. Are you sure you aren't annoying them?

it doesn't feel like you are all on the same page.

YANBU

With inflation at 12%

That's a pay cut

Keep it factual, whilst also making it clear that the lack of recognition was a driving factor in your decision to move on. Do NOT mention the salary at the other job, even if they ask. "I'd rather not disclose". Have you considered what you'd do if they offer you a pay rise in line with what you initially expected? It's (un)surprising how a pot that was empty can suddenly refill when someone threatens to leave.

Thank you everyone!

Why I went for a role for the same salary? To be honest, I only ended up speaking to HR at later stages where we discussed salary brackets and what budget the role had. However there are benefits for me - like no long working with UK and US west coast teams (no more time difference and 6/7pm meetings), they say they're open to flexible working so I'm considering asking for 4 day week (my current job said no). And I get to learn something and focus my role around the things I love, dropping the things I didn't love at my current role.

@demotedreally - you are right, maybe they don't feel I've contributed to any successes and I just annoy them - if this is the case, I have no future there and we are on different pages. (Obviously I didn't ask them for objectives weekly for a year straight).

Yes thank you for the advice for my chat today, really appreciate it. I won't mention salary at all and ask them to assess my value to them instead.

Thank you all!!

2.5% for us, I’m a social worker.

Its not a competition though, I get that, but I think 4% is certainly not uncommon. Do as I’m doing and look for other jobs.

Where is the money coming from for inflation linked pay rises? I don't understand why everyone is expecting them.

But will eat all my increase . I’m also still paying my student load and that affects it

What type of work do you do?

And no I wouldn't take another job that pays the same.

Keep applying for things that are a stretch for you.

I got 5%. Obviously, I would have loved more but I work for a small business. I know their costs have skyrocketed (materials, electricity etc). I would rather have a 5% raise than the business collapse and I have no job at all.

Are many people getting inflation busting payrises? There were thread on here a month or two ago and although there were some outliers I didn't see a lot that matched or beat inflation.

I'm not trying to be goady, but I don't know where my boss could find an extra 11+% for each employee. Maybe other industries are different (oil for example?) but I think are facing much higher costs and sometimes also lower demand for product.

Also, as PP pointed out, jumping ship to another company during a recession can leave you in a vulnerable position.

Before making assumption about not making more money because of being in a higher tax bracket you can always use one of the online calculators to check take home pay - they also usually allow you to include student loan repayment.

As others have said I’ve not heard of any employers giving 10 percent pay rises either in the public or private sector it’s not affordable for any employer. So all staff will see their salaries go down in real terms. I think people are doing very well to get anything more than 3 percent.

There are wider issues about doing a job that has better culture, terms, working hours etc and flexibility and evaluating the role in terms of the challenge and future opportunities it might offer. But I would very carefully consider how the business is doing to check how secure it will be. Last in first out and all that.

Of the top of my head

Dock workers won a decent raise due to strike action, will have to look it up.

If you use trains, you'll be aware of the RMT action for maintaining wages with inflation as well as a number of safety concerns.
Here, this willingness to roll over and take pay cuts while everything shoots is pitiful.

Join a union.

Hi SuspiciousHedgehog you might be right. Which Unions have actually won CPI or RPI deals? I know there's loads of industrial action but whose won over 10% pay rises? Not meant to be goody - I genuinely want to know.

In my workplace the Directors got 3% and the staff 5% - comparatively that seems pretty good. If you think about all the inputs to any economic sector, business or industry - running at over 11% its hard to see how they can afford to pay the rate of inflation unless they can pass on the cost to consumers. And mostly that's not going to be affordable for consumers and will end up fuelling inflation.

For instance every 1% of extra pay for NHS workers costs £1million. no way to pass that cost onto consumers - the NHS is free at the point of use so basically any better settlement would have to come out of taxation. Its a spiralling cost.

And no I'm not a tory.

I will come back tomorrow with details on union wins, most action is ongoing.

I don't accept your argument, we have runaway inflation despite wage suppression. How is the economy supposed to keep moving when people's incomes are shrinking so fast, we have a service economy and much of it is non essential.

My argument is that if a business can't afford it's labour costs its not viable. Not up to government or slave labour to subsidise any profit making enterprises, particularly those with shareholders