A 5% raise makes me angry.

[Anonymous]

If the 5 percent raise makes you angry, then speak up - the only times I have ever gotten a significant raise were times when I asked for them.

That said, my company has gone through two rounds of layoffs and two years without any pay increases, in addition to two years of requiring all staff to take unpaid furlough days. If your company is offering any raises at all, I'd say you're pretty lucky these days.

[Anonymous]

" A 5% raise in this economy is pretty incredible. It's not a woman thing, it's a person thing - be grateful. "

No, it's a woman thing to have this perspective. If OP is in a field that is booming, and she is responsible, she should expect - and ask for - more. I accepted a 1.5% raise this year because business was slow, but the year before I got a 7% raise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just got a 5% raise, but I don't feel grateful. I feel insulted. In spite of the economy and the thought that I should be happy to just be employed, I see my company's business booming, I've been working harder than ever, and I have very much contributed to the growing bottom line by offering a skill set that that no one else in the company possesses (this has allowed them to take in new business they previously couldn't). It also doesn't help that I feel generally underpaid. In the back of my mind, I hear the voice of feminists past saying, "This is why women don't make money. They don't speak up and advocate for themselves when they need to." But then I hear the voice of all the unemployed saying, "Be glad you have a job and got a raise at all. Now shut up." I'm looking for some outside perspective.

The business is booming - they have added on clients b/c of her specific skills.

If you think you are underpaid or should have received more of a raise (or a bonus), talk to your manager. Detail out your case and see where it goes. Worse case they say no, best case, they realize you are unhappy and that you might be looking for greener pastures (the competition). If you left what would happen to the clients who rely on your skills? Would you be able to take them with you?

Yes, be thankful that you have employment, but this does not mean that you need to give up a raise that you deserve just b/c the economy at large is not doing well.

But she did not "give up a raise" that she deserves. She got a 5% raise. That's significant in this economy, and depending on her base salary it might be a significant amount of money. She says "business is booming," but unless she's a top-level manager or owner of the company, or it's an employee-owned or publicly traded company, she in all likelihood has no idea of potential stressors facing the company. If it's a small company or government contracting firm, it is very likely that they're at the mercy of their accounts receivable, and most entities are slow in paying their bills these days. Her employers have every reason to reassure their staff that "business is booming," but she doesn't really know what's going on behind the scenes.

The bottom line is that people are still losing their jobs every single day -- highly educated, professional people. I know people who've been laid off for a year or more and who have gone through most of their savings, even their retirement accounts, just to get by. This is not the time to threaten to walk. Don't you think her employers would have done more if they could, given that she's so valuable? Talk to anyone who's hiring these days and they'll likely tell you they get 150 or more resumes for every position they advertise. Really.

[Anonymous]

Wow - I haven't gotten a raise for 2 years and in fact get no bonus for last year which actually translates into a 40% pay cut for last year (despite working hard and contributing to performance). 5% sounds pretty generous in this economy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just got a 5% raise, but I don't feel grateful. I feel insulted. In spite of the economy and the thought that I should be happy to just be employed, I see my company's business booming, I've been working harder than ever, and I have very much contributed to the growing bottom line by offering a skill set that that no one else in the company possesses (this has allowed them to take in new business they previously couldn't). It also doesn't help that I feel generally underpaid. In the back of my mind, I hear the voice of feminists past saying, "This is why women don't make money. They don't speak up and advocate for themselves when they need to." But then I hear the voice of all the unemployed saying, "Be glad you have a job and got a raise at all. Now shut up." I'm looking for some outside perspective.

The business is booming - they have added on clients b/c of her specific skills.

If you think you are underpaid or should have received more of a raise (or a bonus), talk to your manager. Detail out your case and see where it goes. Worse case they say no, best case, they realize you are unhappy and that you might be looking for greener pastures (the competition). If you left what would happen to the clients who rely on your skills? Would you be able to take them with you?

Yes, be thankful that you have employment, but this does not mean that you need to give up a raise that you deserve just b/c the economy at large is not doing well.

YES, YES, YES!!! Great advice!!

For all you out there who say she should be grateful given that you've gotten no raise or even a paycut, give me a break. It may be true that your company had a bad year and has a pay freeze in place etc. It also may be true that you're a commodity employee who could be replaced by a co-worker or a new employee in a heartbeat. But OP seems to be in a very different situation.

She said quite clearly that her company is doing very well. AND she has a unique skill set that directly contributed to the company's increased profits. Somebody is making good money off her efforts this year -- she might as well share in the profits.

OP, if I were you I would make the business case for an increased raise. Tie your performance to profits and make a counter-propsal. Either a bigger raise or maybe a bonu. That's kind of a middle ground in that it would be a one-time thing, not the basis for next year's comp. (As an aside, do you know what kind of a raise your colleagues received? Esepcially those who did not contribute to business development the way you did?)

Finally, if it isn't obvious from above, I hate, hate, HATE to see women take the "you should be grateful and keep your mouth shutl" approach. There's tons of research out there showing that women are often their own worst enemy in the workplace because they do not stand up and advocate for their own interests the way their male colleagues do. We need to teach our daughters to do better, especially when they have bargaining power like OP.

P.S. See "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" http://www.amazon.com/Nice-Girls-Dont-Corner-Office/dp/0446531324/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264543518&sr=8-1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - I haven't gotten a raise for 2 years and in fact get no bonus for last year which actually translates into a 40% pay cut for last year (despite working hard and contributing to performance). 5% sounds pretty generous in this economy.

No, 5% is not generous if OP's unique contribution brought in 100 times more money than the raise itself.

Let's do some math. To make it easy, let's say OP makes $100,000. A 5% raise is $5,000. That seems nice.

But if her company landed a $500,000 contract this year as the direct result of her efforts (which by the way, could not have been replicated by anyone else), then $5,000 seems awfully stingy.

It really depends on the specifics of her company and her contribution. It has nothing to do with your 40% pay cut, PP. (Sorry about that, by the way.)

[Anonymous]

I'm having hard time sympathizing with you.

That aside, I know several people who pushed for, and received, a higher raise than initially given, and are now being laid off and having their salary cut b/c their employer couldn't actually afford it. Their boss now sees them as not team players in a tight market. Be careful what you wish for.

[Anonymous]

Maybe someone else outperformed OP? At my work, the boss only had a certain amount he could spread out across his employees. Some got raises, some didn't. There are a lot of hard workers doing awesome projects in my group. I'm sure some of them did not get the raise they wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm having hard time sympathizing with you.

That aside, I know several people who pushed for, and received, a higher raise than initially given, and are now being laid off and having their salary cut b/c their employer couldn't actually afford it. Their boss now sees them as not team players in a tight market. Be careful what you wish for.

Yes, this.

Sorry OP, but I think 5% in this economy in any situation is a great raise. I just closed a $40M deal for my company but I don't expect to share in that wealth. I'm paid to do what I do.

[Anonymous]

Then don't go online complaining, use your fabulous business skills and speak up.

Or if you're so valuable - Leave and get another job compensating you the way you feel like you're deserved. Or maybe since those opportunities may not be knocking, be happy with what you have.

[Anonymous]

Companies are using the "bad economy" excuse to deny raises to women, because they know women won't speak up. When it comes to eye-popping bonuses for (mostly male) banking execs, those same companies are willing to go in front of Congress to say that good workers need to be rewarded or they'll leave.

[Anonymous]

Let's not make this a women vs men thing. This is business savvy vs. not. There's no excuse for a woman (or anyone!) not to educate themself to be able to pleasantly negotiate a salary raise that seems deserved.

[Anonymous]

Been there.

Here's what you do:

Get another job offer, but make sure it's at a place you would seriously consider working. Go back to your original employer and tell them. Ask for more $$ and whatever else you want. Be polite, professional, good-natured, and serious about this. Tell them all the legitimate reasons you want to stay, and that $ is a factor in this decision.

Remember, your current employer might call you on it, which means you really should be ready to take the other job offer. (I did, because I was working in a burocracy that could not meet requests for salary increases without hubbejy bubbejy approval and this and that, despite supervisor, super-supervisor, and super-super-supervisor being supportive of request. Increased salary by approx 15% as a result of switching jobs.)

[Anonymous]

NP here. Isn't it a mistake to reconsider and stay at a job once you have a job offer from another company?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm having hard time sympathizing with you.

That aside, I know several people who pushed for, and received, a higher raise than initially given, and are now being laid off and having their salary cut b/c their employer couldn't actually afford it. Their boss now sees them as not team players in a tight market. Be careful what you wish for.

Yes, this.

Sorry OP, but I think 5% in this economy in any situation is a great raise. I just closed a $40M deal for my company but I don't expect to share in that wealth. I'm paid to do what I do.

What? No bonus or anything for your efforts? Sheesh! Our company at least gives a bonus to everyone that participates in a winning effort, especially if its a large contract. I guess I should feel lucky.

I can sympathize with OP to some degree. The problem is that companies are not willing to hire so everyone who still has a job is working double and triple time to keep up - and if a company can squeeze every ounce of productivity out of current staff without expanding they will do it. I agree that you should speak up. I did last year because I was unhappy with my percentage increase. I didn't get more but I am not sorry I said something.