Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 18:49     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
You should be thankful you have a job.

You should not put in max effort for any job.

You should just make sure you're not doing anything to get fired.

Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 18:45     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Most of the raise is allocated to the top-top performers- you were not one.

Don't be offended, this is annually a small group.

Now you can evaluate if the 80% extra effort you want to put in is worth the 30% extra comp - sometimes it won't be to you.

Welcome to corporate america.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 17:23     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
I would pull back in effort ONLY if your org doesn’t have a history of layoffs. But lately, normally stable non-profits have been having layoffs too. If it’s been a few years and you’re not getting a promotion, you need to apply to a new job within the org or apply elsewhere. Yearly increases are never high, best year I’ve had was 5%.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 17:17     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:I never understand people who say they only hit most of their goals, not all, and expect a great raise.


Especially if "best year ever." Hit the goals and make a case for a big raise or bonus.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 16:27     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never understand people who say they only hit most of their goals, not all, and expect a great raise.


What your "goals" are is a completely arbitrary construct. What matters is how much the organization wants to keep you and how your other options compare.


If the org/co set goals, arbitrary or no, they want them met. Sure, there are people who don't meet their goals and are kept on. OP is one of them. But the people who get the great raises and/or bonuses generally are hitting it out of the park in a measurable way. Not just: Everyone likes me.


The ways people create value for their organization are frequently not well-captured by formal performance metrics. If you save your org a lot of money and your boss comes back with "but you only got 3/5 on goal six!", that is a pretense, not an actual reason for not giving you a raise.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 16:04     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never understand people who say they only hit most of their goals, not all, and expect a great raise.


What your "goals" are is a completely arbitrary construct. What matters is how much the organization wants to keep you and how your other options compare.


If the org/co set goals, arbitrary or no, they want them met. Sure, there are people who don't meet their goals and are kept on. OP is one of them. But the people who get the great raises and/or bonuses generally are hitting it out of the park in a measurable way. Not just: Everyone likes me.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:58     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:I never understand people who say they only hit most of their goals, not all, and expect a great raise.


What your "goals" are is a completely arbitrary construct. What matters is how much the organization wants to keep you and how your other options compare.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:52     Subject: Re:not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
The less valuable you make yourself the more vulnerable you are to being downsized when the financials call for headcount reductions. Ask yourself whether that risk is worth it, given that finding alternate employment seems to be beyond you.

Average performers receive average compensation. If you want more compensation, have a discussion with your management about what that would require - set your expectations accordingly, instead of simply assuming that your performance was superior and should have been rewarded as such.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:43     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
That you feel this way about your compensation but also claim you can’t leave is a bit of a red flag to me. It’s either because what you do is so specialized and/or you like it so much that you need to understand the pay as a function of that, or because you actually are paid a fair market salary.

Personally, as an employee in a specialized field, past a certain level pay increases are minimal and it’s all about the bonus income which can be quite substantial.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:25     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
I never understand people who say they only hit most of their goals, not all, and expect a great raise.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:20     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:Last year was my best year, hit most of my goals, and the team I support gave me a terrific review. But my raise was meh. My boss claims that they weren't able to give staffers raises at least equivalent to what we received last year but I also know they saved quite a bit through attrition and travel cuts. What I received was more or less COL. I like my job but this just makes me not want to go above and beyond. Would you pull back on the amount of effort you put in? I don't think they really notice nor care if I operate at a 6 or 7 rather than a 9 or 10 (out of 10). I believe they do have the money but are just being cheap. Jumping ship for something better would require moving and we're not moving anytime soon, so I'm stuck here.


Yeah, my raise sucked so I gave myself one by working less hard and fewer hours.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 15:14     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Anonymous wrote:If your goal reaching or attitude are noticably different then they have another way to reduce costs by replacing you with someone cheaper.
You didn't hit ALL your goals, just most? That might be reflected in raise.


The combination of great review, meh raise, and can't easily leave point to a company that's decided they can get away with paying them less, not that they did something wrong.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 14:29     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
If your goal reaching or attitude are noticably different then they have another way to reduce costs by replacing you with someone cheaper.
You didn't hit ALL your goals, just most? That might be reflected in raise.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 13:46     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Are there ways you can be redirecting that energy that make you more employable should you get laid off or decide you want to leave? Ultimately, the major leverage you have is willingness to leave, and without that, you're not going to have the real-deal conversation about being underpaid.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 13:27     Subject: not happy with raise and feeling far from motivated
Last year was my best year, hit most of my goals, and the team I support gave me a terrific review. But my raise was meh. My boss claims that they weren't able to give staffers raises at least equivalent to what we received last year but I also know they saved quite a bit through attrition and travel cuts. What I received was more or less COL. I like my job but this just makes me not want to go above and beyond. Would you pull back on the amount of effort you put in? I don't think they really notice nor care if I operate at a 6 or 7 rather than a 9 or 10 (out of 10). I believe they do have the money but are just being cheap. Jumping ship for something better would require moving and we're not moving anytime soon, so I'm stuck here.