What would you think if you just got a 2% salary raise?

[riddler 0]

When working for corporations, my annual raises averaged 2-3% every year. When working for small businesses, I usually got no raise. Every time I left to go work for another company (every few years), I averaged a 25%-35% increase in pay. Working for myself, I've completely exceeded all of those numbers. Last year was the first time in nine years of self-employment that my salary went down, and considering the economy, it was not unexpected.

I hope you find this information inspiring.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Andy9o8 0]

I haven't read the whole thread (51 posts & counting), but 2% seems to be in line with the projected 2010 rate of inflation. The US had negative inflation in 2009; because of that, it was the first time in many years that retirees didn't get a COLA increase in their Social Security.

[tkhayes 125]

1993 with IBM in Canada, everyone took a pay CUT of 5% across the board, some more and some less, with a new pay structure that allowed you to earn all and more of that back given performance targets.

Alot of people took a pay cut and stayed there. I took the pay cut and then ended up making about 8-9% more.

Stop whining about your raise. inflation is at 0.1% or something like that. You can always start your own business and make all the money in the world....

[shah269 0]

Welcome to the new America brother.
The rich will get richer and be free from prosecution.
The poor will die off. And the middle class will have to move to Mexico if they wish to retire at a decent age!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[JohnDeere 0]

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Welcome to the new America brother.
The rich will get richer and be free from prosecution.
The poor will die off. And the middle class will have to move to Mexico if they wish to retire at a decent age!

Ignorance is bliss! Shah that is one of the dumbest things you have ever said! You have not a damn clue what a lot of companys are doing just to keep the doors open right now so people still have jobs!

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!

[silent_pumpkin 0]

Yup, I work with a slacker who basically refuses to help out with our group work, complains about the work we do and low raises. Her reasoning-"they denied me 3 weeks vacation in May (without earning time off-she used it last month for 1.5wk vacation) and they refuse to give me a better raise or a promotion all the while our company made XX profits." So hard not to punch her in the face everyday, but she makes the rest of us look good. Everyone thinks she's trying to get fired so she'll have unemployment.

[SivaGanesha 2]

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Welcome to the new America brother.
The rich will get richer and be free from prosecution.
The poor will die off. And the middle class will have to move to Mexico if they wish to retire at a decent age!

Ignorance is bliss! Shah that is one of the dumbest things you have ever said! You have not a damn clue what a lot of companys are doing just to keep the doors open right now so people still have jobs!

I can't comment on every company but from an overall perspective I think Shah is right. Wall Street has rebounded a lot over the last year. But the unemployment rate has yet to follow suit. The wealthy may be doing some things to help people get/keep jobs but they are clearly feathering their own nests first.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[mccurley 0]

In Dec we got pulled into the bosses office and told the company was in recievership and we all got a 100% decrease!!
I would rather have had 2% increase.

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[JohnMitchell 14]

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giving a tiny raise is a commentary on what this specific company thinks of this particular employee.

So that means the FAA thinks poorly of its air traffic controllers?



Actually, you're correct. Most of the FAA regards us as overpaid arrogant bastards.

During our 3 years under a Bush imposed, punitive labor agreement, which our union never signed, my pay was frozen and the new hires had their pay slashed by 30%. In the meantime all managers continued to receive pay raises. In fact, former controllers who left the scopes to do staff work continued to receive pay raises annually too. Just the people who stayed in the trenches and did the job they were hired to do got burned.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Yup, I work with a slacker who basically refuses to help out with our group work, complains about the work we do and low raises.

When talking about working for "the man", I'm reminded of the cynical philosophy I read once about the employer/employee relationship.

"They pay just enough that you don't quit. You work just enough that they don't fire you."

[kallend 1,623]

What did the boss, the boss's boss, .... up to the CEO get?

I take a dim view of companies that screw their workers while the execs take home big bonuses.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[silent_pumpkin 0]

That's pretty much her philosophy, screwing us, her coworkers, in the process. "Gee, I know we're super busy, but I need to take my lunch RIGHT NOW and stare at my computer for 30min...then I might come back and help before you guys get to eat kthxbai" GAH, wish they would fire her already!

[Bolas 5]

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That's pretty much her philosophy, screwing us, her coworkers, in the process. "Gee, I know we're super busy, but I need to take my lunch RIGHT NOW and stare at my computer for 30min...then I might come back and help before you guys get to eat kthxbai" GAH, wish they would fire her already!

You want to get rid of her or make her pull her share?

Suggest to your manager that she be put in charge of a project.

Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

[silent_pumpkin 0]

Want to get rid of her since she was unwilling to put in her fair share BEFORE the "big corporation" took over our company in 2007.

Conflict philosophy at this site is non-confrontational and my supervisor (slacker's prior peer before she was promoted over slacker 2 years ago) is a sweetheart and gets beet red while telling people to not spend so much time on their PCs surfing the net or leaving early (we're salary). Although my sup works 10+hrs a day and is on edge now because of recent attitude shifts - slacker's 3 week vacation request denied due to lack of earned time off. (after a 1wk vaca last month)

Just wish they'd cut their losses, she's really only half an employee as it is and we barely notice when she is or isn't there....pissed off when she's there and not doing anything AND makes $3K more than me (she was applying for a credit card over the phone in our office ).

We each have individual projects that take her 2-3X longer than the rest of us and her raise, or lack thereof, reflects this...but my sup will just ask her how's it going (ie "I gave that to you last week, when will it be done?!") and keeps trying to give her work that she keeps putting off or 'works' on it while we are all doing group work AND our individual work.

She prides herself on not working for a chain or "big-box", but the retailer I spent 7 years at would have fired her in 1 day due to her lack of compliance and holier than thou attitude.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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AND makes $3K more than me (she was applying for a credit card over the phone in our office ).

I'm saying she was just lying about how much she made to get a higher credit line.
Have you guys considered a blanket party?

That is hugely frustrating, isn't it? As a government employee, I get to see plenty of people who think Uncle Sam owes them a paycheck while they spend as much time as possible dodging their work. Some of my co(non)workers will take infinite breaks, if allowed, while everyone else is stuck at the radar scopes. My sarcastic comment on them is "They're not screwing their fellow coworkers; they're really, really hurting the FAA."

[silent_pumpkin 0]

Yeah, I thought she could be lying...even if its only to delude myself for momentary neutrality. "Co(non)workers" That is perfect!

And what is a blanket party? Or dare I ask...

---Nevermind - Urban dictionary edumacated me. She'd sue us and live the life she always wanted again at our expense. Damn, too bad we don't have customers that could complain about her....

[Squeak 17]

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And what is a blanket party? Or dare I ask...

---Nevermind - Urban dictionary edumacated me. She'd sue us and live the life she always wanted again at our expense. Damn, too bad we don't have customers that could complain about her....

Umm if the BLANKET Party is done correctly she would not know who to sue.
But i do not under any circumstance condone violence in the work place.
I'd be more inclined to get the other staff to rally together to pressure her to do her share of the load.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[silent_pumpkin 0]

It hit the fan last week when her vacation was denied and we have been giving her the cold shoulder, not engaging in discussions with her, and basically ignoring her existence. We always let her know (remind, as if she wasn't aware) when things are getting worked on or others need a break, but she may or may not find the time to do it.

I think she may have written some random crap on the whiteboard after I left yesterday/Friday (I had to go to work today/Saturday, again salary unpaid, but it was needed to DO MY JOB) and this may get HR involved. Not a big F U message, but changing product names into doing things to a certain manager and highlighting "ASS" of assayed in red. HOPING this gets her ball rolling...out the freaking door!!

I have to say, thanks for letting me vent guys.

[SivaGanesha 2]

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giving a tiny raise is a commentary on what this specific company thinks of this particular employee.

So that means the FAA thinks poorly of its air traffic controllers?



Actually, you're correct. Most of the FAA regards us as overpaid arrogant bastards.

Let me put it this way--if a dude came home and announced to his wife/girlfriend that he'd just gotten a 2% raise, do you think it would increase his chances of getting laid that night?
Government work is a little different because people tend to stay in government jobs for longer...so the cumulative positive effect of a lot of small raises--or the cumulative negative effect of a failure to give raises that keep pace with the cost of living--over many years needs to be taken into account.

My response was geared towards private industry. In the private sector people, on average, only stay with employers for about two years. If you get a 2% raise with a private employer, there is a good chance it will be your one and only raise with them. A 2% raise isn't enough for a major improvement in standard of living--nor can you shop it around to other employers as being evidence of a major increase in job responsibilities.

In the private sector, especially smaller employers, companies generally keep a few people around long term, and start sending hints to most of the others that it is time to begin looking for the door. In other words turnover is high in corporate America especially with smaller firms. That's true even in good times let alone difficult times.

An employee needs to look for strong signals for their employer that they have a long term future with that employer--and if not, always keep sending out resumes. I don't think a 2% raise sends a very good signal in corporate America. I think it sends a signal that you can keep your job for a little while longer, but to start dusting off the resume.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Let me put it this way--if a dude came home and announced to his wife/girlfriend that he'd just gotten a 2% raise, do you think it would increase his chances of getting laid that night?

I would hope so. That's $3000/year, not exactly chump change.

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Government work is a little different because people tend to stay in government jobs for longer...so the cumulative positive effect of a lot of small raises--

My response was geared towards private industry. In the private sector people, on average, only stay with employers for about two years.

Maybe that's part of the problem. My dad worked for the same company for 45 years. Used to be people expected to work their way up. Now they tend to look for lateral moves.

Maybe that good, I don't know. Certainly keeps people moving around.

[silent_pumpkin 0]

I have to follow this up - she is on her trip and sent me a private FB message after she blocked her coworkers from seeing her wall. She will be calling in sick till she gets fired and she says she's not even counting on unemployment. What a weekend! The only thing is she hasn't told anyone she isn't coming back, not even our supervisor - I'm the only one. So it looks like things are kind of working out...I guess.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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I have to follow this up - she is on her trip and sent me a private FB message after she blocked her coworkers from seeing her wall.

Wow, how did she come to trust you that much?She must have no clue as to how you feel about her. It's tempting to "out" her on her scam, but I doubt if you're the type of person to do that . . . or are you?

[wmw999 2,120]

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but my sup will just ask her how's it going (ie "I gave that to you last week, when will it be done?!") and keeps trying to give her work that she keeps putting off or 'works' on it while we are all doing group work AND our individual work.

Just a note: that's the process many companies have to go through in order to fire someone for non-performance of duties if they're past their probationary period. They have to demonstrate (and document) that the employee was offered ample opportunities to succeed.

Most managers are nowhere near as anal all the time as is necessary to document non-performance under these circumstances, so they have to start with a "performance plan" or something like that, with deadlines for the employee to meet. And it's all documented.

It's a horrible situation as a manager. I'm lucky I didn't have to do that while I was a manager.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

Ok let me put this in prospective.
Regardless of the economic growth over the past 50 odd years on average the official inflation rate has been around %3. The actual is about %5 since the government doesn't count energy when they do the calculation.
SO! If you only get %2 that means you will earn %1 less this year than the last.

Now as for my comment regarding the rich getting richer?

As a dork taking his EMBA and just having digested cooperate accounting. Your average poor little rich kid on Wall Street or who just so happens to have a little over $10mill in liquid assets can easily pull in well ove %10 in profits just from investment activity.

Also please note the record number of woo hoo bonuses that were handed out this year to companies who were able to improve profitability. Now how do you improve profitability when you aren't producing a hard product......you cut back on hiring new people and reduce pay increases. Eventually the stone will have no blood to give.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[billvon 2,396]

> If you get a 2% raise with a private employer, there is a good chance it will
>be your one and only raise with them.

Got a 1% raise this six-month cycle; we're having some money flow problems. Since in the past I've gotten several raises above 25% during good economic times - I can live with it.