Pay review soon - how much to ask for?

[Jds1990]

Hi all,

At the end of this month I will have been in my current position for 2.5 years and I have only had a 2.5% raise up till now which is nowhere near enough for me to stay.

I understand Covid has made it difficult for a lot of us however my company has been open for business throughout and has coped well.

I asked for a raise back in July at the 2 year mark and was given 2.5% which I was disappointed with but was told I would have another review this month.

I have started looking around and there are jobs out there paying 10% more I am currently on. I don’t want to have to leave my current position but if I do not get a significant raise this month I will have to.

Inflation has gone up 8.5% since I started in July 2019 so feel I have taken a pay cut up till this point with my salary only having increased by 2.5%.

I am thinking of asking for another 10% which would mean an overall salary increase of 12.5% since I started in July 2019. Minimum I want is another 7.5%.

Another 10% is fair isn't it? I don’t feel that is unreasonable.

I feel I deserve a raise and I just want to be paid fairly because I am starting to feel unappreciated and its effecting me mentally.

 

[tom_e]

I feel I deserve a raise

Why?

 

[Jokester]

If you are sure you can get more elsewhere, then that's your starting point. If they don't accept it then you always have the option of going elsewhere.

 

[Freddie1980]

Hi all,

At the end of this month I will have been in my current position for 2.5 years and I have only had a 2.5% raise up till now which is nowhere near enough for me to stay.

I understand Covid has made it difficult for a lot of us however my company has been open for business throughout and has coped well.

I asked for a raise back in July at the 2 year mark and was given 2.5% which I was disappointed with but was told I would have another review this month.

I have started looking around and there are jobs out there paying 10% more I am currently on. I don’t want to have to leave my current position but if I do not get a significant raise this month I will have to.

Inflation has gone up 8.5% since I started in July 2019 so feel I have taken a pay cut up till this point with my salary only having increased by 2.5%.

I am thinking of asking for another 10% which would mean an overall salary increase of 12.5% since I started in July 2019. Minimum I want is another 7.5%.

Another 10% is fair isn't it? I don’t feel that is unreasonable.

I feel I deserve a raise and I just want to be paid fairly because I am starting to feel unappreciated and its effecting me mentally.

At my place you get what your given and if you don't like you can leave.

With merit increases the way it works isn't straight forwards and just because a company is performing well that doesn't automatically translate into generous pay rises. Merit increase/Pay rises are determined on the following factors (although not limited to them)
i) Company performance
ii) Industry averages
iii) Inflation
iv) Individual performance
v) Affordability (somewhat linked to i)

Out of the above you only control one of those factors.

If you company has a bonus pool this is where you can catch-up. If the company does well and you have done well you should expect to be awarded a generous bonus at least that how it works at my company.

 

[Jds1990]

Why?

2.5 years of hard work.

Being one of only three staff in my team to work full time throughout covid whilst the other six were put on furlough earning 80% of their salary for doing nothing.

The three of us who have worked full time had to get on with our own work whilst covering the work of those on furlough and we got nothing for that.

I am not saying I deserve 20% raise, I just feel another 10% is more then fair.

 

[Freddie1980]

2.5 years of hard work.

Being one of only three staff in my team to work full time throughout covid whilst the other six were put on furlough earning 80% of their salary for doing nothing.

The three of us who have worked full time had to get on with our own work whilst covering the work of those on furlough and we got nothing for that.

I am not saying I deserve 20% raise, I just feel another 10% is more then fair.

You'll get what they can afford not what you think you deserve.

 

[HangTime]

I understand Covid has made it difficult for a lot of us however my company has been open for business throughout and has coped well

Being one of only three staff in my team to work full time throughout covid whilst the other six were put on furlough earning 80% of their salary for doing nothing.

The three of us who have worked full time had to get on with our own work whilst covering the work of those on furlough

So reading between the lines, 3 people were able to do the work of 9 people and the company "coped well". This implies to me an opportunity to downsize the team whilst maintaining productivity (assuming team workload isn't 3x higher than it was then), which is an environment where pay rises are not that appealing because they might end up in a position where they have to make redundancies. Potentially they may be better off letting natural attrition do it's thing i.e. let the likes of yourself move on to pastures new in search of more money.

If they aren't prepared to give you a big hike, this could be why. Just doing your job during lockdown wouldn't in itself warrant a 10% pay rise in most companies, tell us what extra value you are contributing, are you exceeding your performance objectives, are you taking on additional responsibilities moving forward (post furlough) etc. This is the sort of ammunition you need to be bringing to the pay review, just saying you worked hard whilst others were furloughed won't convince them.

 

[Jds1990]

So reading between the lines, 3 people were able to do the work of 9 people and the company "coped well". This implies to me an opportunity to downsize the team whilst maintaining productivity (assuming team workload isn't 3x higher than it was then), which is an environment where pay rises are not that appealing because they might end up in a position where they have to make redundancies. Potentially they may be better off letting natural attrition do it's thing i.e. let the likes of yourself move on to pastures new in search of more money.

If they aren't prepared to give you a big hike, this could be why. Just doing your job during lockdown wouldn't in itself warrant a 10% pay rise in most companies, tell us what extra value you are contributing, are you exceeding your performance objectives, are you taking on additional responsibilities moving forward (post furlough) etc. This is the sort of ammunition you need to be bringing to the pay review, just saying you worked hard whilst others were furloughed won't convince them.

I won’t go into too much detail but a lot of extra work has been put on me over the last 12 months so I will list them all and bring this forward to the review.

This is my for job role where a company doesnt have a set annual review so its a bit all over the place. I have been requesting a review for the last 4 months but can’t keep waiting.

 

[Kenai]

2.5 years of hard work.

Being one of only three staff in my team to work full time throughout covid whilst the other six were put on furlough earning 80% of their salary for doing nothing.

The three of us who have worked full time had to get on with our own work whilst covering the work of those on furlough and we got nothing for that.

I am not saying I deserve 20% raise, I just feel another 10% is more then fair.

To be blunt - come up with something better than this.

Nobody walks into a pay review citing 2.5 years of easy work - everyone claims to work hard.

Present them with evidence of the value you bring and why you're worth paying more money rather than risking letting go. As @HangTime mentions, if you all 'coped well' during Covid whilst two thirds of the staff were off, the management may well have in their minds that they have more staff than is really necessary (but are struggling to find a reason to lay people off). A threat to walk away might not hold as much sway as you think, especially if you haven't really shown why you in particular would be worth them working to keep you on.

 

[GSXRMovistar]

Unless you can demonstrate you are massively underpaid for the role you perform compared to market rates, with a risk and ability to go elsewhere then I would normally only consider pay rises for staff where there role has changed; By which I mean they have successfully taken on (in either current or new role) significantly more challenging or demanding responsibilities/duties.

 

[Jds1990]

Unless you can demonstrate you are massively underpaid for the role you perform compared to market rates, with a risk and ability to go elsewhere then I would normally only consider pay rises for staff where there role has changed; By which I mean they have successfully taken on (in either current or new role) significantly more challenging or demanding responsibilities/duties.

That sounds fair, I have been given more & more responsibility over the last 6-12 months.

I would not expect another 7.5-10% raise if my role had not changed much but it has.

The average annual raise is 3% and over the last 2.5 years mine has been 1% which is nowhere near enough.

 

[SideWinder]

@Jds1990 - Take a look through my thread about pay and reviews. May help a bit also.

 

[Liquid_Entity]

Don't they have a PDR (personal development review) at your work. The place where you fill out your smart objectives for the year, what you achieved and went above and beyond for? We have to fill these out twice a year. Every year I tell my team to fill it out consistently as and when they think the work they did is part of one of their objectives and then providing examples etc. It's a massive burden on me doing it for the team but I also have to do my own as well to get done by my line management.

Apart from last year (covid related results so they put pay freeze in) I have managed to secure good pay increases every year due to them having no way to back down after i providing them with evidence of my work.

 

[Jds1990]

Don't they have a PDR (personal development review) at your work. The place where you fill out your smart objectives for the year, what you achieved and went above and beyond for? We have to fill these out twice a year. Every year I tell my team to fill it out consistently as and when they think the work they did is part of one of their objectives and then providing examples etc. It's a massive burden on me doing it for the team but I also have to do my own as well to get done by my line management.

Apart from last year (covid related results so they put pay freeze in) I have managed to secure good pay increases every year due to them having no way to back down after i providing them with evidence of my work.

They have nothing in place. I work at head office too which is the worrying thing, it is just very laid back here. I feel if don’t ask then they would never approach me with a raise or bonus.

 

[Liquid_Entity]

Time to move on then, doesn't sound like they appreciate their staff at all.

 

[HACO]

Companies generally increase pay for one reason: to stop you from leaving. The amount they will offer you is based on the what they believe would cost them (in money, time, productivity, etc) to replace you. Best way to get substantial pay increase is to have a better offer in hand and be willing to take it once you go to the negotiation table.

 

[Jds1990]

Companies generally increase pay for one reason: to stop you from leaving. The amount they will offer you is based on the what they believe would cost them (in money, time, productivity, etc) to replace you. Best way to get substantial pay increase is to have a better offer in hand and be willing to take it once you go to the negotiation table.

Hi,

I asked my manager for a review yesterday saying I had not had one for over 2 years and I want to discuss my performance & salary. They have agreed to a review and will let me know soon when it will be.

Today I have had a recruiter contact me about a position she believes is a good fit for me and paying 10% more than I am currently on. She asked if she could forward on my CV to which I agreed.

I am just debating if it is a good idea to let my current employers know I am being put forward for new positions on better money or if its not a great thing do and could hinder my chances of getting a raise? I am just not sure how my current employers would take it, but they do understand I have been wanting more money for months now so shouldn't be too surprised that I have been looking around for new opportunities.

 

[HACO]

Hi,

I asked my manager for a review yesterday saying I had not had one for over 2 years and I want to discuss my performance & salary. They have agreed to a review and will let me know soon when it will be.

Today I have had a recruiter contact me about a position she believes is a good fit for me and paying 10% more than I am currently on. She asked if she could forward on my CV to which I agreed.

I am just debating if it is a good idea to let my current employers know I am being put forward for new positions on better money or if its not a great thing do and could hinder my chances of getting a raise? I am just not sure how my current employers would take it, but they do understand I have been wanting more money for months now so shouldn't be too surprised that I have been looking around for new opportunities.

No. Don't talk to them about interviewing elsewhere, tell them only when you have a firm offer.

Look at it this way: your manager needs to justify any increase in your pay to his managers/CFO/whoever. A 10% increase out of the blue is difficult to justify, at least without a move to a different position internally. However, paying an extra 10% to retain you is a much simpler matter. Companies often have separate budgets for retention offers anyway.

 

[tom_e]

Hi,

I asked my manager for a review yesterday saying I had not had one for over 2 years and I want to discuss my performance & salary. They have agreed to a review and will let me know soon when it will be.

Today I have had a recruiter contact me about a position she believes is a good fit for me and paying 10% more than I am currently on. She asked if she could forward on my CV to which I agreed.

I am just debating if it is a good idea to let my current employers know I am being put forward for new positions on better money or if its not a great thing do and could hinder my chances of getting a raise? I am just not sure how my current employers would take it, but they do understand I have been wanting more money for months now so shouldn't be too surprised that I have been looking around for new opportunities.

Tell them nothing, until you have another job in writing.

 

[Kenai]

Today I have had a recruiter contact me about a position she believes is a good fit for me and paying 10% more than I am currently on. She asked if she could forward on my CV to which I agreed.

I am just debating if it is a good idea to let my current employers know I am being put forward for new positions on better money or if its not a great thing do and could hinder my chances of getting a raise? I am just not sure how my current employers would take it, but they do understand I have been wanting more money for months now so shouldn't be too surprised that I have been looking around for new opportunities.

As per advice from others above, keep this information to yourself until you have an offer.

Recruiters contact me and most of my colleagues routinely about positions they think I am a 'good fit' for or is a 'good fit' for me, half the time the industry and roles aren't even remotely similar to anything i've done - there's a lot of recruiters out there just looking throw a pile of CVs into job openings and see what sticks. Don't get caught up feeling like recruiters are headhunting you or anything just because you're starting to get sent offers by random recruiters looking for keywords on LinkedIn or something.