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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Jds1990]

Hi all,

Still at my current job however beginning to really resent it. I told my manager over a week ago the salary I think is fair and he said he would discuss with the director but this has not happened and I am tired of waiting around. It has been almost 2 months now since I first mentioned to my manager I want to discuss salary and nothing has happened.

I had a meeting with a recruitment agency last night after work and they have positions they feel would be a good fit for me paying 10-12.5% more then my current role.

I really feel like my current employers just dont care so I am more leaning towards leaving now rather then waiting and hoping for a pay rise.

When I first started my current position 2.5 years ago, I didn’t sign an employment contract. I am just wondering therefore how many weeks notice I would have to give before leaving? I don’t want to give 4 weeks if I don’t have to.

 

[Jds1990]

In the absence of a contract, or any other evidence of an agreement on notice period, the statutory minimum is 1 week.

When you say you didn't "sign" an employment contract, did you receive one? It might be arguable that if you received one and worked there over two years that really it should be adhered to, but IANAL.

I did not receive one no, I am not surprised now that I have worked here for 2.5 years and seeing how they are, not organised at all.

I have a meeting tomorrow with my manager and director to discuss salary so will see how that goes. I also have 2 interviews next week so I am more leaning towards taking a new position elsewhere, if offered one of course.

 

[Jds1990]

Hi all,

I have just had a meeting with my manager and director and they have given me the raise I was after but I feel it is kind of forced.

I have been asking my manager for a review for almost 4 months now and I have only just got a raise I feel I deserved for a while now. I mentioned to my manager the other day that I wanted an answer and that I had been contacted by an agency who wanted to put me forward for roles on more money.

I feel my manager and director have only now given me this raise due to feeling threatened at the possibility of me leaving. I don’t feel they want to give me this raise, I dont feel they truly appreciate myself and other staff.

I am still planning on going ahead with the 2 interviews I have next week as I want to get a feel for both positions.

If I am offered the same money as my new raise at either of the other positions I still feel like there is a possibility of me leaving as I feel a fresh start could be good for me.

Any Advice?

 

[Jds1990]

Hi,

I am a bit torn now as I have the pay rise I initially wanted but having looked around for potential new roles, I realise I can get more elsewhere. At least I have the raise now though so there is no rush, I will continue to look elsewhere incase I come across a better opportunity paying more money.

I will speak to the recruiter and inform him I have the raise I wanted and see If either of these 2 interviews I have lined up can improve on their offer (they both are offering the same amount I now find myself on with the raise).

 

[Jds1990]

Hi all thanks for the advice.

I had a zoom call with the recruiter yesterday I explained I now have the raise I was after so do not wish to go ahead with the 2 interviews I had lined up this week. One was for £2k less then what I now have and the other was for the same money.

She tried selling me the fact that the position for the same money offers more holiday. That is great but it is almost twice the distance for me travelling and I just don’t feel its worth moving for the same money.

I now have the raise I wanted, yes it took a lot longer then I hoped but at least I have it. July will be 3 years with my company so think I will ask for more then.

Thanks to everyone for your advice

 

[Jds1990]

Hi,

I am not expecting one in July however feel I asked for too little this time round. I am happy with the raise but since I have been looking elsewhere the last few weeks I realise I can earn more elsewhere.

I will give it a few months and then may start looking again, I wouldn’t ask for much more in July but i reckon if I was to say I can get more elsewhere they would possibly give me 3-4% more.

 

[Jds1990]

The more likely scenario as you've just had a raise will be them saying "Off you go then".
Really if you've been waiting so long for this review then why didn't you do the research and ask for what you really wanted the first time around?

Because I hadn't had a raise in over 2 years I thought what I asked for was fair. It was fair but having been looking at other possible new roles I realise I am more experienced then I realise and I can get more.

I will see how the next few months go. I am happy I have the raise but I want the environment to improve also as it has not been great last few months.

If it comes to the point where I am not happy in the role at least I know now what I can ask for either at my current company or elsewhere.