DPTiburon

It's been about 4 years since I got a raise at my job. My responsibilities have gone up but I'm on a salary and I dont know if my boss is taking advantage or he just doesnt realize it (hes out of town a lot so hes not in the office too much). He's in tomorrow so Im thinking about talking to him and asking about a raise. I have 6 month reviews and every single one has been perfect so I dont see any reason why I couldnt get something. I think salaried employees tend to not get raises as much as hourly ones.

i8acobra

Welcome to the New World. The only people who get raises are shareholders. If you don't like it, I'm sure your boss has a stack of resumes from people who'd do your job for less money.

JonGTR

If you don't get a raise of approximately 3% per year, then you're getting less every year. Cost of living. Some management do not go out of their way to give out raises, so you should ask for it. That's just poor management, but is common. Just go in a with a PLAN and explain to him how you're making a lot less than you were 4 years ago due to price increases on everything. Then explain why he'd be better off giving you a raise than finding someone else. I know you're a "team member" with your peers, but you better be doing a better job than them and actively working on your resume and adding new skills.





Not surprising that Mr. Down on the World turns this into some "we need more gov't oversight/intervention" issue. Why don't you go join your McDonalds protesters. You've never been in management have you? Replacing someone isn't as easy as it seems. There's trust issues, training, HR burdon's, management spending time in multiple interviews, etc. It costs a shitload of money and time to look for someone new. Time being the biggest key since his boss apparently doesn't have any to waste on multiple interviews.





My short story. I was told that my job was easy and there were countless people with my abilities. Well, I left that company and went to work for someone who appreciates what I do making $15k more. I was then put in charge of hiring an entry level position, doing exactly what I did at the other job. I found out first hand that although there were not only very few interview-ees, but they did not appear trustworthy or have the skills for even an entry level position. We still haven't found anyone and I was getting tired of wasting my time interviewing. It is my opinion that my previous employer was using that as a tactic to keep me down and pay me less. I still talk to ex-coworkers and they are getting the same speech from management. If you know what you are worth and they don't treat you that way, then go elsewhere. You are providing WORK FOR PAY. Don't cheat yourself.





Also, join Linked-In and build your page. Then read articles there about the work environment. They have some really great advice.

i8acobra

First, I have been a manager. I was actually the youngest manager ever east of the Mississippi at the McDonald's in Needham, Ma. in 1990. I was 17. Second, I'm not down on the world, I'm down on the entire Wall Street system. Because of how The Street works, profit amasses at the top and slowly trickles down. Unfortunately, by the time it gets near the bottom, there's nothing left. There's a reason the American worker hasn't had a raise in 40 years and it's not because the workers aren't working hard enough.



No, this won't be solved by gov't intervention. It will only be solved when corporations buy back their stocks and tell Wall Street they won't be held hostage to their prognostications.

JonGTR

So your solution is to hope that the greedy pigs you hate decide to grow a conscience?





Perhaps you just hit the nail on the head as to why the whole country is going to sh*t. The core issue to all this nonsense can be traced to the individual's values and morality. Greed and self preservation has run amuck. Back when this country was mostly Christian, this kind of corruption wasn't as bad an issue and things like "love thy neighbor" was practiced. Now it's everyone out for themselves. Another good example is road-rage where someone's turn signal notifies you to f*ck the other driver and close off the gap. Greed and corruption exists below the 10%'ers also, so don't blame it all on them. No one cares about one another anymore and its a fight to not just survive, but to crush the opposition. I'll stop there before my morality rant gets out of control.

Besides, you don't believe in a God, or positive religious teachings, or anything really.

187sks

No, I don't get regular raises. I've basically reached the ceiling of what I can make in my current position, I think I probably clear the 3% raise annually on average but with little consistency and not including the last year.



This is a problem which starts with Wall Street. Simply making a profit isn't good enough, profits need to increase quarter after quarter. That's not sustainable. We aren't people anymore we are nothing more than profit potential to the vast majority of employers.

JonGTR

Then go be your own boss!



Go to school and be an architect or engineer.

Go to trade school and be a welder, plumber, a/c tech, electrician, landscape architect, home inspector, pest control.....

BTW, get your free (or interest free depending on your skin color) school money here: https://fafsa.ed.gov/



There are TONS of trades that only take <4 years to learn, pay $60-120k and allow you to be your own boss. And the gov't will financially kick-start your company for you too! No one is forcing you to be someone's pawn. You made that decision. Take some initiative, man up, and stop blaming others for your own life mistakes.



Sorry, but I'm sick of the whiners blaming Wall Street, Obama, republicans, etc around here over and over. If you spent as much time learning how to get ahead in life as you do complaining about it, you'd be a 1%'er too.

187sks

I am my own boss, on the side. That's responsible for about half of my income. Without that I could not live on my wage as a manager operating an Ion Chromatograph. I would consider that to be a skilled trade in the very least.



I was also in civil engineering for 9 years. Currently if I wanted to get back into engineering that would mean 60-80 hour work weeks for $50-60k/year.



I know a lot of skilled tradespeople who are either out of work due to too many people followed your advice or performing their skilled trade at approximately the wage that fast food workers are fighting for.



Saying that there's a way around the messed up system doesn't mean that you should accept that the system is messed up and exploit it. Not everyone can be their own boss for a variety of reasons. First and foremost for me, I am not my job. To become the 1% you have to be consumed by your career and I have no interest in any part of that or being the 1%. If I'm going to work that hard at anything it'll be bringing down the .01%. There's nothing wrong with wanting to go to work, perform a skilled task, and get paid a living wage in return. I don't think every job deserves a living wage, but I think every single truly skilled job does.

i8acobra

You don't need a magic man in the sky to tell the difference between right and wrong. I'd best most of Wall Street is registered Republican and identify themselves as Christian.

Stocker

Back directly on topic



I haven't had a raise in at least 3-4 years. I'm at the top of the pay scale at a dead-end job. Middle-management gets chewed up and spit out every couple of years so I have repeatedly refused "promotion" there and the next level up is ownership.



However



The perks are nice, the benefits are good, and the job is very, very stable in up or down economic times. I consider lack of raises a trade-off. Give the economy a few more years to finally get out of the Great Recession (it's back in recession now BTW) and then will be time to start getting somewhat more demanding with raises, if your job has room for raises. From 2008-2018(+?), unless you are a very high-skilled person or there is lots of room for vertical growth in the company, I consider "most of us" in the country to be in good shape just to have a steady full-time job with benefits.