Is it acceptable to request a 20% pay rise after only 12 months?

Thrugelmir

Sandtree said:

Thrugelmir said:

Is your only motivation money?  Unless you've been an exceptional performer don't price yourself out of a job. People are expendable. There's plenty of people looking for work. 

Interestingly the Motivational Theorists stated that income was a "hygiene factor" rather than a "motivational factor" and so its absence demotivates staff but its excess doesn't motivate (proportionally speaking). 

The OP stated they feel notably underpaid for the job and that would tie in with the theorists and make the OP the norm rather than money orientated. If they actually underpaid is a separate debate but broadly irrelevant to if thats how they feel and therefore its impact.

Many years ago remember being briefed that the effect of a pay rise lasted around 6 weeks. 

Thrugelmir

Manxman_in_exile said:

12345ABC said:

...  I am considerably underpaid for a graduate role (degree was essential) and it is not motivating meet to want/or be able to work in the role ...

(I was going to add that doing a temporary maternity leave job might seem an odd way to start a meaningful career anyway - but that's what I did so can't really knock it... )

Over the years many of my subsequent work opportunities came from just doing something. Creates networking. Surprising how paths cross over and over again. 

HouseTargaryen

12345ABC said:

Hi, I took on a temp salaried role just before lockdown 1.0 for maternity cover. A couple of months in I was made permanent. Whilst I am grateful to be employed at this time I am considerably underpaid for a graduate role (degree was essential) and it is not motivating meet to want/or be able to work in the role for considerably longer. I have a yearly PR soon and would like to negotiate the increase.

Thanks

A lot will depend on the company policy. As you're not in a line management position, you may not be familiar with how things work. Your line manager may be restricted in a lot of ways, regardless of what he/she wants to do. They may have to put any salary increase request up for department/senior management to approve or decline. They will therefore need to have good reason why you deserve an increase. There may be strict increments for your role, where it's impossible to go over a set level. And possibly impossible to skip increments, so you can maybe ONLY go up to a set level each time. 20% may not be possible. If you can get hold of that information, it will help.

Marcon

Acceptable to whom to ask for a 20% pay increase after only a year?

Savvy_Sue

12345ABC said:

Hi, I took on a temp salaried role just before lockdown 1.0 for maternity cover. A couple of months in I was made permanent. Whilst I am grateful to be employed at this time I am considerably underpaid for a graduate role (degree was essential) and it is not motivating meet to want/or be able to work in the role for considerably longer. I have a yearly PR soon and would like to negotiate the increase.

The instructions for our annual appraisals say that it's not the place to talk about salary reviews, so check yours doesn't have a similar instruction. Mind you, I've never worked out where I'd ask for one if I thought I needed one: fortunately I feel I'm paid about right. 

[Deleted User]

I would ask for a rise, back yourself with results and facts, don’t hold back.
I took a job a year ago on the whole maternity leave dropped during final stage of recruitment will be coming up for only £16k I worked my socks off during busy season, put extra hours in, even overcome learning issues in the job on my own, only to find people in after me including a part timer hired during quiet time was paid well in excess of 18k very easily and no it was not a pro-rata salary. Yes I was totally innocent that I must simply be on the same rate as any equivalent colleagues who wouldn’t mind me working when they would only do their set hours and nothing more. I did nearly a year really believing it would improve future employers for me but even that was crackers - length of service clearly meant nothing. It’s a truly sickening lesson to learn that keeping quiet and thinking you are doing the company a good turn in not asking is probably the biggest dis service for yourself you’ll ever do.  The IOU’s don’t pay bills either.

Simon11

If I were you, definitely ask at the next opportunity but don't be surprised to be turned down! You should start looking for new roles, as you will have a better chance of getting that payrise you want.

After finishing university, I joined a firm on 21k as an analyst. After six months, I put together a case study of what I had achieved going beyond my pay grade and where I had added value. I asked to be paid the same as the company graduate scheme, around 25k and made the clear point that I had demonstrated I was just as talented and was already making a difference, whereas graduates are 'just experiencing' different parts of the business. It was bluntly turned down and didn't even consider it.

I immediately started job hunting and found a new role as a manger within the same field/ business. One month later, I handed in my notice, with a promotion and increase in pay to 28k. Since then, I have never looked back and keep moving up the ladder.

If I had stayed, I would have probably been in that analysis role for several years before moving up to manager for 25k. 

Fast forward 10 years later, that decision along with others have made a huge difference to my career, cutting out the pointless junior years! 

FaceHead

You accepted that salary when you joined. I did the same when I took my first grad job. What's changed since that salary was acceptable?

As a grad your skills grow so rapidly, so it makes sense that you may now be more valuable, and you can try to make that case.

In my experience, few employers give substantial raises without a change in role. They have their budgets and policies which can get in the way of keeping good people.

In my case I got a 10% raise after about 18 months, but left soon after for a further 10%, which brought me to what I considered poor but not grossly unacceptable. The new job offer is a vital negotiating chip, and at that point the first employer offered to make whatever policy exception was required. At that point however I'd found a job I wanted to do more, so left anyway. 

I think you'll either end up leaving, or realise that the salary you're on/small raise you can get is fair, because you can't do better elsewhere. 

DontBringBertie

I was actually in a very similar situation in my graduate job. I asked them for 25% more (as I knew another graduate had got this). They said they would only give me 5%. I searched around for other jobs, got offered one, and after I told my employer only then did they say they would give me what I originally asked for.
As FaceHead mentions above, the new job offer is a vital negotiating chip.