Feel guilty for looking at alternative jobs

diystarter7

Op, good on you for feeling loyal.
I felt loyal to my manager in public service.
Come the time of volunteer redundancy, I did not get it becuse they saw me as a good member of staff
The manager was good at supporting me if required and me not letting her/dept down.

However, not getting the redundancy was a kick in the teeth though  as I and others could not prove it  that they got rid of people that they saw as a problem eG sickness, moaning, work not great etc.

Being a smaller outfit, from what I've seen they often take the mick.

theoretica

Either the company are taking advantage of you and not giving you the respect you deserve - even if they think you are not underpaid they should do you the courtesy of granting you a meeting you request and discussing it with you.  OR the company isn't doing well and doesn't want to admit they simply can't pay more.  Whichever of these it is, looking at what is available elsewhere seems a sensible thing to do.

diystarter7

theoretica said:

Either the company are taking advantage of you and not giving you the respect you deserve - even if they think you are not underpaid they should do you the courtesy of granting you a meeting you request and discussing it with you.  OR the company isn't doing well and doesn't want to admit they simply can't pay more.  Whichever of these it is, looking at what is available elsewhere seems a sensible thing to do.

If the co is not doing well, its poor show on their management skills and no respect at all and worse lies to the OP re pay rise

redundantmortgage

I once worked for a small company which was all about "the people". On my first week I met the man who owned the company who told me his rags to riches tale of how he built the company from scratch and he was very proud of his creation.

I was told by those who hired me about how they wanted someone in it for the long haul, someone who lived and breathed their "company values".

Being a small company I quickly became the only person who knew how to do my job. I was an "asset to the company" and was told by one of my seniors that they would struggle without me.

None of this translated into promotions or pay rises. There was no such position I could be promoted to and being a small company they couldn't afford to increase my pay significantly.

Less than 2 years later I left, I would have left earlier if I could. During my notice period there were crisis meetings in light of me leaving.

What happened next? The man who owned the company sold up to a bigger company and sailed off into the sunset.

The point is we were never the "family" they said we were. I was there as a stepping stone for my career and the owner created the company with the aim of making his millions and retire.

ElefantEd

In the Dune books by Frank Herbert, the Atreides family famously bought loyalty with loyalty. And that's the concept that should apply here.

Does the company treat you well, look after you, do the best it genuinely can for you, does it look out for your interests; is it open and honest, does it have integrity in how it deals with you? If so, then you should be loyal in return, which might mean supporting it when times are tough, going the extra mile when needed. If not, then you owe no more loyalty than doing what you are contracted to do for the next pay cheque. The relationship is transactional, treat it as such.

josephine82

There is nothing to stop you looking to see what else is out there. 

Loyalty is an admirable quality but it doesn’t sound like the company value you and your time very much. 

I would say just start looking while carrying on the pay conversation and see what happens. 

In my experience, if you have to set up multiple meetings to discuss pay, and those meetings don’t happen, there usually isn’t any additional monies to give ! 

GingerTim

Companies don't love you back.

Marvel1

laurey0301 said:

 I feel so guilty for even looking as i dont want to screw him over in a way

He has been messing you around.

solentsusie

Your boss is laughing at you and being completely disrespectful.  Loyalty goes both ways, what you need to ask yourself is if he is being loyal to you?

Get those job applications in and good luck! 

Charlotte_Ca

I've had a lot of jobs in my life, working from big international companies to small local ones. 

What I learned that I value the most is the colleagues than money. If I could find good people and decent salary based on my expenses etc then I would stick around. However, I wouldn't have learned that if I had stayed with the same company forever. 

If you feel that you deserve more money, then you can look for another job. However, even if they offer you more money make sure the team looks nice and the managers. Because if not then you might regret it, but that's part of life as we are constantly becoming and evolving.

Leave on good terms and if something in the future doesn't work out you can go back to them and if your skills have been expanded then you could claim a higher salary.

Don't feel guilty because everyone is looking for their own interest.