Pay Rise Help/ Reaction

balooga22

Hi,

I'm in a team of 25 and I am one of the longest serving employees in the team (10 years). I've been told that everyone will be getting a pay rise (as a result of recent benchmarking) apart from me and 2 others, who are also long serving.

It seems like the annual increases we've had over time has put us outside of the typical band for the job role and so we don't get a pay rise.

I understand why I'm not getting more money but I've been invited to a meeting to discuss this with my manger next week. Is there a professional way to explain the disappointment/ feeling that my experience is being devalued as a result of this?

Hoenir

Everybody in the work place is expendable and replacable. If you couldn't get a similar job at the same rate of pay elsewhere. Then threatening to leave would achieve absolutely nothing. 

At a macro level. Last years budget changes along with the recent rise in Minimum Wage. Will have caused mamy many employers to look closely at their payroll costs. The increase for many employers is significant. 

FlorayG

if a pay rise would put you outside the band for the role then you can't expect a pay rise other than a 'cost of living' one which would be the same percentage as everyone else. Anything anyone else gets on top will be to account for their increasing knowledge as they 'catch up' with you
Unless there's a job available in the next band up from where you are now, you can expect to be stuck on the same pay for a long time. That's just how it is.
Where I work there is a manager who moved from a much higher paid job within head office to a regional job because he wanted to be nearer home. It pays much less but they let him retain his salary that was well over the maximum for his current role. He hasn't had a pay rise in TWELVE YEARS because the top band for his current job STILL  hasn't reached his previous salary. Does he complain? Yes...endlessly... drives everyone else up the wall...

Marcon

balooga22 said:

Hi,

I'm in a team of 25 and I am one of the longest serving employees in the team (10 years). I've been told that everyone will be getting a pay rise (as a result of recent benchmarking) apart from me and 2 others, who are also long serving.

It seems like the annual increases we've had over time has put us outside of the typical band for the job role and so we don't get a pay rise.

I understand why I'm not getting more money but I've been invited to a meeting to discuss this with my manger next week. Is there a professional way to explain the disappointment/ feeling that my experience is being devalued as a result of this?

You can understand something on an academic level and still be left with a feeling that it isn't fair and you're being hard done by, which is clearly what's happened here. It's called human nature.

At least your employer has done the decent thing and is giving you the chance to discuss it with your manager. There is nothing unprofessional about saying you can appreciate the logic of what has happened, but still feel disappointed and have been left with a sense of your experience and loyalty being undervalued. Keep it short and as unemotional as you can, and see what the response is.

Unless you also feel sure you can get another job elsewhere which will beat what you're being paid now, don't go in for paper tigerism - it just makes you look weak. On the other hand, if you can come up with something you'd find a sweetener (maybe an extra day's leave each year? some not-quite-essential training you'd like them to fund?) and which wouldn't give the employer problems by setting a precedent, there's no harm in suggesting it.

balooga22

FlorayG said:

if a pay rise would put you outside the band for the role then you can't expect a pay rise other than a 'cost of living' one which would be the same percentage as everyone else. Anything anyone else gets on top will be to account for their increasing knowledge as they 'catch up' with you
Unless there's a job available in the next band up from where you are now, you can expect to be stuck on the same pay for a long time. That's just how it is.
Where I work there is a manager who moved from a much higher paid job within head office to a regional job because he wanted to be nearer home. It pays much less but they let him retain his salary that was well over the maximum for his current role. He hasn't had a pay rise in TWELVE YEARS because the top band for his current job STILL  hasn't reached his previous salary. Does he complain? Yes...endlessly... drives everyone else up the wall...

Thanks, yeah it does make sense, it's just how it is!

balooga22

Marcon said:

balooga22 said:

Hi,

I'm in a team of 25 and I am one of the longest serving employees in the team (10 years). I've been told that everyone will be getting a pay rise (as a result of recent benchmarking) apart from me and 2 others, who are also long serving.

It seems like the annual increases we've had over time has put us outside of the typical band for the job role and so we don't get a pay rise.

I understand why I'm not getting more money but I've been invited to a meeting to discuss this with my manger next week. Is there a professional way to explain the disappointment/ feeling that my experience is being devalued as a result of this?

You can understand something on an academic level and still be left with a feeling that it isn't fair and you're being hard done by, which is clearly what's happened here. It's called human nature.

At least your employer has done the decent thing and is giving you the chance to discuss it with your manager. There is nothing unprofessional about saying you can appreciate the logic of what has happened, but still feel disappointed and have been left with a sense of your experience and loyalty being undervalued. Keep it short and as unemotional as you can, and see what the response is.

Unless you also feel sure you can get another job elsewhere which will beat what you're being paid now, don't go in for paper tigerism - it just makes you look weak. On the other hand, if you can come up with something you'd find a sweetener (maybe an extra day's leave each year? some not-quite-essential training you'd like them to fund?) and which wouldn't give the employer problems by setting a precedent, there's no harm in suggesting it.

Thanks, this is really helpful to read.

I've been struggling with what there is to discuss as it sounds like a done deal. The training idea is great, I'm going to look into that - worst they can say is no, right!

TELLIT01

FlorayG said:

if a pay rise would put you outside the band for the role then you can't expect a pay rise other than a 'cost of living' one which would be the same percentage as everyone else.

There is no entitlement to any payrise, even cost of living, unless it is stated in your contract.  Please don't go into the meeting stating, wrongly, that you are entitled to that.  All you can do is express the disappointment and feeling undervalued, and see what the manager has to say.  Then take it from there.  The suggestion of an additional day of annual leave, or even possibly a one off bonus as that wouldn't add to the wage bill every year.

The observation by others about the increase in employment costs landed on employers is worth bearing in mind, and possibly mentioning.

Marcon

balooga22 said:

Marcon said:

balooga22 said:

Hi,

I'm in a team of 25 and I am one of the longest serving employees in the team (10 years). I've been told that everyone will be getting a pay rise (as a result of recent benchmarking) apart from me and 2 others, who are also long serving.

It seems like the annual increases we've had over time has put us outside of the typical band for the job role and so we don't get a pay rise.

I understand why I'm not getting more money but I've been invited to a meeting to discuss this with my manger next week. Is there a professional way to explain the disappointment/ feeling that my experience is being devalued as a result of this?

You can understand something on an academic level and still be left with a feeling that it isn't fair and you're being hard done by, which is clearly what's happened here. It's called human nature.

At least your employer has done the decent thing and is giving you the chance to discuss it with your manager. There is nothing unprofessional about saying you can appreciate the logic of what has happened, but still feel disappointed and have been left with a sense of your experience and loyalty being undervalued. Keep it short and as unemotional as you can, and see what the response is.

Unless you also feel sure you can get another job elsewhere which will beat what you're being paid now, don't go in for paper tigerism - it just makes you look weak. On the other hand, if you can come up with something you'd find a sweetener (maybe an extra day's leave each year? some not-quite-essential training you'd like them to fund?) and which wouldn't give the employer problems by setting a precedent, there's no harm in suggesting it.

Thanks, this is really helpful to read.

I've been struggling with what there is to discuss as it sounds like a done deal. The training idea is great, I'm going to look into that - worst they can say is no, right!

Make it as easy as possible for them to say yes... State your case briefly, say you recognise the constraints on the employer and you appreciate being given the chance to voice your thoughts, as the current position has left you feeling  'unsettled' [good word to use - just a vague hint of what might be to come, without actually saying or doing anything to paint yourself into a corner], as you are sure your manager will recognise. 

Then you need to explain what would really help to get you fully motivated again (pick your own words, obviously - you know your employer), and also work to the advantage of the employer. Then spell out the training you'd like to do, pointing out where this would be to their benefit, and asking if they would be kind enough to consider giving you the time and (ahem) loot to do it.

DullGreyGuy

Do you understand your banding system and how it works? If not read up on it beforehand. 

A former employer used to have a very rigid system, each grade had a min, average, max salary. You had to calculate your salary as a percentage of the average salary. Each year you'd have a performance review that was graded 1-5 and there was a lookup grid with bands of percentages floored at "below minimum" and capped at "over maximum" and so you could simply lookup what percent pay rise you'd get. If you were "over max" then you often would get no pay rise even if you got a grade 5 performance (though grade also impacted bonus) 

If you are near the upper end of the pay band you'll probably have very little increases until you've been caught up by the band, if you're over it then likely no payrises until you get back into the band. 

I doubt anyone is going to give you an extra holiday, but certainly talking about training is a good idea. The other consideration to explore is how you move into the next band? Could there be a "senior" or "deputy manager" that would be graded at the higher band and whilst maybe not an instant change in pay does mean your pay should go up faster as you'd be below the average point for that band

StevenB12

Know your worth in my opinion. 

At the end of the day while it's nice to have a job you enjoy and get some fulfillment from, you go to work to earn money and support yourself. If your work is worth more elsewhere, then it might be time to look elsewhere. 

Loyalty to companies now is highly overrated in my opinion, unless you've got the best of both worlds in being in a high paid job with an excellent employer where your job means something to you. Sadly depending on the industry to work in, that's rarely as achievable these days. 

There should be a case for getting extra money based on years of service a lone, if that results in nothing then it comes down to you are you still happy and content with where you are? Or can you go and so the same job elsewhere for more money? 

I think once you start feeling undervalued at a company it can be very hard to overturn that feeling unless you get a promotion etc. Again, worth asking if that's a possibility.