Weird situation at work

93celicaGT2 wrote: And you're 110% right on the increase limit. That 15% is the max that she can give without having to answer to anyone. I'm not asking for more than that, really, though it'd be nice. I just want THAT, since she can't tell me why i don't deserve it, but these other people do. If i've been told for the last year and a half that i do a great job, get more work done than they thought was possible, and how impressed they all are that i haven't had an audit error in over two years, etc etc etc... then WHY am i not getting the 15%? That's the issue.

Keep in mind that I'm very cynical about this and I work in an industry where it's not too uncommon to treat your employees worse than the dirt on your shoes, so my view is somewhat coloured.

My feeling is that she's trying it on for some short term reward at her end. The thinking probably goes something like this - "you haven't got anywhere to go to and if I don't even give you the full raise it makes me look good from a cost control perspective". This might not be the exact game that's being played - there might be other internal politics at work here right up to her not wanting to keep you because your work ethic makes other people in her department look bad - but to me it looks like a short-term power game. Especially if there is no rational explanation for the 12% vs 15%. I would think that if she simply didn't have the additional 3% available in her budget she'd try to tell you, or raises have now been capped at 12%. You know, rational stuff that's not nice for a manager to tell an employee but nevertheless it makes sense if you bring it out into the open.

I assume you have communicated to her that you are unhappy with the lower raise without an explanation and that the hangup (as I read it) at the moment centres around the lack of explanation and not necessarily the 3%.

It pains me to say that you're in between a rock and a hard place now - you can either roll over and take the raise, which means she knows (or she thinks she knows) she can get away with again and again, or you tell her to berkeley off and jeopardise your job. The last time I saw idiotic behaviour like this in a company I worked for, people almost got trampled in a rush to the door as soon as the economy picked up a little. I'm not kidding, they had to replace 80%-90% of the warm bodies in some departments and I don't think a lot of people figured out that if they'd paid out part of the money they had to pay recruiters to get replacements in to those who left, they might not have had to pay the recruiters at all.

I know that taking the raise is the easier and comfortable way out but given the way this is playing, do you think that your manager would give you consent to move to another internal position during the 12 months?

I would check if there are any internal vacancies available to you right now and got and talk to those teams and see what transpires.

MrJoshua wrote: Why not 15%? The economy? Is it possible they are trying to keep you but she hasn't been authorized to give you as much as they used to give the position? No offense intended, I really am asking.

No, it's not the economy. My company is still making metric butt-tons of money, stocks are going up, etc etc etc. She can give me up to 15% without having to answer to anyone. And she gave the last two people, just two months ago, the full 15%.

No offense taken.

Basil Exposition wrote: I see this sort of thing all the time where I work. It is all wrapped up in "policies." They can't give you more than 12% to move to the new job because it is "policy." They won't give you more than a single-digit increase in your existing one whatever your performance because it is "policy." Exceptions to policy are made all the time, but I'll bet your company is being really tight on policies right now because of the economy.

Policy is 10-15% depending on performance and value of the employee. Like i said, i can be given 15% without ruffling any feathers.

This isn't really a company as a whole matter, rather just my manager. She doesn't have to get approval from really anyone unless she tries to go past that 15%.

BoxheadTim wrote:

93celicaGT2 wrote: And you're 110% right on the increase limit. That 15% is the max that she can give without having to answer to anyone. I'm not asking for more than that, really, though it'd be nice. I just want THAT, since she can't tell me why i don't deserve it, but these other people do. If i've been told for the last year and a half that i do a great job, get more work done than they thought was possible, and how impressed they all are that i haven't had an audit error in over two years, etc etc etc... then WHY am i not getting the 15%? That's the issue.

Keep in mind that I'm very cynical about this and I work in an industry where it's not too uncommon to treat your employees worse than the dirt on your shoes, so my view is somewhat coloured. My feeling is that she's trying it on for some short term reward at her end. The thinking probably goes something like this - "you haven't got anywhere to go to and if I don't even give you the full raise it makes me look good from a cost control perspective". This might not be the exact game that's being played - there might be other internal politics at work here right up to her not wanting to keep you because your work ethic makes other people in her department look bad - but to me it looks like a short-term power game. *Especially* if there is no rational explanation for the 12% vs 15%. I would think that if she simply didn't have the additional 3% available in her budget she'd try to tell you, or raises have now been capped at 12%. You know, rational stuff that's not nice for a manager to tell an employee but nevertheless it makes sense if you bring it out into the open. I assume you have communicated to her that you are unhappy with the lower raise without an explanation and that the hangup (as I read it) at the moment centres around the lack of explanation and not necessarily the 3%. It pains me to say that you're in between a rock and a hard place now - you can either roll over and take the raise, which means she knows (or she thinks she knows) she can get away with again and again, or you tell her to berkeley off and jeopardise your job. The last time I saw idiotic behaviour like this in a company I worked for, people almost got trampled in a rush to the door as soon as the economy picked up a little. I'm not kidding, they had to replace 80%-90% of the warm bodies in some departments and I don't think a lot of people figured out that if they'd paid out part of the money they had to pay recruiters to get replacements in to those who left, they might not have had to pay the recruiters at all. I know that taking the raise is the easier and comfortable way out but given the way this is playing, do you think that your manager would give you consent to move to another internal position during the 12 months? I would check if there are any internal vacancies available to you right now and got and talk to those teams and see what transpires.

You're spot on again. If the economy was the issue, or there wasn't the budget for the full 15%, that's all they would have to tell me, and i'd suck it up and live with it. I haven't been told that, though, and if we were that limited by budget, i think they would have said something about the overtime hours i work.

But yes, she knows that i'm unhappy with it, but won't budge off of it, trying to use what other "Claims III" with my seniority make in other units. Which would be fine, if what i did was really in the "Claims III" job description.

I don't think that my manager would consent to me leaving the unit for another internal position in the next 12 months. But that said, if the "Business Needs" loophole rears it's head, it won't matter if she consents or not.

I have one small question, is the promotion going to further your career by adding another aspect to your resume? If so this is an additional benefit to consider.

Have you sat down with the manager and discussed your feelings and reasoning.

aussiesmg wrote: I have one small question, is the promotion going to further your career by adding another aspect to your resume? If so this is an additional benefit to consider. Have you sat down with the manager and discussed your feelings and reasoning.

No, the promotion won't add anything to the resume. I'll do the same thing that i've been doing for the last year and a half without change. What i've been doing IS really good for the resume, but this promotion brings nothing further to put on the resume. Hopefully that made sense, seems a little weird looking at it now after i typed it.

Yep, i've sat down with the manager. I just keep getting fed the same "let's avoid the question" crap when i ask about the 12% vs 15%. She knows my frustration with the title aspect as well, but that's not anything she can do anything about, so i'm not going to push that too hard.

All the title issue will do is make my online "history tracking" look strange to the other managers, but they'll understand as soon as they see the resume.

"Customer Service I" to "Multi II" to "Claims III" looks a little weird.

I had a similar situation many years ago.

I was managing a call center and the software we used needed an adminstrator/developer.

I knew what the position paid, (more than 3x what I made) because I wrote the job description and helped with the interview process.

While we were trying to find a candidate I decided to learn the software myself and ended up certifying in the product. My company saw this as a great opportunity to save money and offer me the job instead. At a 5% increase. I didn't even want the full 3x my salary the position was originally offering, I wanted 1/2 of what they listed the position at, still a great savings to them. The 5% was just an insult to my abilities and intelligence.

They ended up giving me the 1/2 salary and I ended up taking a new job with a new company 2 months later. Sometimes even winning the battle on principle will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

I'd say take the offer if they wont budge, and start looking elsewhere. Or if there are any internal positions that you could apply for now tell your boss you'd like a week to think about it and see what other opportunites are available to you within the company.

And you shouldn't have to hide that you know what the salary ranges are in your company. If they dont do a proper job of safegaurding that information it's not your fault.

93celicaGT2 wrote: ...I've got more experience, and way more working knowledge. The catch: I'm NOT supposed to know how much these people make, so i can't use that as leverage.

Who cares what you are or are not supposed to know, use everything you can as leverage as long as you didn't get it through illegal means (viewing computer files you weren't supposed too, breaking into the HR office to snoop through files etc.) Your manager doesn't know how you got this info so use it. Many people like to brag about how much they make, your manager will assume that's how you found out. It gets even easier for you if each job description has a specific pay range, like Claims I makes $20-22, Claims II makes $22-26 and Claims III makes $26-30 because then the pay ranges are usually common knowledge even if the company doesn't advertise them.

Good luck,

Bob

Have you been given unsatisfactory (in your eyes) raises in the past? Assuming you have, did you then increase your job performance and voluntarily take on more duties that would otherwise not necessarily be a responsibility carried by someone with your title? All with the goal of garnering some recognition and a better result on your next review?

If you have done this and experienced this and your current raise offer is the result they (management) may believe that they have stumbled upon a winning strategy for getting the most work out of Mr. 93celicaGT2. "Just give him a decent raise, but not the maximum allowed, and he will believe if he strives just a bit harder he'll max it out next time. That way we can milk him for $30+ per hour worth of work while paying him $20 per hour." I would say take the raise, 12% is a nice bump, and use your abilities and accomplishments to leverage a more lucrative and rewarding position in the future.

I would dip into the bottle of Hesstosterone and tell them they need to compensate you the same as the others with the same job classification, then remind her that you are there to make her life easy it would be appreciated if she reciprocates. I just got an extra $550.00 per month by pulling that card.

This is how I read it: You will be doing more or less the same job you have been doing and you could make 12% more, and now that you have a better idea of just how this company will reward their more valuable people you have a chance to move on to greener pastures on your own terms. You have a year to expand your business contacts and portfolio to prrepare for it. Who wants to stay where their work isn't appreciated and rewarded without a fight? The economy won't be bad forever, and a year is plenty of time to plan your next move.

John Brown wrote: I would dip into the bottle of Hesstosterone and tell them they need to compensate you the same as the others with the same job classification, then remind her that you are there to make her life easy it would be appreciated if she reciprocates. I just got an extra $550.00 per month by pulling that card.

Issue with that is that there really isn't a job classification that fits me. What was offered to me was similar to other people with the "Claims III" job classification, but if you asked any one of those people to take over for me for a week, they'd either give you blank looks, or immediately panic and turn in their badge.

I will respond to the rest after i finish fixing ANOTHER DAMN CRISIS today.

I am upset that you missed my new word.

I didn't miss it, it made me giggle.

It grew hair on my chest just reading it.

I caught it, i promise you. Just didn't have the time to think of anything humourous to say about it yet.

Almost done averting the disaster. Just another ~150 claims to adjust. (or 8 hours worth of production, whichever way you want to look at it.)

Give me about 45 minutes and i'll have 'em done.

Please tell me you're posting from an iphone or something and not posting from a company computer.