Overheard co-workers salary info...am I overreacting?

[randomrogue]

Move to Scandinavia. You can see what everyone makes publicly.

http://www.newser.com/story/30381/whats-your-salary-in-sweden-its-no-secret.html

 

[randomrogue]

Start knocking at the competition's door. Send 'round your CV, and let it slip that that's what you're doing.

Of course, diplomatically, you're "just looking at the market, to see if there's something interesting"

If you get an offer, you can always ask your boss to match/exceed it.

This is how you get fired or are the first one to be replaced. This is absolutely terrible advice if you're living in the states.

 

[theevilsharpie]

This is how you get fired or are the first one to be replaced. This is absolutely terrible advice if you're living in the states.

If he gets fired, then he goes with the other offer.

 

[sze5003]

If he gets fired, then he goes with the other offer.

Make sure you have a job already accepted before you pass your resume around and announce it to your employer. I assure you the minute I send any email with intent of working somewhere else I'll be escorted to my car that day.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Doctorate>>>>>>>Master's> bachelor's

This. My starting salary was quite a few K higher than a couple of people with MSes and 7-8 years of experience.

 

[waggy]

i think you should go in and tell the boss that you heard they make more. Demand to be paid the same.


let us know how it works out.

 

[rudeguy]

Make sure you have a job already accepted before you pass your resume around and announce it to your employer. I assure you the minute I send any email with intent of working somewhere else I'll be escorted to my car that day.

The stupid is strong in this thread

 

[HardcoreRobot]

in my line of work (software) MS usually counts as equivalent of 1-yrs experience. if you feel you are underpaid, bring it up with the person that controls your salary or start shopping around.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I find I have to jump jobs ever 3 - 5 years if I want to keep up with the salary average for what I do.

I get hired in with a great rate, but 3-5 years later I'm either promoted without a raise or the going rate for what I do has increased, so it's time for a new job. I've never been given a counter offer.

And as a rule, you should never accept a counter offer either when it is offered.

 

[rudeguy]

And as a rule, you should never accept a counter offer either when it is offered.

Really? Explain please

 

[Wyndru]

Move to Scandinavia. You can see what everyone makes publicly.

http://www.newser.com/story/30381/whats-your-salary-in-sweden-its-no-secret.html

If you live in NY and work for the state you can see your coworker's salaries too.

http://seethroughny.net/payrolls/

I used to get annoyed because in most jobs I've worked at newer employees would come in at a higher salary than the older ones. But then I got laid off last year and at my new job I got hired for a higher salary than my coworkers who know WAY more than I do. So I guess it's just the way it goes.

 

[sze5003]

The stupid is strong in this thread

Why would anyone quit a job all of a sudden or do something like pass your cv around like someone mentioned without having a backup plan?

 

[brianmanahan]

Unfortunately in a lot of corporations, that's how it works. You gain experience and become more valuable, but due to corporate policies, your department is handcuffed in how much of a raise they can give you. So in pretty short time, you are underpaid and there's nothing your manager or department can do for you. They simply don't have the ability to authorize a raise more than a certain amount. So you get your 5% per year, meanwhile the new guy is hired making more than you, despite having less skills and less experience now. But it's easier to get in a higher starting salary for someone than it is to get through a raise for an existing employee. Unfortunately all you can do is find a new job.

lol, i wish we got %5 per year!

2/3 of the people get no raise every year, and the other 1/3 get between %1.5 and %3

on the plus side, the company has a pension so thats a definite perk

 

[Mide]

Happens all the time. Best advice is the learn what you can at this job and then jump to another. Usually it is quite hard to get decent raises at the same company vs just jumping into a higher salary with another company.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Really? Explain please

Generally because the company will only keep you around long enough for them to find a replacement.

 

[randomrogue]

Basically a company doesn't want to keep someone around who doesn't want to be there or who is trying to get more money when they might not feel you deserve it.

Pass your CV around and I'm going to replace you. Pretty much as soon as possible and if you're expendable I'll fire you on the spot. If you come to me and say "Hey I passed my CV around and got a better offer" I'll call your bluff since that's generally what it is. If it's not a bluff then you have a better way to deal with this then simply coming to me and saying "XYZ company is going to pay me more, I'm leaving if you don't give me a raise". See below.

Ask for a raise when I can simply hire someone else for less money and I'm going to replace you. Just because you think you're worth more money doesn't mean I do.

That's the way it works.

How if you come to me and tell me that you're doing a good job and you show me how you are worth more money and are generating more revenue, are increasing productivity, are taking on more responsibility, etc then we can have a real conversation. I have absolutely no problem paying someone what they're worth. You have to demonstrate this to me though if I'm not seeing it already.

Most people think they're worth more than they are. We've all been in the office where that person thinks that they could never do without them. Most people are not really that valuable though.

 

[dabuddha]

i think you should go in and tell the boss that you heard they make more. Demand to be paid the same.


let us know how it works out.

This is poor advice. The OP should send an all hands email instead.

 

[vshah]

at my first job out of college, i was making 60k starting. after a year i was bumped to 72k. a year after that, the starting kids were making 75k and I got no raise.

corporate salary makes no sense, get used to it.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Generally because the company will only keep you around long enough for them to find a replacement.

One should always operate under this assumption.

 

[brainhulk]

One should always operate under this assumption.

thus the subtle art of sabotage

 

[waggy]

This is poor advice. The OP should send an all hands email instead.

oops. yeah you are right.

 

[Phantomaniac]

I definitely agree that my mediocre starting salary is my own fault. I was working for so little at my previous job that I had no idea what a fair next salary would be. However I've done a good bit of research since then, so I'm think I'm more prepared to negotiate when I move on to my next job. I will probably wait a while before jumping though. I just got promoted a month ago, so I feel like it would look bad to list my new job on my resume with almost no experience behind it.

 

[gorcorps]

As a newbie I was making as much as people who had been here 3-5 years (more than some in some cases). I have a masters, they didn't. Lots of companies pay extra for people who already have them because it can mean they won't have to fund one themselves if a position ever requires it (which is what my company does at certain management levels). I know it pissed some of my buddies off, but that's how it works sometimes.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

jumping jobs is probably the quickest way to increase your base salary but you also hear about loyal employees that end up as ceos eventually.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I definitely agree that my mediocre starting salary is my own fault. I was working for so little at my previous job that I had no idea what a fair next salary would be. However I've done a good bit of research since then, so I'm think I'm more prepared to negotiate when I move on to my next job. I will probably wait a while before jumping though. I just got promoted a month ago, so I feel like it would look bad to list my new job on my resume with almost no experience behind it.

i wouldn't wait. if there's opportunities now take advantage of them while you can. you never know what could happen at your current job and some opportunities don't come up for a while.