Proper way to ask for better compensation?

[Eli]

I'm currently Shipping and Receiving at a ~25mil/year jewelry company. Basically, I don't feel like I'm being paid enough for the amount of responsibility I have. I do more work than my job title entails.

Back in July, I took over control of our severely lacking RMA process. They liked what I was doing, and I was given a 13.6% raise, with the promise of another raise at my performance review in February.

In October, I was promoted to my current position with no pay increase. I was OK with this, expecting another nice raise at my review. I now do Shipping and Receiving, and overhead the RMA process, along with various other computer related projects they give me.

I got a 3% raise in February. I was very disappointed, and told my boss this. His retort was "Very few people got any raise at all this year..".

The way we do business has recently changed, giving me less work volume, but the same amount of responsibility. Because of this, I recently learned that my boss was going to be offloading some of his work on to me. This upset me, and made me feel like I was being taken advantage of. Knowing that I'm going to have even more responsibilities yet have the same pay to look forward to for the next year left a very bad taste in my mouth.

I've never been in this situation before. How/what is the proper way to approach my boss with this? I feel like my argument is stupid - "I want more money." Duh, don't we all?

Have any of you dealt with this? How did you approach it, and how did it work out?

Thanks.

Update: I talked to my old boss about my concerns. The boss I was under before I was promoted to Shipping.

She feels my pain, and was pretty aghast when I told her how much I was making. She didn't get any raise at all, though her partner did. When she inquired about it, managements response was "You two make a lot of money.". How fucked up is that? It's really none of their business that they're living together and combine income.

Talking to her did make me feel a bit better, though. They axed some very important positions, and now a couple of our accounts are severely understaffed, and it's starting to show. They're way behind on some critical work, and people are both scrambling and have way too high a workload. Company morale is low, and people are getting burned out. Some things will change in the next few months, she's pretty sure.

After talking with her, it sounds like they're going to have to make some new positions. She is hoping that they will hire in-house first. Product Design needs people with computer skills, so I'm hopeful.

See, the thing is that.. when I first started here, I got the impression that the company was very employee oriented. That they cared about their employees. We were constantly having potlucks(and didn't have to clock out if eating at work), they would buy catering if we had a good month, we have Flex Shift(can stroll in anywhere between 8-9am), etc. Our Vice President of Global Operations, who started about 4mo before I did, is a bean counter. When I started in late '08, they were hoping for 30mil in '09. That didn't happen, and was actually 2mil short of their '08 number(28mil).

That's really the reason behind all of this. He's trying to maximize profits at the expense of employees. Apparently this guy used to work for QVC.. lol. I hope it bites him in the ass hard.

I'm still going to keep looking. She encouraged me, completely agreeing that I have to look out for myself. It still grinds my gears that I could literally be making the same amount at Starbucks(10$/hr+tips, averages out to about 13$/hr). And I would get free coffee to boot.

 

[CRXican]

I just want a job.

Jerk

 

[Jumpem]

You keep it to yourself, and be happy to be working.

 

[spidey07]

Make your case and have documentation. It's just like if you were selling an idea or project and needed funding, except this time the project is you.

 

[her209]

Go into your boss' office. Then scream, "No! I will not suck your cock." so that everyone in the vicinity can hear it. Instant raise. I guarantee it.

 

[lxskllr]

You say the same thing you said here. Your responsibility has gone up, but your pay hasn't, and it needs to change.

 

[GT1999]

Bring in a letter from another company as an offer letter. That should do the trick.

 

[spidey07]

Bring in a letter from another company as an offer letter. That should do the trick.

This also goes along with my normal route of selling it like a project or idea. "do nothing" is always an option and you have to have a counter for that.

The offer letter is the "do nothing" decision. One controls one's own career, not the otherway around.

 

[Eli]

I wish I could just find another job that paid more. That would make it easy..Ask them to match, if they won't, "I'm sorry but I have to look out for my best interests..".

No such luck. I'm certainly going to keep looking, though.

Also, I've been averaging about 2 hours of overtime/week. Not much, but it helps. Last week, I was told that I must eliminate overtime. Screw them... I'm pissed.

 

[Riceninja]

exactly how much are you making? are you making more or less than the people in your position, in another company? get an idea of this before asking for a raise. in an economy where people are happy to even have jobs, you need to be wary of overplaying your hand.

 

[Eli]

exactly how much are you making? are you making more or less than the people in your position, in another company? get an idea of this before asking for a raise. in an economy where people are happy to even have jobs, you need to be wary of overplaying your hand.

Another friend of mine told me to do this, and I will.. It's complicated though since like I said, I do more work than my technical job title entails.

Though, thinking about it, that might actually make my case.

 

[Bignate603]

If you're up over 16% in one year I'd wait a bit to ask for more. If very few people did get raises you're just going to sound greedy.

 

[AreaCode707]

Sounds like you've already taken the right steps and didn't get anywhere. If it's a large company, they probably have policies preventing managers from handing out mid-year raises, instead tying that to the review process. I'd recommend the following instead:

- Apply for an open position internally. If you're a level II, apply for a senior, etc.

- Collect documentation and make a case (to your boss but also to HR) for a re-leveling. Even when they cannot, per policy, change your pay, they may be able to adjust your title (and THEREFORE pay) to appropriately match your responsibilities.

 

[mjrpes3]

Walk into his office, close the door, and start beating yourself up.

 

[iGas]

Another option is to quit.

 

[GT1999]

This also goes along with my normal route of selling it like a project or idea. "do nothing" is always an option and you have to have a counter for that.

The offer letter is the "do nothing" decision. One controls one's own career, not the otherway around.

Only reason I mentioned it, is because it worked really well for me. Bumped me up quite a bit. Not as much as the offer letter from another company, but I wanted to stay where I was at.

 

[Eli]

If you're up over 16% in one year I'd wait a bit to ask for more. If very few people did get raises you're just going to sound greedy.

Here's the thing with that - Upper management wanted to wait until my February review [to give me the 13.6% raise]. My boss demanded it. He actually said he was disappointed with the amount they signed off on, which further lead me to believe I would be getting another nice raise at my review.

 

[olds]

If you're up over 16% in one year I'd wait a bit to ask for more. If very few people did get raises you're just going to sound greedy.

I had 15% taken away.
If you don't think you'd be burning a bridge by asking, ask. If they say no, take it like a man. It's a tough economy.
Otherwise 16% in a year is a pretty big raise in and of itself.

 

[MJinZ]

What your boss said is actually true, many people either got pay cuts or no raises at all.

Continue to do well and wait for next year, but in the meantime time, seek out other opportunities. If they get wind of you looking and you are valuable enough, they will try to keep you.

 

[GT1999]

I had 15% taken away.
If you don't think you'd be burning s bridge by asking, ask. If they say no, take it like a man. It a tough economy.
Otherwise 16% in a year is a pretty big raise in and of itself.

Definitely true. I know a girl in my department, in Engineering, that got about this much. She walks around with her nose up high as if she owns the place. Give yourself more credit. 16% when a lot of people got none this year is pretty good.

 

[KK]

It sounds like your boss may not have alot of pull with regards to raises. Would that be true?

 

[Eli]

Definitely true. I know a girl in my department, in Engineering, that got about this much. She walks around with his nose up high as if she owns the place. Give yourself more credit. 16% when a lot of people got none this year is pretty good.

Perhaps I didn't word it correctly. I went from a menial job that anybody could do, to extensive computer work. I implemented processes and developed tools that will save the company $5,000/year in shipping costs alone.

Because of this, I got an immediate 13.6% raise - in the middle of the year. Like I said, my boss actually said that he was disappointed with this amount, but promised another raise come my February review.

Between the 13.6% raise and 3% raise, I was promoted again. Basically, my responsibilities more than doubled, and I got a 3% raise for it. That's what this is about. That's why the 3% raise seems so inadequate.

 

[Eli]

It sounds like your boss may not have alot of pull with regards to raises. Would that be true?

He's 4th in the chain of command. He definitely has some say, but it's ultimately not up to him...

 

[MJinZ]

Perhaps I didn't word it correctly. I went from a menial job that anybody could do, to extensive computer work. I implemented processes and developed tools that will save the company $5,000/year in shipping costs alone.

Because of this, I got an immediate 13.6% raise - in the middle of the year. Like I said, my boss actually said that he was disappointed with this amount, but promised another raise come my February review.

Between the 13.6% raise, and 3% raise, I was promoted again.

That's why the 3% raise seems so inadequate.

Your promotion is huge. It will build bridges for your future, that simply higher $ $ amounts now can not compensate for.

 

[Bignate603]

Here's the thing with that - Upper management wanted to wait until my February review [to give me the 13.6% raise]. My boss demanded it. He actually said he was disappointed with the amount they signed off on, which further lead me to believe I would be getting another nice raise at my review.

It sounds like upper management only wanted to give you 13.6% total for your new position but was trying to wait as long as possible to do it. Your boss did you a favor by getting it for you in July rather than February. If he hadn't pushed for you to get it earlier I would bet you wouldn't be seeing any more than you have now, and quite possible less because they may have not thrown in that extra 3% at the time of your review.

Again, if you got over 16% percent in one year when most other people have gotten nothing it's going to be much harder to argue for more. If you've got a good relationship with your boss you can go talk to him about it but I wouldn't demand anything because he's probably had to tell quite a few good workers that they aren't getting anything extra this year. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you can't get more unless you have another offer in hand.