How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
(OP)
I had what I consider one of my best reviews ever. I've gone out on a limb and done extra projects, became more valuable to the department and I received the second to lowest percentage pay increase I've ever had. It's seriously demoralizing to me. I find that I don't want to try very hard anymore because I can't break out of getting just an average raise.





RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
I'd check with the industry standards out there about appropriate pay levels for engineers with your experience and education. Then approach your supervisor with your data and at the least communicate to them your dissatisfaction.
It may also be that you have gotten very large percent increases in the past and they feel you are already at an appropriate level. As you get older and more experienced, the early raises in the first severaly years usually aren't warranted later on.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
I certainly expressed my dissatisfaction.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
(1) payraises aren't always based on merit. It's based on a combination of merit increases, company performance, and annual inflation rate-define cost of living increases. If the company is doing poorly, there isn't money projected in next year's budget sufficient to cover large pay raises. If inflation is low, then the cost-of-living adjustment that is a component of your raise will be less.
(2) It is the way of the world for the rate of change of engineering salaries to flatten out after a certain number of years. That's why there aren't a lot of fabulously rich engineers out there.
TygerDawg
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
corus
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Except for the part about the last 6 years you were averaging 5.4% I would have thought you were working aerospace.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
I would recommend that you go down the route of not trying very hard as you suggest that way you will not have to worry about the size of your increase next year and whoever the company employ instead of you, will I am sure be happy.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
As Scott Adams states in Dilbert - "I've lost that subtle connection between my performance and my pay."
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
There is no connection between performance and pay increase. Don't waste energy trying to make one.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
6 months later and after I had a large successful project under construction with no hang ups, I got the promotion and another 4%.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Happened to me once (the standard excuse for not giving pay rises in Ireland at the time was a slow down in the global markets). I sulked for a while, got over it and continued to perform my duties. A few weeks later when all had settled down, I got laid off (see previous excuse)
There was something about alarm bells, but sometimes you need to be hit by the train head-on to get the hint.
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Sorry, I'm not trying say that your company is on the verge of collapse or anything. That was just my experience. And again sorry for the whinging.
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
1. Is your pay average or above average for the your job classifcation? If so then don't expect a big raise. Remeber most everyone else the super. is reviewing is doing a good job and wants a big raise. Remeber the bell curve.
2. Many company's give the average 3% raise which is why it is very profitable to move around. No idea why companies do this.
3. A good company will give you a 3% raise for a few years and then give you a promotion with 5 - 10% more to keep you ahead of inflation and in-line with peers
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
If you can get the same job (relative to what you consider the same job), with more pay, then I would suggest you take it.
So, can you get another job same as your current one with better pay?
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Most engineers (non-manager) will not reap the financial success as some other industries. Apparently, you are near or have reached the monetary plateau that your company and/or industries considers your worth.
I believe that this is more common than not.
There will always be exceptions
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
http://inflationdata.com/inflation/
The site also has a salary inflation calculator so you can see if your salary is keeping up with inflation.
http:
note that this site is also useful for doing analysis and budgeting for costs of operation and maintenance on your facilities if you build in a historic or projected inflation rate
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
You got a star in lieu of 3%.
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
What happened to telling the boss what you think of his increase; use the review as ammunition to prove your point.
Complain - Oh how Un-Engineer like, lets analyse it instead.
Remember performance reviews are the creation of HR departments with too much time on their hands finding work for those that dont.
FOETS
Social Drinker with a Golfing Problem
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
RE: How have you dealt with a good performance review and crummy raise?
Therefore they are going to do what you do as a good engineer. They are going to get the best job for the least cost. If you are that least cost suppler of the service that they need, then you will get the work. If not they will hire someone else to replace you at the same or maybe even less than they are paying you.
If you really want to make more, you are going to have to get promoted or move on-probably the latter.
rmw