It almsot didn't happen today. A lot of people were out due to the weather. The VP said he wanted to talk with me when Sh was also there - she wasn't coming in that day.
Later this morning he called me into his office and he had Sh on the speakerphone. They told me what my raise was. Let's just say its a good thing I didn't set my expectations too high. It works out to about $.70/hour increase -- or about enough each month to buy less than two tanks of gas for my car.
Not exactly what I was hoping for, and certainly not enough to make it feasiable for me to move closer to the new office area anytime soon and still be able to have any kind of significant savings.
So, I can chalk this up to another life experience -- asking for and getting a raise. Maybe next time I'll be able to do it in a better way where I can let them know how much of a raise I am hoping for.
Well . ... I got the raise.
January 16th, 2007 at 03:54 am
January 16th, 2007 at 04:04 am 1168920247
January 16th, 2007 at 05:31 am 1168925462
January 16th, 2007 at 12:47 pm 1168951637
Congratulations on taking positive steps for yourself!!
January 16th, 2007 at 12:56 pm 1168952164
Lux,
I have thought about trying to find something else that might pay better. My two main problems with that though are that 1. I really like the people I work with and the environment, and am not sure if it's worth the risk of trading a good work environment for more money. and 2. Even with a college degree, I had a great difficulty finding employment outside of teaching, so I don't know how easy it would be for me to even find another job - especially one that pays more.
January 16th, 2007 at 02:46 pm 1168958765
"Thanks very much for the raise, I appreciate it. However, I was hoping to attain a salary package in line with my increased responsibilities. This increase is within the range originally quoted for the receptionist position I started out in. Can you provide some guidance on what areas of performance I should focus on to progress my career development?"
If you are doing a good job they should be more than happy to guide you as to how to develop further in your current role and become worth more to them - a win-win situation.
January 16th, 2007 at 04:49 pm 1168966192
Yeah, what they (?he/she?) said!!
January 16th, 2007 at 07:08 pm 1168974490
January 16th, 2007 at 11:03 pm 1168988631
It may sound like it's better than nothing, but when you think about it for a bit, it might not be. Before you asked, there was a potential of a bigger raise. You were due for a raise, so to speak. Now that you've "gotten a raise" management will consider you happy for the next 6-12 months. You've lost the hope (or any real bargaining power) for a raise of where you want to be.
I think Enough Wealth has the exact idea. After you identify the areas that need improvement, I'd go as far as ask for another review in 3 months. In that 3 month time, you should really focus on those areas and document (where possible) the improvements. When you have that next meeting be prepared to use that documentation. If that doesn't get you the raise you are looking for, it may be time to start looking for a company that appreciates you more.
January 16th, 2007 at 11:46 pm 1168991202
It was so much easier as a teacher, never having to ask for a raise. The only time I ever asked for money above and beyond my salary was when I wanted to go to a first-grade teacher's convention in FL - had to go in front of the school board and everything! That was *tough* but I got it approved.