Is it standard to get a raise every year?

[GilloD]

I've never worked anywhere for more than 10 months for a variety of reasons. But I've never been fired or laid-off, it was just usually a time thing- I did a lot of moving over the last few years. Additionally, a lot of those jobs were paid by the hour. This is my first 9-5, salaried gig. I've been here about 13 months and I just started to pester my boss about an annual review (It's a small company, he's a busy dude, hence my 6 month review never happened) and I really don't know what to expect.

I know that he likes me- I'm willing to do shit like put on the mascot outfit when the performer calls in sick, I've worked weird nights and weekends and holidays, I help him move shit around in the storage space during non-work hours. My work-work has been pretty great, too. I redesigned our website, I'm working on an ERP integration, I manage our social media stuff. I ended up doing a lot of shit I didn't get hired to do, but happily took on, anyway.

Generally speaking, my pay is not commensurate with the work that I do. And I think that's the case for everyone who works here, but having put in a whole year and having become a proven quantity, I'm itching to maybe make a little extra. As it stands, my wife and I together just barely make enough to clear rent, student loans and expenses. We don't go out to eat more than once a month, I bring lunch everyday, we torrent TV instead of having cable etc etc. So, there's also an incentive to have a little bit extra to. I dunno. Go to the movies? Buy a book? Just a little breathing room.

Anyway, never having done this, I have no idea what to expect. Is it the usual to get a raise? How much should I expect?

[Human Snorenado]

In capitalist America, you give raise to company.

[Mupepe]

If it's a decent company, you should.  I work for the third worst employer in the US and we get a raise every 6 months.  A lot of employers won't give raises if employees don't ask though.  They're tight asses who assume you're happy with what you're paid and won't worry otherwise.  I have to push my girlfriend to ask for raises because otherwise her boss would never give her one.

[Human Snorenado]

Seriously, you should have raised a stink when you didn't get your six month review.  Now your boss probably just thinks you're his bitch, which given everything you've written in the op sounds like you're his do-boy.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Only if you work for the government.

[tehjaybo]

I was told a week or two ago that there has been a freeze put on all raises.  It's almost time for my one year review.  fml. 

[Rman]

Yes, GilloD, for the most part.  However, due to the recession, many companies and even state governments and municipalities are either freezing raises or reducing them drastically.

[tehjaybo]

Yes, GilloD, for the most part.  However, due to the recession, many companies are either freezing raises or reducing them drastically.

 :'(

[T234]

Yes, yes it is.  (For people with real jobs only).

Is your work in need of guy that is really good at breaking things?

[TVC15]

Lots of places have put freezes on raises due to the economy.  For example. . .

Only if you work for the government.

. . .here in WA, shool teachers won't be getting raises for the next two years.

[Eric P]

Yeah i dun think FoC knows how it works

shock horror

[Rman]

It's hard to tell if FOC is being serious or joking. Hopefully, he wasn't serious about his post.

[Van Cruncheon]

wages are getting slaughtered in wa state government

ah well, what's a deflationary spiral without cost-of-living reductions, it's not like state employees are actually hardworking anyway AM I RITE, they're ALL just tax-looting bureaucrats and not teachers or firemen or paramedics or cops or civil engineers or nurses or social workers or biochemists

[demi]

You arent getting a raise

[Reb]

Dutch experience:

You can expect a 2-3% raise if just go along with it.
Current situation has a lot of companies freezing pay, so that's a realistic possibility too.

I got a letter stating there will be no pay raise or bonus this year. My boss handed it over and said, this doesn't apply to you *wink*. Why hand it out then?

[Ganhyun]

Dutch experience:

You can expect a 2-3% raise if just go along with it.
Current situation has a lot of companies freezing pay, so that's a realistic possibility too.

I got a letter stating there will be no pay raise or bonus this year. My boss handed it over and said, this doesn't apply to you *wink*. Why hand it out then?

Probably because he needs to be seen giving it to everyone. But if your work is like mine, raises and pay aren't supposed to be discussed between employees.

They froze raises at my workplace as well.

[Reb]

Dutch experience:

You can expect a 2-3% raise if just go along with it.
Current situation has a lot of companies freezing pay, so that's a realistic possibility too.

I got a letter stating there will be no pay raise or bonus this year. My boss handed it over and said, this doesn't apply to you *wink*. Why hand it out then?

Probably because he needs to be seen giving it to everyone. But if your work is like mine, raises and pay aren't supposed to be discussed between employees.

They froze raises at my workplace as well.

I don't work in an office, so I don't have direct colleagues and he handed it to me in his office.
He's a bit of a dope with those kind of things, last week I received a letter changing my job title out of the blue. The first sentence started: "As agreed on..."

[Bocsius]

All of my jobs have been centered around annual reviews with modest 3-5% raises tied into them. Good luck outstripping inflation this way.

I'm now a believer that the best way to get significant raises is to go work for somebody else. Of course, this whole 2G2D economic crater seems to be an obstacle, but it's only temporary.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Please only be temporary

[close]

[GoofyGoober]

I got a 2.5% reduction in salary. I know a lot of Federal Government Service workers that either didn't get the standard yearly increase or worse got a decrease.

[Boogie]

Only if you work for the government.

Government work

But they still clawed back our raise for 2009 from 3.5% to 1.5%, and in 2010 from 2% to 1.5% 

[Fragamemnon]

A lot of places have frozen pay, but the big super-scam that's going on is the supposedly temporary suspension of 401k matches. That equates to a much larger loss in effective pay than frozen wages do. Honestly, I don't expect them to come back anytime soon either.

Basically knocks out one of the three pillars of an already shaky retirement planning model here in the US. If companies don't start contributing back after the recession ends they should pass legislation coercing them to do so.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I'm getting a raise on Friday and it has only been three months.

[Rman]

A lot of places have frozen pay, but the big super-scam that's going on is the supposedly temporary suspension of 401k matches. That equates to a much larger loss in effective pay than frozen wages do. Honestly, I don't expect them to come back anytime soon either.

Basically knocks out one of the three pillars of an already shaky retirement planning model here in the US. If companies don't start contributing back after the recession ends they should pass legislation coercing them to do so.

Definitely.  There would be no incentive from them to reinstate matching unless they are forced to.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

There is definitely a silver lining on the corporate side of this recession.  They're now able to chisel away at a lot of benefits that they couldn't get away with when they were making record profits.  Once the recession goes away, they're not going to restart a lot of these benefits either.

[Cormacaroni]

It kind of depends on whether the economy is in deflation or inflation. If it's in a deflatory phase, companies have a great excuse not to give out raises, since your need for money is theoretically reduced because of lower goods/services prices.