Pay review was insulting - any suggestions?

[Hocus Eye.]

Brush up the CV. Start going to interviews.

 

[equationgirl]

I think that's what the MD meant by something rash.

 

[winterinmoscow]

((((EG)))))


Good luck with it and keep us posted.... sounds horrendous

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Kill them very hard in the face and eat chocolate...

then order a missile and let it loose on their offices just to be sure.. oh and then eat more choc

Oh and Masterhissyfit has offered to 'do a terrific illegal slide tackle' on your boss for you

 

[jonead]

fuck off out of there. if you are genuinely worth the extra $$, go and find it

 

[Final]

yeah, new job.

You've got to job hop to keep getting market rates anyway.

 

[two sheds]

Sadly I've come to the conclusion that in the commercial world the only way to get a reasonable pay increase is to move company. It seems that if you rely on the annual pay review you will only ever get pittance. It staggars me that companies will spend vast amounts on recruitment and training but once they have the right person doing a good job they go out of their way to stich them up for the sake of a couple of grand.

Yep, insane isn't it.

Sorry to hear this EG. Alongside anything else you're doing I'd also look for a new job, one that needs the experience you've gained doing the extra work. Not that you'll necessarily take it, but it gives you much more bargaining power if you've got a job offer - you can tell your manager what you feel is right for your work and if he disagrees you can just drop them in it by leaving. It's also always good to keep interview skills up to date, and you might find someone who properly appreciates you.

 

[equationgirl]

I actually had an interview at the Head Office last month, and was told I didn't get the job because the company needs me where I am at the moment.

Now an equivalent position to mine is being advertised in the Head Office (thanks to handy job wbsites I look at) and the starting salary is what they've just raised my basic pay to, excluding the bonus - plus the money will go further because I live in fucking Aberdeen where there's so much oil and gas money the cost of living is higher than where Head Office is, so the same salary buys less here.

Fucking. Furious.

 

[winterinmoscow]

just out of interest... what is your job EG?

 

[equationgirl]

I'm an intellectual property analyst (so I handle all the patent and trademark work for our research programmes) plus I handle all out contract negotiations and contract drafting as we seem incapable of hiring a contracts manager, plus all the invoicing and budget stuff I have to do as my boss is off sick.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

I actually had an interview at the Head Office last month, and was told I didn't get the job because the company needs me where I am at the moment.

Now an equivalent position to mine is being advertised in the Head Office (thanks to handy job wbsites I look at) and the starting salary is what they've just raised my basic pay to, excluding the bonus - plus the money will go further because I live in fucking Aberdeen where there's so much oil and gas money the cost of living is higher than where Head Office is, so the same salary buys less here.

Fucking. Furious.

an excellent bargaining tool Id say, given that you are doing more than that job at the mo...

 

[equationgirl]

After having let things calm down for a few days, and informal chats with the new MD (who is being very supportive) and HR (who is also being supportive) I am having a talk with my interim line manager on Monday.

Before then, I need to prepare an analysis of the job I am actually doing compared the job decription I was hired against, and the official job descriptions of an IP analyst, a contracts manager and my boss.

Funnily enough, a cursory read through of the documents shows I am doing all three....

Anyway, thanks to everybody for your support, I really appreciate it, and I'll keep you posted with my progress.

On a more positive note, I did get the maximum possible bonus they could give me under our company structure, and a fuckwit has left

 

[Aldebaran]

I wonder how many men ever hear this?

We don't get emotional. We just kill.

I have emailed HR asking for a breakdown of my bonus calculation.

Can look as a good idea but I fear it shall get you even more "emotional" to read that (if they ever give it)

Good luck.
(Call a headhunter and change job, they don't deserve you.)

salaam.

 

[equationgirl]

When I want to kill people they accuse me of aggresion.

 

[Aldebaran]

When I want to kill people they accuse me of aggresion.

See, that is the advantage of being a man: If we kill we can easily make it appear that we are heroes fighting for justice.
Women who kill are only emotional, agrgessive, or trying to be like a man.



salaam.

 

[equationgirl]

Well, I spent four hours yesterday analysing my job description plus the additional responsibility I have against three other job descriptions, and I'm doing all of the contracts manager's job, all but two of the responsibilities of the IP analyst (and one of those is assisting the contracts manager) and a fair amount of my boss' responsibilities.

I think I have a good case so now I just have to wait and see what happens.

Wish me luck

 

[Aldebaran]

Good luck

salaam.

 

[equationgirl]

Thank you Aldebaran.

With hard evidence of just exactly what I've been doing, I feel better about my case.

Just have to wait and see.

 

[mrs quoad]

Good luck

salaam.

^^^^
This

 

[ymu]

I actually had an interview at the Head Office last month, and was told I didn't get the job because the company needs me where I am at the moment.

You ought to be able to use this somehow. They refuse you a promotion on the grounds that you're needed where you are - and then refuse to remunerate you adequately for the work that they kept you there to do? There must be some kind of equivalent of constructive dismissal for keeping you hanging on in a job on a promise that never materialises?

Good advice on this thread. But be prepared to walk (start looking) - you have a strong bargaining chip given that they clearly don't want to lose you. Proper payrise or (?perhaps?) a massive lump sum to compensate you for the additional work done for free.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Send out some feelers to specialist recruitment consultants/other workplaces, even if you arent that desperate to leave. Then start going for lots of 'dentist's appointments' at lunchtime and smiling knowingly at your manager.

You'd be surprised how quick he changes his tune.

My mum was in a similar situation 2 years ago. Working bloody hard, really good at her job, but they wouldn't make it permanent, and kept dangling imaginary carrots in front of her. She kept on saying she'd have to leave, and lo and behold when she did secure a move, they held a crisis summit, went to defcon 5 and offered her everything up front in an informal meeting to stop her going.

 

[winterinmoscow]

let us know how it goes!

good luck

 

[Sadken]

Have you considered getting a motorbike and some leathers and shades and riding the bike into the lift that takes you upto your office - oh, you're gonna need some guns as well actually, lots of guns - and, when the lift opens, riding your bike through the offitce into this fuck's room, screaming "REVIEW THIS MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and unleashing a hail (or torrent, either will work) of bullets straight into their motherfudging forehead? Before riding back into the lift, down all the way and out to, I dunno, Hastings? You could check out all the rad 1066 stuff they have there.

 

[equationgirl]

^^^^ I like this

 

[Geri]

In our company we have a special committee who meet to review exceptional cases - I had to go through this procedure, my manager had to write out a case stating why he felt I deserved a big payrise and submit it to the committee for consideration. It took a few months but eventually I got a fairly decent pay rise out of it. Just wondering if they have something similar in your company, might be worth looking into.

 

[equationgirl]

Our recent payrises were decided by the Remuneration Committee (but nobody seems to know who sits on it, let alone when they meet), so I took the more immediate route of presenting the analysis to my boss, who was predictably not helpful enough, then sending all the documentation to the MD (who is out of the office until next Tuesday, ) and HR.

I did point out that whilst I appreciate their offer, I just want to be paid at a level commensurate with the responsibility I currently have, and that I can't work indefinitiely without appropriate compensation.

On the plus size, one of my colleagues wandered over and told em he'd sent an email to the MD saying that he'd noticed I seemed unhappy, and that he thought I was doing lots of work and losing me would be detrimental to the company.

Which was nice.

 

[baldrick]

On the plus size, one of my colleagues wandered over and told em he'd sent an email to the MD saying that he'd noticed I seemed unhappy, and that he thought I was doing lots of work and losing me would be detrimental to the company.

Which was nice.

awww, that's really sweet

I have no advice, but I hope that you get the payrise you deserve without too much wrangling.

 

[equationgirl]

To be honest, I think there's little hope of me getting a bigger payrise, as the company got a surprise £2m budget cut from our parent organisation and has had to make cuts somewhere (and where easier than to cut it from staff salaries and bonuses? ).

Except, no-one's actually come right out and told the staff about these cuts, and how the cuts will affect us, which is really frustrating and annoying when you consider that most people in the office have got payrises of LESS than inflation. A little explanation would go a long way, especially as half the staff are now openly saying they're looking for new jobs.

It's all very well for people to say to me 'You're an extremely valued member of staff' but when you get a shitty payrise with no explanation of why, you hardly feel like it.

 

[quimcunx]

They could surely justify some 'acting up' money temporarily at least, couldn't they?

 

[internetstalker]

As some of you will know ( or remember) I had an appraisal recently, which went well, ahead of the annual pay review and bonus. I was assured at my apprasial that, as I have been covering for the other two members of my team (including my boss) sinec the start of the year, this extra effort on my part would be reflected in my bonus and pay review.

Well, I got the letter today.

Quite frankly, given the extra work I've been doing above and beyond my job description, the extra hours I've had to put in AND sorting out the phenomenal mess my boss made of a bunch of contracts and the budget, what I've been offered is insulting. Absolutely fucking insulting

The company is having a big fucking laugh at my expense.

We've also had a new Managing Director recently, and he had no part in the review, and he saw how I was after he gave me the letter and he said not to do anything rash. He said the previous MD put in a really good case for me, and that I shouldn't be so emotional.

I've worked myself practically into the ground over the past year picking up the slack and sorting things out and he tells me not to be so emotional!!!!!

My head is really cabbaged right now, so I would really appreciate some helpful suggestions as to how to raise this issue with HR, my temporary boss and the Managing Director.

I appreciate your help with this, urbs, thanks in advance.

Hand in your notice!
with a covering letter saying why!