I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

BNET TalkbackShare your ideas and expertise on this topic

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

•  
  1

  JewelloftheNile

  07/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Rousing round of applause!

•  
  2

  migratingfishswim

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Firstly, I'm sorry your job went.
  
  By all means thank those who have given a pay raise, that's
  plain good manners. But chances are, you are the one that
  earned it!
  
  I think asking for formal evaluation is a really good idea,
  perhaps leaving it a three months after the pay rise, might
  be better. This gives one time to: gather examples of what
  value you bring to your employer, get data of the industry
  range for your role, etc.
  
  If your employer plays less than the market rate - and other
  factors (existing flexibility, training, relationships with
  colleagues, location, etc) are less important to you -
  consider finding a new job.
  
  A new job offer can be a good bargaining tool, although you
  must be ready to leave, or swallow your pride, if your
  employer still refuses to raise your pay.
  
  Did they fire you - or was your job made redundant due to
  the restructuring? Either way, I would suggest you approach
  your union for advice.

•  
  3

  mmmdallas

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  Change your paradigm

  Flat is the new raise.

•  
  4

  Yooper Chick

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Consider this analogy... You're married for 2 years and on your 2nd anniversary, your wife presents you with a golf cart as a token of her appreciation. You look at the golf cart and explain that you are a hard working husband and provider and you expected more. You go on to say that "perhaps a Ducatti motorcycle" would have been more in line with your expectations and you would like her to reconsider the role you play in the marriage and raise the bar on her gift giving. (next year you're getting a tie!)
  
  I know the analogy I used is regarding a gift. But in this economy, any raise should be considered such, especially being as you have only been with this company for 2 years. You are a short timer in a bad climate and you are kicking up a fuss over not getting a big enough raise? The squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes the bearings are replaced to get the same effect.
  
  In your next position, exude gratitude and let your work do the talking!

•  
  5

  Mrs. E

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Migratingfishswim-
  Contact his union? Only government employees, and a few trades have unions to go to when they feel the terms of the labor contract has bee breached. In the real world we are "at-will' employees with only Title VII as protection; no contracts, no promises, no guaranteed COLA, subject to paycuts to save the company money, ruduced staff, work more for less, and that is if you are lucky enough to be a "regular" employee! There are a great deal of companies that lay off regular employees to downsize only to hire them back a "temps" with no benefits at a lower wage. In the current economy any raise at all should be met with gratitude! Most employees are subtly reminded they are lucky to have a job.

•  
  6

  clarkm

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  I thought the union reference was funny too . Two years of service??! In a seriously depressed economy? Some folks have some huge balls. Take the raise and shut-up!

•  
  7

  Robyn21

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Some people. I was a manager for many years and had to face employees like that all the time. I would fight and scrape for the few percentages I could get people and they would do the same thing. I know they didn't know how much I had to fight, but when I would explain about the economy, company performance, etc, they still would complain. I can say that I am very happy not to be a manager in my current position!

•  
  8

  Modyfied1

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Did he expect to get a raise just for being in a desk for 2 years? There was no explaining what made this person a better employee than , say, the janitor, so I'll assume he held a decent position. Don't we all? Some people in this economy have had to take a salary DECREASE. Do we like it, NO. Do you think I would complain? Again, NO. I'm still employed, he is not, I agree with Mr. Bing, shut up and take it, or look elsewhere.
  Good luck, pal.

•  
  9

  markedconn

  07/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  If he was a really good employee and contributed to the organization's efficiencies or bottom line, then the time span is irrelevent. The fact that he was layed off means the managers were not organized or good at running the company or they were hit with unexpected results. He also may have done really good work, but the managers were too inept to notice. We would need more details to say for sure. Why would a manager go through the expense of hiring someone for two years and then lay the person off just for a raise. Sounds like bad management?
  
  If someone asked me for more money and gave a good justification, I would give it to them if I could afford it (if my business). However, where I work, the departments have a budget for salaries, so to give a high raise to one means taking a high raise from another. You can really do good work and still get a mediocre raise. This is why people get upset when CEO an other highly paid execs get huge bonuses even when the business is bad - the organization budget is planned that way.

•  
  10

  gmoeller1

  07/09/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  I'm a top performer in my department who gratefully accepted an across-the-board 5% decrease in salary that made it possible for me (and most of my coworkers) to remain employed. We lost our 401K match too, but at least we still have medical coverage.
  
  The idea of someone complaining about a raise really cracks me up. There's a global recession underway, dude! Wake up!

•  
  11

  BusinessManExtraordinaire

  07/09/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  Yep! Nobody likes a complainer!

•  
  12

  Guttman

  07/09/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  It probably wasn't the quibbling that terminated your employment. Rather, my guess is there was a disconnect between your perception of your value to the firm and theirs. Don't listen to the "just shut up and take it crowd." If you were truly worth a little more, and could cite specific examples of how you increased revenues or decreased costs in this economy, then one day you'll realize this was probably the best thing that could of happened to you.

•  
  13

  artramirez

  08/19/09 | Report as spam

  RE: I Was Fired for Quibbling Over My Raise

  As migratingfishswim mentioned, in the personal assessment of your salary along with the obvious elements-salary, benefits, Employment- consider all the non-tangible 'factors', such as location of your job, work atmosphere and relationships with colleagues. If you directly work with a bunch of morons, that's too bad.
  
  Sure I am paid less than what I feel I'm worth but at least I only live 20 minutes from work, commute against traffic, have access to training and workshops, etc.
  
  With salary increases having been standardized to about 2%, it's the job-related factors that keep me from complaining.
  
  Actually, I still complain but certaintly not to mgmt. and what's the point, anyway.