[News] Don’t ask for big pay rises people, FFS

[vegster]

I get that and have bounced up and down the chain a few times. However, in larger organisations that middle management layer can be a dangerous place to be as that is where they often look for savings - senior managers won't vote to cut their own roles so get rid of the middle layer and give more work to the lower managers for less money.

Some people are at a level where they are happy for numerous reasons and you need some stability that these people bring. That shouldn't mean that they are penalised by not geting a realistic cost of living rise for not wanting to move higher if they are still doing a good / great job.

Precisely. would be lovely if pay rose ever so slightly above the rate of inflation, only maybe a half or one percent ABOVE inflation annually. The increased experience you bring should be rewarded.

 

[Weststander]

My company (fire engineers) is currently experiencing more demand than ever and we have to decline more work than we accept. So business is better than ever. I have no idea if we are a fluky outlier or whether there are certain types of business that are doing well and are relatively unaffected by COVID.

Loads of businesses across many sectors (not PPE or CV19 related) are doing very well, I consistently see the first hand evidence.

The pandemic depression never came, the economy is bubbling along rather nicely. This is borne out by corporation tax receipts which since June 2021 have exceeded earlier years.

Imho staff need to do what’s right for them.

Some cynicism about the bosses words that they’re struggling is required, check out the last accounts at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/.

Two examples spring to mind - a few years ago I saw two separate small manufacturing businesses making colossal profits every year for years. They froze pay for all staff for years, citing “times were hard”. Ironically, the owner directors were Labour voting working class folk from ‘the wrong side of the track’. Zero empathy and morality.

 

[Marshy]

if you feel you deserve a pay rise, damn well ask for one, provide reasons why, if your company or boss is decent they will not mind in the slightest.

 

[Hamilton]

What is wrong with these morons? Most of us are hoping not to get pay cuts, not thinking about asking for “big pay rises”. I can’t imagine how my boss would respond if I asked him for any sort of pay rise, let alone a big one, but the final answer will 100% be no. No-one at our place has had any increase in remuneration since before COVID, and for most of us 2 years before COVID, and there is absolutely no chance of one for the next 12 months at least.


Don't ask for a big pay rise, warns Bank of England boss https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60206564

Unfortunately, you're getting a pay cut every day and prices rise.

 

[Happy Exile]

I think it goes deeper than that, I can remember going to the Goldstone with a rabid Tory in the car as far back as 1980, and all the crap with the Unions was going on, he stated then just as we were parking up by Bush Signs that this country had basically overpaid itself for nearly a decade.

40 years on has it got any better?

Apparently building labourers can get up to £150 a day, more working in London, there's a Train Driver in our local who claims to earn in excess of £60,000 a year whilst he says the train guards are on about £48,000 themselves, I know its probably the tip of the ice berg and but surely the adage of a fair days pay for a fair days work has never been so apt?

I dunno. I don't think the idea of a meritocracy and hard work being rewarded has ever been less appropriate than it is today. For the majority there's no link between effort and reward or effort and prospects so whether or not pay is fair is entirely subjective. There's an entire generation going into the workplace who do everything "right" and as they were told was necessary for success - study hard, work hard, put the effort in...yet for most the quality of life and asset ownership of their parents is out of reach and for many will be for many years to come. I've got a family member who has trained to be a GP and has huge debt to pay off from his studying...nearly 30 by the time he's finished university, zero prospect of getting a mortgage this side of 40 at the earliest, while house prices continue to go up faster than wages so he'll be priced out by then anyway most likely. It's like life is on hold for him and he's probably emigrating to New Zealand where he can have a far better quality of life and actually get a house for the limited disposable income he's able to get with that debt. He's done nothing "wrong", but the reward for doing everything "right" - in this country at least - just doesn't match the promise. He's far from unique - plenty of people work incredibly hard to improve their lives but can't (for example) buy a house when house prices have gone up a multiple of 29 times greater than average salary since 1970. So what's a fair day's pay? And who decides what's fair?

 

[JBizzle]

I really don't get this. What's the harm in asking? Rising inflation, interest rates, gas bills, cost of living will squeeze every household this year, and the worst that happens is that you have a conversation that you feel a bit uncomfortable in and your boss yes "no". Then you have peace of mind that you've at least asked

 

[A1X]

Apparently building labourers can get up to £150 a day, more working in London, there's a Train Driver in our local who claims to earn in excess of £60,000 a year whilst he says the train guards are on about £48,000 themselves, I know its probably the tip of the ice berg and but surely the adage of a fair days pay for a fair days work has never been so apt?

I'm quite happy for people in safety critical roles to get paid well TBH

 

[Superphil]

I really don't get this. What's the harm in asking? Rising inflation, interest rates, gas bills, cost of living will squeeze every household this year, and the worst that happens is that you have a conversation that you feel a bit uncomfortable in and your boss yes "no". Then you have peace of mind that you've at least asked

No harm at all, it's just a shame that the answer is always no.

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

my cousin works in the care industry but looking after children. she's spent 4 years of her own time getting some qualifications, mandatory requirement from her boss and has only seen a 50p an hour increase in her wages over those 4 years. Shes now only earning about 20p more than the living wage for a very stressful job. if this keeps up she is seriously thinking of going and working in a burger bar or stacking shelves where this is a lot less stress..

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

people do also need to be aware that job vacancies are very high in some industries so you can always look elsewhere..

 

[El Presidente]

My union is more interested in boycotting Israel. The *****.

If it is UCU then consider an alternative union!

 

[Springal]

In 2021 I passed my target in October, which I was delighted with, our year end was 31-01-22, and I will have had the highest figures I've ever had at this company. In 2021 I missed my annual target by about 1%, despite our company shutting down for the 2 furlough periods. No gratitude given whatsoever then, and there will be none for last years efforts either. No salary increase for 5 years, so I guess by some peoples reckoning that represents a pay cut year-on-year. I work in a slightly specialist industry, no opportunities locally to consider a change, at my age a relocation is not an option. By choice I will have to accept the situation, I'll follow the guidance of the head of the bank of england to not 'ask for a big pay rise' and I'll expect not to get even a small one.

That is a shame. Do you think you could move into another industry using the skills you have or similar? The worst position anyone can be in is feeling like they cannot change jobs / roles.

One thing I learnt from moving from 'UK' companies to 'Global' ones is much easier to deal with these kind of things as there is some kind of structure in place and less effected by micro economic situations.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Coming towards the end of the pandemic in this country (I hope), the Government, business have forgotten what kept us going during the worst of the pandemic. The critical workers. Mostly those that are on low wages, NHS staff, teachers, shop workers etc etc. Its now convenient to forget about them, when they will get either small increases or none at all. Meanwhile at the top, the big bonuses, share options etc will carry on as normal.

I see Jeff Bezos has another Yacht to his collection

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Builders / handymen, etc round our way are doing okay. Really difficult to get them to even come round and give a quote. And when they do, you often don't actually get a quote. If you are lucky enough to do so, and you accept the quote - you never hear from them again.


PS - it's not just me! There's quite a few here having the same problems.

We're having the same problem. Ours is needed for insurance because the mains water comes underneath the house from the meter. We had a leak from it, which has been repaired, but we have concrete floors which are wet in the kitchen. When looking at the tiles, they had bitumen underneath which was tested for asbestos. This has been going on since November.
Tiles now removed, asbestos dealt with (by insurance company contractors) and dryers installed.
Can we get a quote from a tiler or kitchen fitter? It's like getting blood out of a stone. Calls ignored, although two have visited but no one has given us a quote yet.

 

[Baker lite]

My pay rise this year is 1/2 percent above February RPI, whatever that may be?.

 

[JBizzle]

No harm at all, it's just a shame that the answer is always no.

I just think "If you don't ask, you don't get". Of course, you have to take the company's situation into the equation and understand whether it's appropriate or not to ask. I'm not saying you should go all Billy Big B0llocks in a company that's just laid off staff (just to be clear).

That said, I have seen it where people chance it and get a little extra

 

[Dibdab]

Loads of businesses across many sectors (not PPE or CV19 related) are doing very well, I consistently see the first hand evidence.

The pandemic depression never came, the economy is bubbling along rather nicely. This is borne out by corporation tax receipts which since June 2021 have exceeded earlier years.
.

The post pandemic depression hasn't even begun! We are going to have the worst economic downturn in living memory and it wont be too long until it starts. Economies are propped up by never ending money printing which always leads to mega inflation eventually. China is on the precipice of a historic real estate bubble collapse that financial institutions across the world are neck deep in. Add in the cost of paying people to sit on their arses for the best part of two years and the horrific use of the restirctions period to transfer money from the common man to the richest elite. Anyone thinking things are ok have got a very big shock coming.

 

[razer]

I have never offered my staff a pay rise. However, those that have asked (which is practically all of them), I have never refused.

 

[Doonhamer7]

I feel really lucky. We got 3% with a note that further review may be held in the summer had 0% for last two years but was just happy to have a job during covid.

There is a complete lack of high quality resources in the UK in engineering, project controls and construction mgt skills (and if your a commissioning engineer you are laughing all the way to the bank). Once Sizewell C and Crossrail 2 kick off it will only get get worse on resources (then cyclically oil&gas might pick up again) so we could be seeing 10-20% rises coming - all I’d say is go get the skills / qualifications and be willing to move around the country you can get very well paid

 

[PoG]

I’d imagine you should offer what most companies will do, 0%. And anyone who doesn’t like it can go find another job. As I said, there’s no chance of anyone where I am getting anything at all, the last 2 years have ensured that. We’re grateful that we still have a job, and that’s the reality.

You sound rather bitter.