.

[Farnsworth]

If we are talking raises without promotion or job change, I haven't gotten crap. Many times no raise at all, if we did get them it was 2 or 3 percent across the board.

Although I've been out of college for 10 years, been with three different companies, and the one I spent 7 years with I had 5 promotions in position so not many years I've been in a position for a standard raise.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Started out of college working for notoriously cheap **** architectural design firms. Got a "raise" from a small office in Minneapolis one year. Told my parents the amount and the question came back "A year or a month?". Yeah, it was that ******* small. Quit shortly after that and worked as a carpenter for 18 months or so assessing if I really wanted to be a wage slave designer guy or not.

Most of my "raises" at the Corps of Engineers that were not promotion related were pretty modest and even though they were supposed to be annual cost of living adjustments Republican presidents would typically cut them to even less. Worst was Reagon one year when he decided every federal employee in the country would get a cost of living increase except those on the engineer/scientist schedule because he randomly decided we were paid too much. He lost a class action lawsuit over (took years) it but we never actually got the lost raise reinstated because doing it retroactively would have cost too much. "Yes, we owe you thousands compounded over years, here's your one time check for $800.25." Also the performance awards pool of dollars for supervisors to work with was extremely small, actually just silly small, think that was a product of the Corps uber conservative culture. Still, okay to good salary if you were an engineer or manager, not so okay for the non-professional staff.

 

[cyputz]

Keep in mind I havf been in the workforce 40+ years. Lowest 0%, highest 23%. Also bonuses, however keep in mind bonus's do not add to your bottom line to build upon for future years. As mentioned earlier take care of #1

 

[ArgentCy]

Smallest raise is easy, pretty sure that was $0.10 an hour working for a big box retailer.

Largest - not sure being self employed doesn't lead to raises. I suppose when I fully own the business it will mean a 10-15% increase.

 

[urb1]

19% in 1982, when inflation was out of control. 0% two years in a row when the real estate/mortgage bubble burst, and our parent company took a dive.

 

[norcalcy]

Most of those who have done well with it started their own business (which is truly putting your money where your mouth is).

So true. I was self employed for a brief period and had two people working for me. Very interesting being on the other side of the payroll divide. I ultimately was not successful as an entrepeneur and put myself back in the salaried workforce. The whole experience really changed my perspective. I don't obsess over annual "merit" or "cost of living" increases. I look at the general career path and total compensation package (including benefits and variable comp opportunities) and ask if I am meeting personal goals for building/maintaining marketable skills and wealth building. If yes, stay the course. If no, make a change.

 

[Judoka]

I agree with your overall position. I think people who switch jobs to only chase the money are often disappointed in what they find. However, we can't be so naive to ignore the fact that some companies truly treat their people like a commodity. People who constantly jump jobs often don't get ahead. People who stay at a company out of unreciprocated loyalty can be fired after years of service. It's important that we each find our own way. Some find the right place and stay for their whole careers; some have to switch jobs 3 times to find it.

There's a middle ground. If you jump 40 times over a career you might find it tough to progress. If you stay at the same place for 40 years there is a 99.99% chance you will be severely underpaid most of your career. If you jump a handful of times during your career you'll probably be in the best situation. Though everyone's experience is unique.

 

[CloneinWDSM]

There's a middle ground. If you jump 40 times over a career you might find it tough to progress. If you stay at the same place for 40 years there is a 99.99% chance you will be severely underpaid most of your career. If you jump a handful of times during your career you'll probably be in the best situation. Though everyone's experience is unique.

I'm 5 years out of school and been with same company all 5 year. Pay is pretty good but I know there is better paying jobs out there. Right now im willing to sacrifice more money for additional job security. Plus I enjoy what I'm doing right now.

 

[throwittoblythe]

There's a middle ground. If you jump 40 times over a career you might find it tough to progress. If you stay at the same place for 40 years there is a 99.99% chance you will be severely underpaid most of your career. If you jump a handful of times during your career you'll probably be in the best situation. Though everyone's experience is unique.

Completely agree and well said. I'm less than 10 years into my career but what I've come to learn is that everyone's path is unique to that person.

That's why it's important when you get career advice, you have to understand where it's coming from. My last boss was always telling me how I should go on the road because it would make me more money and help me progress faster. He wasn't wrong, but he never once considered what I might actually want to do. There's a reason he's my former boss.

 

[SpokaneCY]

I agree with your overall position. I think people who switch jobs to only chase the money are often disappointed in what they find. However, we can't be so naive to ignore the fact that some companies truly treat their people like a commodity. People who constantly jump jobs often don't get ahead. People who stay at a company out of unreciprocated loyalty can be fired after years of service. It's important that we each find our own way. Some find the right place and stay for their whole careers; some have to switch jobs 3 times to find it.

Factor in the "golden handcuffs"... My company has a traditional pension plan and you can retire with 15 years of service at 55 years old. Had I moved companies within the last 10 years, I would have had to factor in the potential raise with the lifetime pension payment.

 

[DClone]

My biggest "raise" by far was when my youngest graduated from Wheaton College. No more tuition.

 

[Bipolarcy]

Not talking about switching jobs. What type of raises have you gotten? Anyone miss out for a few years due to the recession? Anyone get the short stick one year? How did you handle it? Did it make you want to switch jobs?

What about a larger raise? Did it give you more motivation or did you forget about it after awhile? Did it make you think you could get even more elsewhere?

On average what have your raises been?

I haven't had a raise going on 8 years. Nobody at the company has. So I guess that's my smallest, unless you count the nickel raises I got periodically at a previous job. In my current job, about 12 years ago, I went from making about $10 an hour to over $22 an hour in a matter of about a year. A promotion to management was involved, but that wasn't even the biggest raise. Of the 4-5 or so raises I got in that year, the biggest raise -- a little less than $3 an hour -- occurred after I left management and returned to hourly. So I was making more as an hourly employee than I had been as a manager and I had a lot less responsibility. The reason for no raises in the last 8 years is because of the economy, but I suspect it's to make up for that meteoric rise too, although they won't say that.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I got like a 1.7 and a 2.0 in '09 & '10 I think. After that it's been between 3-5.8. I get other things instead of big merit raises though.

 

[dahliaclone]

There's a middle ground. If you jump 40 times over a career you might find it tough to progress. If you stay at the same place for 40 years there is a 99.99% chance you will be severely underpaid most of your career. If you jump a handful of times during your career you'll probably be in the best situation. Though everyone's experience is unique.

I agree with this. I moved from Midwest making $X for salary. Took a job in Cali that was a lateral move, same title at different company, but got a big bump because cost of living was greater there...was $15k more. Hated west coast and moved back to same city I was in for the same title in a different company I was at originally, but got a $10k bump...so in 12 months I got a $25k salary increase for the same job. What's interesting is that I had friends at company A that I left that stayed there and they've been there ten years and have gotten very small raises. Leaving a company often times bumps you up a pretty good amount.

 

[cloneswereall]

Smallest I got was $200. Or... roughly 0.6%. Highest has been about 7% (because I changed salary lanes). But you know... "automatic" raises that don't exist in the private sector and all that.

 

[djkent01]

I'm late 50's and have been working post college for almost 30 years. The longest I've ever stayed with one company is four years - a couple of times.

My salary today is about 550% of my first post college job - and my first job was market rate for my profession. Biggest raises were from $46.5K to $62.5K plus 10% bonus - and from $68.5K plus 6% to $86.5K plus 20%.

Also keep in mind many of my working years were during some very high inflation times.

 

[BCClone]

Smallest was zip but also got more work so may have went backwards. I left right before finishing year two. Talked to a guy that was there 4 years later and he was going 5 years with nothing. I have been up to 20% for the first job I had.

 

[SCNCY]

Smallest raise has been 1%, highest was 5.2% I think. I have gotten a raise very year. Only problem is that my first job out of college, I got an annual bonus. My current job I don't get a bonus. So since I have graduated in 2010, my salary has been stagnant, until this year where I have seen my first true increase in salary (purchasing power).

 

[Clonefan32]

I've never gotten a raise less than a typical cost of living raise, which is around 3 or 4%. I think it's only fair of a company, if they typically do give out raises, to let employees know if there won't be any raises a given year because that's money people sometimes rely on. I am not sure if would make me want to leave for a new job but it would depend on the situation, how much I loved the job, how long I'd been there, etc.

A larger raise is great because it's obviously more money but to me it means I'm doing a great job. And it shows they're willing to give big raises when people do a good job.

I think an average raise should be at least 3%...which is basically a cost of living raise. At my company, 5% is pretty normal, 6% means you're doing really great, and anything over is above and beyond great. Largest raise I've received is 30% but that's also because they wanted to keep me and knew other companies were interested.

I had a job that I really liked but was considering leaving for monetary reasons. We had received Christmas bonuses the prior 2 years before they decided not to give one. I was just pissed enough I looked for new jobs and was somewhere else less than a month later. It's a ****** thing to do to people.

 

[BCClone]

I had a job that I really liked but was considering leaving for monetary reasons. We had received Christmas bonuses the prior 2 years before they decided not to give one. I was just pissed enough I looked for new jobs and was somewhere else less than a month later. It's a ****** thing to do to people.

Not even jelly of the month club? That's just wrong