I work in a mid sized national company in IT and do well for myself, over 6 figures but I’ve requested an additional raise.
I have access to the salary data of everyone at each of our local branches, and I’m essentially asking for what each local branch owner makes (~200k), while also knowing that the hourly workers are still barely getting $1-2k raises.
I’m all for eating the rich, but how’s this figure into the mental model?
On one hand, the “rich owners” turned out to not actually be that rich, at least salary wise. I’m comfy, but inflation has been a bitch.
On the other hand, I’m asking for a raise while others who work manual intensive jobs are still struggling, and this amount of money could be going those at the working hourly.
Hoping this drives some interesting conversation and not some attack thread.
You can feel bad if you not getting the raise helps the other employees you’re feeling bad for. That of course never happens. The only party gaining by you not asking for a raise is your employer.
This is the answer. If declining the raise could somehow increase the pay of other workers, I’d be all for it. But it won’t.
You can hate the game and still play it well, OP
A) Never feel bad about asking for a bigger cut of the money they make off of your labor
B) lmfao how are you making so much more than me. I’m a senior engineer at an IT company haha
Do you feel you are being paid fair value for your work?
If not ask for a raise or look for a new job. Note that for the last 20 years in the US it has been shown to be easier to get a raise by changing jobs than asking for one.
This isn’t all or nothing. If you are in a position to do so, you can both advocate for yourself AND go to management with data suggesting that your coworkers are worth more. If you’re in a leadership role, you have the opportunity and the duty to advocate for your coworkers.
You’re the only person who will ever advocate for your own well-being. A business has an entire workforce that advocate for their well-being.
Collectively advocate even! Some sort of group, a “union” of like minded employees we could call it
Never feel bad about asking for a raise that you work for/deserve. Stay complacent, and they’ll just hope you never bring it up. Workers should have the power and leverage.
You absolutely should not feel bad about doing this. Ever.
If anything, you should talk about it and share your experience, because your experience could help some of those who work manual intensive jobs and are still struggling to get raises of their own.
Remember: If the company isn’t able to fairly compensate its workers, it doesn’t get to have workers. That’s how supply and demand works.
I am not responsible for management’s decisions regarding how much to pay their workers.
I feel bad that many people working hard do not earn enough money, for various meanings of “enough”.
Both are independently true statements.
