I am wanted to get a few peoples opinion on this?
First off a little background. I started with this company, straight out of college 5 years ago. I began in the support department with a very nominal salary. Within a year, I had demonstrated my skills enough that I was moved to a position of Jr. Programmer and given an 18% increase to bring into the lower 20% the job grade pay, with a promise of another 15% the next year.
Then the next year the company was bought out and under the new ownership my promised 15% diminished to 3%. I should note that this all happened the same year that the Tech industry flopped, Nortel et al. So then for the next 2 years with the job market all but stopped I was used and abused by the company. Given work that senior programmers should be doing and all without any pay increase for the past 2 years.
My quality of work however pushed me up to be the second best programmer in the department. This year a new manager was put in charge of my department and when she learned how much I was being paid her jaw literally dropped in disbelief. She agreed with me that I should be making a minimum of 40% more, if not 60% more.
She has been pushing to get me at least a 15% increase, which is 5% over the maximum the company will allow for a raise in a 12-month period. Now that is much less than I should be earning. But I love my job, the people are great, the work is challenging and there are other pirks such as Health benefits, so I would be willing to go with the 15% and hope for another 15% next year.
But the question I have is this. The job market is opening back up again. I could easily find a job elsewhere for 30 to 50% more than I am earning now. The company is willing to give me half of that to keep me, because I am the only person qualified enough in my department to complete certain tasks that must be done this year.
For the past 2 years this company has basically held me hostage with abysmal pay because they knew there was no where else I could go. But now that there are places I can go and I know that without me they will miss all of their targets for this year. Should I now hold them hostage when they need me most and demand more than the 20% increase?
Is it my turn to take advantage?
Casper
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
~Frank Sinatra
First off a little background. I started with this company, straight out of college 5 years ago. I began in the support department with a very nominal salary. Within a year, I had demonstrated my skills enough that I was moved to a position of Jr. Programmer and given an 18% increase to bring into the lower 20% the job grade pay, with a promise of another 15% the next year.
Then the next year the company was bought out and under the new ownership my promised 15% diminished to 3%. I should note that this all happened the same year that the Tech industry flopped, Nortel et al. So then for the next 2 years with the job market all but stopped I was used and abused by the company. Given work that senior programmers should be doing and all without any pay increase for the past 2 years.
My quality of work however pushed me up to be the second best programmer in the department. This year a new manager was put in charge of my department and when she learned how much I was being paid her jaw literally dropped in disbelief. She agreed with me that I should be making a minimum of 40% more, if not 60% more.
She has been pushing to get me at least a 15% increase, which is 5% over the maximum the company will allow for a raise in a 12-month period. Now that is much less than I should be earning. But I love my job, the people are great, the work is challenging and there are other pirks such as Health benefits, so I would be willing to go with the 15% and hope for another 15% next year.
But the question I have is this. The job market is opening back up again. I could easily find a job elsewhere for 30 to 50% more than I am earning now. The company is willing to give me half of that to keep me, because I am the only person qualified enough in my department to complete certain tasks that must be done this year.
For the past 2 years this company has basically held me hostage with abysmal pay because they knew there was no where else I could go. But now that there are places I can go and I know that without me they will miss all of their targets for this year. Should I now hold them hostage when they need me most and demand more than the 20% increase?
Is it my turn to take advantage?
Casper
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
~Frank Sinatra