A reader writes:

I’m early in my career, but I’ve been with my current organization (10,000+ employees) for over three years. I was hired into a “department” made up of two people, where I am an individual contributor reporting directly to the department director. Since I started in this role, my manager (George) and I have had conversations about the “unique structure” of our department and how that would give me the freedom and flexibility to shape the scope of the role as my skills and experiences develop.

I realized within the first six months of this job that “one size fits all” meant “never getting promoted.” There are no positions between me and George (whereas other departments have multiple individual contributors, managers, senior staff, and directors) and I have no peers in my department. While it is true that my role has expanded over the years, my compensation has not changed. Every time I try to talk to George about it, he gives vague answers about “the tight budget” but emphasizes how dependent he is on me and how happy he is to have me as his “right-hand man.”

Throughout my three years of existence, George hinted at possible raises and promotions that never came to fruition. The promise to create a new supervisory position for me was kept without further explanation. When he finally hired a new member of our department, George began an unexpected month-long leave of absence a week after the new hire began. I carried out many of George’s essential duties during his leave while training and supervising the new employee, although this was never officially recognized. When this new hire left during her first year because she was underpaid, I became her replacement’s official supervisor with no change to my title or compensation. I accepted each of these supervisory opportunities (in addition to the growing scope of my other projects) with optimism that I would eventually be rewarded, but my boss kept coming back to the same excuses every time I mentioned that I thought I deserved an increase in remuneration.

So as not to appear greedy, I would characterize these compensation discussions as “seeking formal growth opportunities,” but I once flat-out asked for a raise once George returned from leave. He initially rejected my request, citing the apparent “tight budget,” but pointed out that everyone I’ve worked with has given me rave reviews on my coverage of his work. A few days later, he claimed to have “annoyed HR” and they “reluctantly” let him give me a one-year retention bonus that amounted to about 5% of my gross salary. I was to receive the lump sum immediately, but I would have to repay the organization if I were to leave my position within the year. It was insulting. I accepted the bonus and began looking for a new job, thinking that I could negotiate the bonus repayment into a new salary once I received an offer with a salary increase.

I went through a few sprints of aggressively applying for jobs over the last year, but nothing worked. Today, a few months after the one-year retention period, I am still working here and I feel like I am being exploited.

My first question: am I really being exploited? It’s easy to feel this way since I’m young and naive about how these things work, but every seasoned professional I’ve spoken to insists that continuing to go above and beyond will pay off in the end, even if this is not the case. Again. I’m less inclined to believe that’s true today, as it was when my parents were young professionals; I feel like I continue to meet higher and higher expectations and receive the same excuses.

My second question: what leverage do I have to demand an increase? I don’t have a job offer to use as a negotiation with my current employer, nor do I have a source of income if I decide to leave this job on principle. I know that making an empty threat to leave the company will destroy any future bargaining power I might have, but I have also been looking for a job for over a year without success. I don’t want to stagnate financially until I can find a new position if I don’t have to.

Is it worth having a conversation with my boss right now, and what should I ask? Or should I just be grateful to have a job when so many knowledge workers are currently unemployed?

Yes, I think you are being exploited. You have worked for three years without a raise (a simple paltry “retention bonus” which is not even a raise), while your responsibilities increase considerably, including new management responsibilities. Your boss calls you his “right-hand man” but is unwilling to provide you with money. He promised promotions and raises that never materialized. At this point, you are being paid less in real money than when you started (due to inflation) while doing more work and having significantly increased your value.

It’s true that going beyond expectations can paying – in workplaces and with managers who recognize it that way. But once your workplace and/or manager demonstrates that they don’t react that way, it’s in your best interest to recognize it and go somewhere that will. The point at which we started expecting this recognition was about a year in, and the point at which we really worried that it wouldn’t come was after we started to manage a completely different employee without being paid for it. At this point, after three years, they are just taking advantage of you.

As for how much leverage you have to get a raise…let’s find out. Any sane manager knows that when someone asks for a raise, they risk losing it to better opportunities if they turn it down. Your boss may be less convinced than we’d like because you’ve hung around this long… but “you’ve hung around this long” can also be used to your advantage, emphasizing that you’ve been patient but now the situation has become untenable.

Tell him this: “I’ve been here three years without a raise, although my responsibilities have increased significantly during that time, including taking on a management role without additional pay. Right now I’m making less in real dollars than when I started, because of inflation, but I’m making a lot more. You alluded several times that I deserved a raise, but I didn’t get one. I would like to stay here and continue to grow, but I need my compensation to reflect my contributions.

He’ll respond with something about being tight on budget, to which you should respond: “I understand that’s why I waited three years, but at this point I need my salary to reflect the work that I do. » So stop talking.

You’re not explicitly threatening to leave here, but if George has any sense, he’ll realize he’s taking that risk.

If he comes back with another “retention bonus,” retort: ​​“I am asking for an increase in my base salary that is commensurate with the work I have accepted.

But even if they give you a raise, you should continue looking for a job. This is a place that will only compensate you fairly if you push, push, and push (and even then, any raise offered will likely be less than you actually earned). Your underpaid colleague had the right idea when he left. And there’s a built-in cap to what you can do in your small department anyway.

Normally, I would recommend considering internal transfers as a way to break free from this boss – but first I would like to know if below-market salaries are an organization-wide problem or not. (Your boss absolutely wants you to believe this… but talk to people on other teams to test this.) If it’s organization-wide, you’re better off going elsewhere.

Also – it’s not greedy to ask for a raise that reflects your worth. Please disabuse yourself of this way of thinking. It’s in your employer’s best interest for you to believe that, and it’s bullshit. We work for money and we deserve to be paid fairly for our work, which means an increase in pay as our value to an employer increases.