Ask HN: I did not get pay rise – as only person in team. Should I quit?
I'm sole developer working in some niche industry in team with 9 engineers.
Today our CEO announced that 80% of people in our company (thousands) received pay rise(due the inflation etc.).
It is first time in 4 years that I did not get any pay rise.
Just month ago I asked(via email) for feedback from my boss and he praised my skills, ambitions and working speed.
Reason that I did not get pay rise might be that I'm not afraid to criticize some stupid ideas, and I'm very offensive when it comes to handling projects (I lead, and I work hard). So I often have some silly(very short lived) conflicts with some of the engineers.
I love my job and industry, but I often have problem with my team (non programmers) and I lack "emotional" support form my boss(no "thank you" for working in weekends for example).
My boss refuses to talk with me about it.
Should I just quit?
86 comments
[ 6.1 ms ] story [ 154 ms ] threadIf you can find a better work environment then quit. I wouldn't work weekends without some form of recognition, which is sounds like you are not getting.
First off, if you want to change jobs, doing so when people are still hiring is a good idea. It's much easier to change jobs now that it will be in 3 months when other companies start doing layoffs. This stage in the down turn is right before the music stops in a game of musical chairs.
Additionally, at this stage in the down turn, it's impossible to know what's next and how bad it will be and who will be impacted the most. I've known far more people laid off while working at "safe" companies than those knowingly taking risks at smaller companies. Sure some companies will layoff new hires first, but others will layoff older, less productive division, other will look for highest paid employees etc. Nowhere is really safe and only hindsight will tell you what was and wasn't a good move. Best time to join Amazon would have been right after the dotcom burst.
Most important, in the last few down turns I've been through, agility and adaptability where the keys to survival. The "play it safe at a big co/job you know" path, somewhat ironically, only works really well is times of stability. This is a time to keep your eyes open, start thinking about a wide range of next future moves. It's better to jump without hesitation (and be ready to jump again) than look for stable ground.
That said it's more important than ever to do you due diligence on a future employer. Now is not a great time to join a startup run by "kids" (this is not a comment on age, but on maturity) that don't know what they're doing and make rash decisions and are delusional about the future of their product. I was take a hard pass on any crypto companies right now, and on companies that won't talk much about their financials.
At least, stop working in weekends. (Unless you can somewhat compensate the hours reducing the time during the other days of the week.)
email their manager and ask them why you didn't get a pay raise because your manager isn't answering questions.
Also, important: did you clearly indicate you wanted/expected one beforehand?
Many companies break down a cost of living adjustment separate from a performance increase, and it sounds like at the very least the op should be asking about a missing cost of living adjust.
yup
If at that point they dont' give you actionable feedback, get a competitive job offer and share it with the head of HR at your company along wiht a short note saying that you can't afford to keep working there.
And if it doesn't, then yes - it sounds like there are some problems in both directions, so maybe it is time to find something else.
IMO, he's probably not wanted there given what he's said about himself and that the boss won't talk about it. The whole situation sounds to me like they don't want to fire him but are hoping he'll leave.
Depending on where the company is located, I would say this could be likely. In certain places, an intentional termination of any sort, can result in legally mandated exit payout packages.
> Reason that I did not get pay rise might be that I'm not afraid to criticize some stupid ideas, and I'm very offensive when it comes to handling projects (I lead, and I work hard). So I often have some silly(very short lived) conflicts with some of the engineers.
I'm all about pushing back on "stupid ideas" but you might want to think about coming up with a less abrasive way to do it. That won't win you any friends and could hinder your ability to get other jobs in the future "He was a hard worker but no one wanted to work with him". You can skate by for a while acting this way but it will come back to bite you. Working on your soft skills can be invaluable and let you go much further than you otherwise might.
But all that said, I'd look for a new job unless you want to try asking for a raise. Even if you get the raise, if it feels like pulling teeth, then start looking. Also don't work outside 9-5 hours unless you are compensated, companies will take advantage of that and not care if you burn out.
Assuming you don't want some time out in between jobs of course.
Whatever spike of adrenaline/endorphins you get in that moment will not be worth it in the long run.
Everyone, please fully qualify your advice.
I don't think your situation is "spite", if you are stuck in a toxic environment that is doing more damage to you than the good (pay/insurance) then by all means quit. It's the "I'll show them!", "They can't handle this without me", twist of the knife that some people build up in their heads that I'm arguing against. In your case I'm guessing you didn't quit the same day you thought about quitting? It took a few days/weeks? I'm just trying to advise against acting hastily or in anger. Think it through and make sure you know the consequences before you do something that "feels good"/righteous.
People under-estimate the energy and effort to find a good second job and so actually best to take the time to get it right instead of jumping from one bad job to another just because of being afraid to quit while there is no job offer yet.
Also, logically thinking, every new graduate who is fresh out of school is just equipped with skills but is able to find a job so it should be even easier for someone who has already even further developed their skills to be able to find a second job even if they've already resigned from their previous job.
It seems like some people just think that they need some leverage of having an existing job in order to find a second job but in reality that doesn't make sense since skills are what is more important.
Most people don't, though. They can't go long without a job, and having a gap on their résumé is scary (for good reason—if you need a job, anything that might make getting the next one a little harder isn't good).
I always hear this, but nobody has ever questioned me when I said I took a few months just because I could and wanted some time off.
No rush, look for a better job. If you find one you would be happier with, just take it if you also get a raise.
Hard work alone won't make you grow your career, you need to be tactful and you need to be a team player. Calling an idea stupid is childish and unprofessional.
If your boss announced that almost everyone else but you got a raise, he probably wants you to quit, just not enough to straight up fire you.
Either find somewhere else or consider this a wake up call to change.
Offensive as in aggressive? or offensive as in rude? the latter will only hinder you. You can have a no-nonsense attitude without being annoying.
> no "thank you" for working in weekends for example
stop working weekends if you aren't getting paid for it
If the answer is yes then I would still wait until September or so if I were you - summer is slow season in recruitment and the job offers are usually uninspiring.
Secure a new job. And while you do that, work on your soft skills. You admit to being "offensive" and yet you want "emotional" support.
Get a strong documentation trail going, send an email indicating you need to speak with them about x, you're free anytime they are, send calendar invites etc.
Once you have their explicit refusal or implicit from negligence -- go to skip level (boss of your boss) and be prepared to need to move in the org as retaliation is too likely to risk.
Well, that's a red flag if I ever saw one. It sounds like you already have some areas you know you should be working on, and that's good. But if your boss refuses to talk to you about your career / pay then something is going on. Or maybe you just have a bad boss. Either way, I'd be looking for that reason alone.
Leave. Find another job, and then quit.
I think it's reasonable to expect your manager to provide more details. I would give my manager a heads up that if they do not explain I am going to escalate. In my escalation I would stick to the facts. "The CEO said 80% of the company got raises. I did not get a raise. I have asked my manager for an explanation. My manager refused to explain."
P.S. you should totally work on those personal defects that you've identified in yourself. It sounds like you may also have some responsibility in creating a toxic work environment.
As a manager, I cannot emphasize this enough. It happens all the time.