Need advice about asking for a raise

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, I have been in my job for 4 years this coming January. I have had 2 raises since i started. %2 on my 90 day probation date and about %8.5 on my one year anniversary. I am the medical biller for a Dr office and we are a very small office with an MD, an RN and 3 office staff, me included. I have come to the conclusion that my boss (Dr) is a pathological liar and told me many things that were not true to get me to accept the job. Review/raise every 6 months, 1/2 days on Fridays, lunch every Wednesday and so on. LIES! :smack: Now he is saying that the practice #'s are really down and $$ is VERY tight and said he is lucky to be making payroll (as he was walking out the door while a car waited for him to drive him and his family to Europe for 9 days)

SO - here is my question. I am planning on going in there before Christmas and asking him if he plans on giving reviews this January. I want to do it before Christmas so he knows that I do not consider the bonus a raise. If he says there is no money, how inappropriate is it to bring up his personal spending?? After he tells us over and over again that there is no $ and he is broke.

In 2010 alone he has

taken 4 European vacations
sent one of his kids to spring break in the Caribbean ( I wanna go to the Caribbean!)
sent same child to a semester abroad in Europe
Built a summer home on the beach over $ 1.5 million

What say you?

2

Really inappropriate. As in, he’ll probably think about replacing you.

3

Absolutely inappropriate. You are not his family and it is his business. In order to ask for a raise, you need to demonstrate how you have helped his business earn more money and why you are worth keeping.

It needs to be positive – all the good things you do for him. As soon as it is negative, you will be replaced.

4

Thirding keeping it positive. He nees to know why you are great for his bottom line. Leave the personal spending out - his could use his money for kindling and it’s not your concern.

Also, be prepared to look for another job. Since he has not established the work environment he promised, you should consider working eleswhere.

Look around and see what the market rate is for your position. Consider compromises like that half day a week in lieu of a raise.

5

When he is saying that money is tight, or that he is broke, he is referring to the company, not himself. His personal finances are not your concern.

Also, if he offered raises every 6 months, did you ask him about those raises every six months, or did you just assume they would show up on your paycheck, then feel bitter because they didn’t?

6

I’m going to reply without reading the other replies first.

Under no circumstances is it appropriate for you to mention his personal spending habits. You have no idea how much of that money is coming from his wife, or an inheritance, or simply good investments over the years. If you bring this up, you will be fired. There’s no question in my mind about that. It’s quite possible that due to the economic downturn and increased bankruptcy filings that he has been barely breaking even, or even losing money for the past couple of years. However, that doesn’t necessitate a decrease in his spending habits if he has sufficient savings and investments (which a doctor pretty much always will). Simply put, do you trust that he is telling you the truth? If not, then it’s time to find a new job based on that alone. But keep in mind that he’ll replace you quite easily in the current job market, and will likely be able to pay someone else less than he’s paying you. So you leaving would not put him out much, if at all. It might even be economically better for him to replace you. Final verdict: don’t mention his spending habits unless you want to be out on your keister. Don’t leave your current job without finding another one first, either.

Regarding whether or not you should request a raise:
An 8% raise is QUITE high. My company issues 1.5% annual increases at best, 0% at worst. Take a look at how much medical billers are making in your area (with your level of experience) and find out if you’re being paid below the average. If you are, then I believe a raise request is appropriate. If you’re being paid right about average, and you want to keep the job, then mentioning the review with a brief discussion about a potential raise would be appropriate, but do NOT sound like a money grubber (if you don’t mind losing the job, say whatever you want of course). If you’re making above average wages, keep your mouth shut (about the money, that is… it would still be appropriate to ask him to review your performance so you can see if you are where you should be).

As far as advice on how to go about requesting a raise, if you need one and should you decide to go through with it:
Again do NOT mention his lifestyle or spending habits. He’s a doctor, he probably has tons of money saved up so you don’t know where it’s coming from–nor is it your business. I believe a successful way of bringing about the idea would be to mention the reviews and salary increases you were promised (or that were implied) when he offered you employment. If he sticks to his guns and says no, then be gracious about it. And start quietly putting resumes out there.

But as an addendum, please realize that there are legions of unhappily employed people right now in similar situations to you (but still find it preferable to unemployment). You’re not a special snowflake in this regard. Medical billing is a relatively in-demand position, but with the American job market in its current state (and depending where you live), finding a replacement job may be extremely difficult or impossible.

Good luck!

7

It’s really irrelevant how much money the doctor has, what sort of lifestyle he has, or even how much money the business has (with the exception that if the business is generally hemorrhaging cash you should look for employment elsewhere where things are more stable–it isn’t the rare doctor that runs themselves out of business through bad financial decisions.) All that you should look into is what is the market compensation for someone in your position with your experience.

If you’re under market you should ask for me, and point out you’re making under what other people who do your job make. If you’re making more than market value it’ll probably be hard to get a raise. If he doesn’t give you a raise and you’re making under market value, look for another job.

8

Another in agreement with all the above - his personal expenses are none of your concern. And on the other side of that coin - His only concern should be your value to his practice/office. With all the Federal mandates starting to have an effect, it doesn’t shock me if his practice’s financials don’t seem at lucrative as the used to, which may be entering into the changes in increase rate/schedule.

That said, if true, he should be up front and let you know so you can make career choices based on reality rather than expectations.

9

(Surely that’s inflation-adjusted?)

10

There’s far too many people out of work to mess with this. If you feel you are not being compensated correctly, simply start working on your resume as soon as you’re done reading my answer.

Then apply to jobs. See what’s out there? If you get responses, great and good on you. Go for it then. If you get nothing, then well you’re gonna have to wear it, at least for awhile.

Right now employers are calling the shots, it hasn’t been like this, well since I started in the workforce in 1980. I’ve never seen it anywhere close to this bad.

At the end of the year, employers have done their budget for next year. It’s rare to find an employer who goes into November of a year without his budget not planned for next year.

So whether you are on tap for a raise has most likely been decided by your doctor and his accountant.

One thing to be aware of, if you’re getting slighted and feel shortchanged, this is often an employers way to get his/her employee to quit without having to pay unemloyment.

So get your resume in order and start looking now. Most companies don’t hire till after the new year but they will look now and ask you to wait till after the new year to start.

11

This is the reason people should read and re-read Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People; not because of the advise on how to sidle up to people and start a conversation, or how to promote your latest scheme, but Carnegie’s central theme that he hammers in again and again: See the situation from the other fellow’s point of view. It doesn’t matter if he’s spending himself in a hole, or justifying his behavior on some tenuous rationale, or even if he is intentionally yanking your chain just to keep you from confronting him about a raise. What matters (if you want to get what you want) is convincing him that it is in his best interest to offer this to you. You’ll never be right by convincing someone else they are wrong; that way likes conflict, argumentation, and defensive rationalization. Instead, you convince him that he’s more right by doing what you suggest, because it benefits him as much as it benefits you; if not fiscally, because it makes him a better employer and person, and keeps a qualified person in an important role.

In this case you might start by approaching him and saying that this is a really great place to work, you appreciate his leniency on schedules, treatment of staff, whatever (something at least vaguely sincere and appreciative, even if he is a complete raging asshole); and then follow that up with while you enjoy working there and the experience that has provided you, you’re concerned that your compensation is not keeping up with cost of living, increase in experience, et cetera. If you want to be slightly more aggressive, present him with a list of things you’ve done to improve administration of the practice (organizational improvements, cost reduction, et cetera) and how you think this has added value. He may not agree with your assessment and may turn you down, but if you are polite, respectful, but firm, it is going to be hard for him to get openly angry with you, especially if he is the passive-aggressive jerkwad you making him out to be. And then you’ll know: he’s not willing to treat you fairly regardless of circumstances, and that you need to search for another employer.

The one thing you absolutely do not want to do is confront him about his personal spending. Not only is it not any of your business, any more than your spending habits are his, but even if he’s the nicest guy in the world and just forgetful about promised raises and perqs, you’ve just suddenly and without warning thrown him on the defensive. Now he has to justify himself to you, and who the fuck are you to be accounting for how he spends his money, and why are you tracking how many vacations he goes on, why do you think you have some ethical high ground, et cetera. Putting yourself in this position, you can see how this is not only confrontational but actually offensive and personally insulting. This approach is practically guaranteed to result in hurt feelings.

Stranger

12

This advice is nearly as bad as the o.p.'s plans. One of the biggest complaints from managers is that their employees won’t come and tell them when there is a problem; they only find out about it after it has blown up. While this might reflect a disconnect between the manager and his reports, the fact is that even bad managers generally don’t like to lose an employee unless they are a complete turd. The cost to replace a lost employee or reassign their workload is just too high to dismiss someone who is even marginally competent, especially an employee who is forthright but reasonable about their expectations.

Honestly, of all the people under my aegis, the only ones I would like to see gone are the few who complain to other employees about how they are treated, badmouth coworkers they don’t like, generally shit all over group morale, and yet insist that they have no concerns or issues when I pull them in for a private conference. The guy who complains that his work is boring and he feels under-utilized? I send him off to report back with three new tasks he thinks he can take on and what training or support he needs to do it. The woman who feels that she’s not taken seriously by her coworkers because of her gender? I assign her a job to give an important briefing to a customer, and make certain she’s set up to succeed. But the fucker who tells me that it’s all sunshine and daisies, and then walks out of the office muttering under his breath about sending out resumes? I guarantee come eval time, I’m rounding down his scores instead of rounding up. Why would I invest in someone who is just going to be a continuing thorn in my side, and make me look incompetent to other employees for letting him run wildly criticizing everything?

If you want a raise and think you deserve it, then politely but firmly state your case. If you want to fume and stew without saying anything, then by all means send out your resume, as you’re doing everyone (save your future employer) a favor. But don’t think that a manager or owner intuitively knows (or frankly cares about) your disquiet and discontent if you’re not willing to state it for yourself.

Stranger

13

I don’t think standard office politics really apply in a small medical office where the largest possible clique size is 2. If you muttered in a job that small, everyone would find out. Including the owner.

No. There are no cost-of-living adjustments, everything is based on “merit,” which is to say how well you compete with coworkers in your biannual reviews. I work for a Fortune 100 company’s call center. Not sales or cold-calling, either. Inbound-only calls, straight customer service. It’s very possible to work in this department for 5 years and be making less than new hires.

14

I have changed jobs about eight times in my career and I have come to the conclusion that the only thing you can rely on is the starting salary, and you can rely on that only if it is in the offer letter (no doubt there are stories where even that has proved a lie, but it hasn’t happened to me). I have been lied to about almost everything else, so I basically ignore it. To be fair, sometimes it is not so much a lie as a policy that changes after I was hired, but there have also been outright lies.

15

  1. Lots of people haven’t been getting raises the past few years. Sucks, but that’s the reality these days.

  2. You do realize that in general, Doctors tend to earn more money than Medical Billers, right? Comparing your income to your boss’s is a non-starter.

I think Markxxx has some good points, but as Stranger countered, don’t do it behind your boss’s back. By all means, talk to him, but in a calm, friendly, non-confrontational manner. Outline the reasons you deserve a raise, and mention – not as a threat, but just a point of fact – that you may need to start looking elsewhere.

Then go ahead and see what’s out there for you. You might find you’ve been getting woefully underpaid and can bid this guy good riddance when you land a new job. Or you might find you simply can’t do any better and learn to suck it up like so many other working stiffs.

Or, go to med school.

16

Sounds hokey, but How to Win Friends and Influence People ought to be required reading. It’s the only self-helpish book I’ve ever found useful at all whatsoever.

17

Another reason to not bring up the personal spending on vacations: How do you know his family isn’t just cashing in on frequent flyer miles? Or that his sister or cousin is a travel agent and gets huge discounts? Or they don’t have family in Europe?

And, how would you like it if he responded to your request for a raise by not only saying no, but by telling you how you could more efficiently spend your money. Just cut out cable and you will have enough money for steaks. It would suck and be a terrible boundary violation. You don’t get to comment on how other people spend their money.

18

You’re missing the point. It isn’t about office politics; it is about airing any grievance or issue in an appropriate, constructive manner toward an equitable resolution. The bulk of the o.p. isn’t focused on how she can get her employer to meet her salary expectations; it is basically a rant about how he spends his money in a fashion the o.p. finds lavishly inappropriate, and how her employer has not made good on promises of raises and perqs for the last four years with no indication that the o.p. has made any effort to ask or demand these promised benefits. What I get from the o.p. is that she’s spent her term of employment silently seething over the lies, Lies!, LIES!!! :smack: that the employer has fed her, and now she’s decided to lash out at what she views as inequitable treatment and inappropriate spending. She may be on point about the employer’s pathological lying, she may be correct that he is manipulating the staff into not asking for raises, it may very well be that he’s overspending his means and causing hardship to his practice by doing so. But nothing the o.p. can say or do has control over his spending, and bringing it up is an attack that has nothing to do with what she wants or why her boss should accommodate her.

Stranger

19

We’re in agreement. My first post in this thread goes into great detail about why this is a horrible idea.

20

Um, it’s *wildly *inappropriate to bring up his personal spending. He went to med school and trained until he was 30 or more. Your skills, however, are easily replicable. Unless you have another job with better pay lined up, I suggest you keep your fool mouth shut.

-lindsaybluth, whose mother’s secretary has been with her for 24 years with competitive pay and better benefits because she is extremely professional, even when under duress. And whose father’s secretaries have numbered in the teens because they are morons just like you.

ETA:

I thought everyone had read this. Yeah, OP, read this. Then come back and tell us what you’ve learned.