# Promotion, No Raise **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695 "2019-05-09T02:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/21 "2019-05-10T22:02:53Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > What most people don’t understand is that the main purpose of HR is to save the company money. Whether that means keeping the company from being sued or paying the least amount for decent help, it still boils down to money. And by adapting policies of only giving raises during the annual review, and by capping raises at 5% (or whatever), they deflect discussion about merit raises. HR doesn’t set the salary pool for raises, top management does that, and HR just implements it. Actually all the places I’ve worked, all big companies, the department got a pot of money which could be distributed sometimes under certain rules. Also, raises did get given out once a year, except when someone was promoted. I’m in favor of that. People may fantasize asking and getting raises in the middle of the year, but would probably happen is that most people would get no raises at all, except for a few loudmouths. It would probably wind up increasing the gender gap even more than it is. Managers aren’t limited in giving performance feedback to once a year, but lots of them don’t even like doing it that often. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/22 "2019-05-10T22:52:31Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Time to dust off your resume and get a better job. I just want to point out that it’s a good idea to review and update your resume annually. I’ve always recommended that you should do this just before your annual performance appraisal. For one thing, it’s helpful during the appraisal session. For another, if the appraisal really pisses you off, it’s of some comfort to know that your resume is ready to go out to other employers. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/23 "2019-05-11T05:22:14Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I was never so insulted than when I worked hard at my current job for two years, and at my first review I received a raise that amounted to ten dollars a week more. A friend of mine responded to that situation by blurting out “Golly, now little Jimmy can get a pair of shoes!” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/24 "2019-05-11T13:11:30Z")
Twice now, I’ve served as “Acting Medical Director” for my healthcare system with over 23,000 rather specialized patients. Once for 9 months, and once for 11 months. It was full of aggravation and stress, and I didn’t get a dime more than my standard salary for it, because our public sector government run system doesn’t work that way, despite the fact that the Medical Director salary is about 14% greater than my salary. I did get a lot of ‘attaboys’ and all that, and the eventual Medical Directors I helped interview and choose did defer to me, and came to me a lot for institutional knowledge. They also let me run my area pretty much the way I wanted. But money is the sincerest form of flattery. Never again. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/25 "2019-05-11T15:46:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > A friend of mine responded to that situation by blurting out “Golly, now little Jimmy can get a pair of shoes!” Not anymore. All the Payless stores are gone. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/26 "2019-05-13T15:34:14Z")
I got one of these a while back. Within a year or so, I got a raise to the midpoint of my new pay grade - about an 11% bump. Then again, in my case I’d asked for the promotion at my review (because my responsibilities matched a fellow with a better job title who was just leaving) and didn’t ask for a pay raise. Not exactly apples and oranges, but a little different. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695/27 "2019-05-13T17:13:35Z")
> [@poweroftheglory](#): > > I feel so frustrated and angry. > > At the end of last year, I received a major promotion with a title change from Lab Technician to Senior R&D Chemist and I am currently making the same amount of money I was last year when I had much less responsibility. There was a slight pay bump, but I lost my cell phone/travel allowance which has completely negated the supposed 3% raise. I have been working toward this promotion for almost two years and now feel that I have wasted my time. My company has been purchased by another company earlier this year so hopefully I’ll get on the their pay scale within a couple of months, but I do not feel optimistic. > > Anyone else have this situation? Yup, happened to me three years ago. I resigned over it and got a new job. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotion-no-raise/833695.md?page=1)