Do you think my pay raise is enough?

Question

I am an office manager for a company that owns 12 retail stores. I get a pay raise every year. This year my raise was only .60 cents. Does this sound like enough? I work every day, 40 hours a week. Has anyone else ever gotten a small raise like this or no raise at all? I know I should count myself lucky because everyone else here only get .25 to .50 cents, but I would like to know what you think.

Answer 1

A pay raise of $1,248 per year is pretty good if you're making $20,000 per year (6.24%), but not so good if you're making $60,000 per year (2.08%). Generally, you'd probably expect to get a 3-4% raise per year to at least keep up with inflation -I don't know how much you make, but it sounds like it's in that range. It also appears that the others' increases of $0.25 to $0.50 per hour may also be in this range.

Still, pay raises are not mandatory or guaranteed. The best way to increase your pay is to make yourself more valuable through education, experience, ability, connections, etc. Someone who demonstrably adds value to the company's bottom line will be able command a much higher compensation than someone who just shows up to do their hourly job.

Twenty-five years ago, I remember working for $3.35/hour, and getting a $0.15/hour raise. Rather than be insulted, I decided that this was a wake-up call motivating me to finish college as quickly as possible - and I did. I'm not saying that everyone should go to college - just that life's generally a little easier when you're not working on an hourly basis. If you're really motivated, ask what you need to do to get to a salaried position and contribute more to the company - don't just ask how you can make more per hour. Your employers will hopefully appreciate your motivation, ambition, and expresssed aspirations. Good luck.

Answer 2

If you're making $20 an hour, that would be 3%, which is about an average raise.

Count yourself lucky if you get a raise every year - many people don't. And since you got more than the other people there, you're probably doing OK.

Answer 3

i once got a 6 cent raise i told em to go take it and pee up a tree, i walked out on the job what an insult..........so id be happy with the 60 cents