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Raises? 1

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TDAA

TDAA

Geotechnical
Jul 28, 2005
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So, just a quick poll, How mny got raises this year, in this economic climate?

My company is not doing any raises for anyone, including me, of course? This goes for the people working for me.

Some are hapy to just have a job at this point, others want to see an increase that the profit (loss) does not seem to be able to support.

So, how about you?
 
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Heavily populated areas as well. NYC Tri-State Area is booming as Utilites scramble to meet the new electrical/steam/gas demands. The advent of this "new nuclear age" is also causing the major companies to pull away from fossil plants leaving us little guys with a lot more work too.
 
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my story:
i'm working for this A&E firm since 1.5 year. Main industry we're providing: semiconductors and photovoltaic. Got my EIT licence this year. Prior to this job, i worked 8 years. Degree BS in mech eng. I make 60k and am located in the Bay Area. All the payscale.com and asme.com salary surveys tell me i'm on the far left side of the Bell curve.... No raise whatsovere so far, even with good evaluations. This month is when they typically adjust our salary re: inflation. Inflation last year was, i believe, 4%. So if i don't get a 4% raise on my next paycheck, i'm gonna be cranky!

Process - Piping
 
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Don't want to say exact value as there's a couple of members here from my place but suffice to say a bit shy of double digits, the highest in engineering at our site apparantly.

I'm pretty sure most of this was due to taking on extra responsibility and the fact I was not yet at 'mid level' for my job level according to Radford.

Basically as I understand it we're all assigned Radford job titles. Our pay is then compared to the average for those titles. Company goal is not to be paying above mid range. So people already at mid range with no promotion prospects got small or no raises. People at the bottom got larger and combined with extra responsibility I got high single figures.

Industry is semiconductor/scientific research equipment, Santa Barbara. Overal the company, especially one of the divisions at my site, is struggling a little. However they already had lay-offs and massively increased health benefits so they didn't feel they could not give pay raises too.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
 
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I've had, in the past, similar setups; horribly demotivating for someone who's already to the right of the median line. This type of approach appears to be designed to force higher paid, hence, previously more productive, people to leave in disgust. Seems to me to be a silly approach, from a long term success perspective for the company, since all they'll ever have around are lower paid, less experienced staff.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
 
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IRstuff, I agree. If you don't want to pay more than average wages then surely you'll end up with at best average staff.

That said we do have a technical as well as management track so there is some chance for promotion without becoming full time management. Although in practice there are far more VPs in the management structure than 'Fellows' in the technical structure. In fact I think the only Fellow left several months ago and we still have probably 10+ VPs!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
 
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Oh yeah, had our first quarterly profit sharing for about a year in Q1. It was about enough for a family dinner somewhere like Olive Garden.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
 
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my company aims to be at the 75% percentile or better (I can't remember the exact target). based on some of the above, they're probably doing pretty well at that.
 
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Does as much tea as you can drink count?

I dont know what this years raise will be, last year was 6%. But the CEO has advised all the staff that there is a downturn in oil and gas, with less money available to pay staff with, so it wont be as much as that.

They also seem to be extending the period between reviews, its at fourteen months now.
 
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Downturn in oil and gas?!

The world would like to have a talk with your CEO and his moronic statement. If that's the best reason he could come up with to not give you a raise, he's either an idiot or he thinks you guys are. Either way, I'd have to think twice about continuing to work there.

Seriously? A downturn in oil and gas?

FULL

OF

CRAP
 
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The argument they use is that although oil is at a record high, the cost of doing business is also at record highs. The costs of developing fields have spiralled, subcontactors are demanding more money, as are governments. Therefore they difference between income and costs is less than it was a few years ago. Hence a shortage of money. Plus they trade in dollars and pay in pounds.


 
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In the same way that large companies hire people to find good things (these days read "green") about their products, I'm convinced they hire people to think up plausible reasons for low pay awards.

- Steve
 
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Since i consider myself as being an average guy, i'd be really happy with an average pay.. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case..
I remember our CEO telling us earlier this year that the company made a xx millions $$ profit last year, but that money is used to pay the salaries.. Total BS, imo. Salaries are paid by the client, when they pay for our services!

More than half of the people left the company this year. I'm starting to see why...

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I just heard a story from a co-worker (admin, not engr). At her previous job, the supervisor told her group, "I had some merit money, but I didn't think any of you deserved it, so I gave it back."

Talk about yer fine motivational techniques.

Hg

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GOSH ...I'm embarrassed to say ...I got a 12% raise! I'm working for a semi new company with a lot of Mideast oil projects. We were just winding up our first major project the getting the drawings ready to go, and I took a finally look at them! I've been complaining to the project engineer for a number of months to no avail. SO I went into the main bosses’ office to complaint about this work ...I told him it was "frustrating" working here because NOBODY knew what good drawing looked like! ...And what we are issuing, if I was a drafting teacher, would give a D- grade!!!(I was pretty P.O.'d at the time! *G*) He just looked at me for a minute (my better sense had come back to me and I was holding my breath ...thinking I had gone too far with my rebuke.) Then he asks "When was your last raise?" I'm thinking negative here so started getting hot again and shot back …"I've NEVER had a raise here since I started!" ...He quickly said he'll talk with the accountant and put me in for a raise! ...Could have knocked me over with a feather!! ...He went on to say "We appreciate your experience!" ...todate NOTHING has been done about doing the drawings, we have another large project looming, and I suspect my raise was just to smooth my ruffled feathers!!? *G* …Which aren’t so smooth anymore!
 
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I got a 3% raise but I am a young engineer. Last year was very good to us, this year we are hurting. The high fuel prices have defiantly hit the aviation industry HARD.

My father who works in the same field refused to tell me the raise he got but he did clear a +60k bonus for the year. Not too shabby, then again he is the GM. At least it is something to look forward to.
 
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Ivymike, I would say that is pretty much true. We have been losing people to competitors as we pay on the lower end of the wage scale. If the annual raises come out as poor as implied/anticipated I expect a large number will be indicating their dissatisfaction with their feet.

I think the comments were made to maximise profit at the expense of staff. I could be wrong but if that is the way it turns out then it is very short sighted on the managements part.
 
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