Equal outcome raise denied?

Hansolo

Hansolo

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So my work promised a raise this year if I met certain requirements. I managed to pass all the requirements but when it was time for the raise. They said I did qualify for the raise but they can't give it to me as it wouldn't be fair to the other associates as I would be earning more than them. Because of a Government labour law that requires an equal opportunity of income/outcome? The only thing in my favour is seniority or senility I guess? What about keeping up with inflation etc oh well. : (

FML

Anyone heard of this BS before?
 
Can't say it's the first time I'm hearing of a company pulling the classic bait 'n switch. Sorry man
 
Hansolo said:
So my work promised a raise this year if I met certain requirements. I managed to pass all the requirements but when it was time for the raise. They said I did qualify for the raise but they can't give it to me as it wouldn't be fair to the other associates as I would be earning more than them. Because of a Government labour law that requires an equal opportunity of income/outcome? The only thing in my favour is seniority or senility I guess? What about keeping up with inflation etc oh well. : (

FML

Anyone heard of this BS before?
Click to expand...
Pretty convenient how they "remembered" this so-called "law" after you met all their requirements. Never heard of anything like a law like that in this country, people get paid extra for the same job for all sorts of reasons (not least because they are sometimes better at negotiating).
 
Hansolo said:
So my work promised a raise this year if I met certain requirements. I managed to pass all the requirements but when it was time for the raise. They said I did qualify for the raise but they can't give it to me as it wouldn't be fair to the other associates as I would be earning more than them. Because of a Government labour law that requires an equal opportunity of income/outcome? The only thing in my favour is seniority or senility I guess? What about keeping up with inflation etc oh well. : (

FML

Anyone heard of this BS before?
Click to expand...

This doesn't fit with you earning more than other associates? If you all had the same opportunity to fulfill requirements for a raise but others failed to rise to the opportunity then there is zero unfairness in you getting a raise.

P.S. I don't believe in equal outcome at all but I do believe in equal opportunity.
 
Neuk_ said:
This doesn't fit with you earning more than other associates? If you all had the same opportunity to fulfill requirements for a raise but others failed to rise to the opportunity then there is zero unfairness in you getting a raise.

P.S. I don't believe in equal outcome at all but I do believe in equal opportunity.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the support guys. At least I don't feel so bad. I tried to query it again and now they say I've been salary capped so I can't get any more money for the position I'm in. Geez sounds so dodgy. I never heard of this BS before? *shrugs*
 
Hansolo said:
Thanks for the support guys. At least I don't feel so bad. I tried to query it again and now they say I've been salary capped so I can't get any more money for the position I'm in. Geez sounds so dodgy. I never heard of this BS before? *shrugs*
Click to expand...

Time to look for a new employer it seems.
 
Better than the twists I got at my previous employer, you've been promoted, where's the money oh it's a parallel move so there isn't any. Oh right yeah going from a support jockey on the phones to managing the backend servers is a parallel move?
 
Yeah. One thing you never mess with is with peoples' income. :( If they're willing to o that, you'll find they are willing to do other stuff as well.

I bet you if you asked the other associates, you'll probably find you're not even the highest paid.
 
Well your other colleagues do have an equal opportunity to achieve everything you did and get the same raise. Nothing stopping them. A total BS answer.
 
Hansolo said:
So my work promised a raise this year if I met certain requirements. I managed to pass all the requirements but when it was time for the raise. They said I did qualify for the raise but they can't give it to me as it wouldn't be fair to the other associates as I would be earning more than them. Because of a Government labour law that requires an equal opportunity of income/outcome? The only thing in my favour is seniority or senility I guess? What about keeping up with inflation etc oh well. : (

FML

Anyone heard of this BS before?
Click to expand...

Ask them to put all of this in writing.
If you want to watch them squirm a bit, tell them you going to get your lawyer to look at this;)
 
If it makes you feel better, my increase for the last 10 years has been based on other's performance, or inflation...but never more than inflation.
 
In SA if you are in a union for a low level job you definitely get salary according to what the union negotiates irrespective of individual performance. Its the main reason I would never join a union. Professional jobs do not work the same, the way they work is salary bands.

So say for a job like developer you have a salary band, where a junior new employee can earn 30K, and the most senior dev will earn say 60K and be at the top of the band. Thing is the bands are there as hard caps, and even with great performance you may just be at the top of your band and get nothing. I have seen it happen here at an investment bank where a previous head of department really valued quant skills as he was a quant and managed to adjust the salaries of a few quants way above the rest of our floor. The next leader rightly noticed they where overpaid relative to the value they added and where over the top of a reasonable salary band so no matter how well they performed they got lowish increases.

If you want better pay you need a new job with a higher salary band, or you need to shift companies to find a higher band for the same work. For instance a developer working for a retail organisation might have a top band of 60K. A developer working for an investment bank might have a band cap of 90K, but be expected to learn some additional skills. I am guessing you work for a PWC/KPMG etc type outfit? If so the type of thing you are experiencing is very common. My brother is going through the same crap. Out performing everyone at his level with even management agreeing but they still pay him the same as all the other associates as those be the rules and all that crap. Still, it means you are more likely to move up through the ranks, get overseas opportunities perhaps, things like that.
 
Hansolo said:
Thanks for the support guys. At least I don't feel so bad. I tried to query it again and now they say I've been salary capped so I can't get any more money for the position I'm in. Geez sounds so dodgy. I never heard of this BS before? *shrugs*
Click to expand...

Sounds like some of the BS I was fed when I unfortunately ended up being employed by one of the larger IT companies in SA. As soon as I was offered a job elsewhere, I was out of there and have never looked back.
 
Cius said:
In SA if you are in a union for a low level job you definitely get salary according to what the union negotiates irrespective of individual performance. Its the main reason I would never join a union. Professional jobs do not work the same, the way they work is salary bands.

So say for a job like developer you have a salary band, where a junior new employee can earn 30K, and the most senior dev will earn say 60K and be at the top of the band. Thing is the bands are there as hard caps, and even with great performance you may just be at the top of your band and get nothing. I have seen it happen here at an investment bank where a previous head of department really valued quant skills as he was a quant and managed to adjust the salaries of a few quants way above the rest of our floor. The next leader rightly noticed they where overpaid relative to the value they added and where over the top of a reasonable salary band so no matter how well they performed they got lowish increases.

If you want better pay you need a new job with a higher salary band, or you need to shift companies to find a higher band for the same work. For instance a developer working for a retail organisation might have a top band of 60K. A developer working for an investment bank might have a band cap of 90K, but be expected to learn some additional skills. I am guessing you work for a PWC/KPMG etc type outfit? If so the type of thing you are experiencing is very common. My brother is going through the same crap. Out performing everyone at his level with even management agreeing but they still pay him the same as all the other associates as those be the rules and all that crap. Still, it means you are more likely to move up through the ranks, get overseas opportunities perhaps, things like that.
Click to expand...

Salary should be linked to value added/performance and not some predetermined band, else you run the risk of losing your most valuable employee's and end with those that do what they need to according to their salary band.
 
Cius said:
In SA if you are in a union for a low level job you definitely get salary according to what the union negotiates irrespective of individual performance. Its the main reason I would never join a union.
Click to expand...

But it does not matter if you are a member or not, if your job title fall under the bargaining unit you get what the bargaining unit negotiates on behalf of everybody.
 
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