6 Possible Reasons You Didn’t Get A Raise

So, the first quarter of the year is gone and you know with all conviction that you deserve a raise, but you got your paycheque and it’s the same figures you know by heart. That’s quite disheartening and even worse if your other colleagues got raises. But we are not here to remind you of your heartache, we are here to help you understand why you didn’t get a raise and how to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

You do only what’s expected of you

It’s okay to remind yourself what you are being paid to do daily. But be certain sticking to that status quo isn’t going to a get you a raise. You need to prove that you can bring in extra value to the organisation by contributing more. The goal here is not to meet expectations but to supersede expectations of your employer and/or management.

Fix: Volunteer More. Take on tasks that aren’t particularly listed in your job description. Be careful too, your employers know when you’re just keeping up appearances and trying to only get in the spotlight.

You didn’t ask

We all agree with your thought. Your employer is supposed to wake up with you on their mind someday and give you a raise. We love that version of how things should be. But in our opinion, you often need to grow a backbone to get the extra zeros into our pay cheque.

Fix: You have to ask politely and sensitively. Be sure it’s a good time for your organisation. If you feel you have been keeping up your end of the deal and performing like you should and you are also due for a raise then do yourself some good and ask.

You’re asking for too much

Picture this: You have a conversation with a friend who works in the same industry as you do, and you find he earns more than you do, so the next day you walk up yo HR and demand a raise… Does that sound familiar? Or this one, you wake up, realise your age and working experience and then ask for a ridiculous amount There’s a market price for every level, sometimes it’s a little above or a little below.

Fix: Find the market price for your level and maybe start with a 20% increase and take it from there. You might get lucky with a 50% too, but don’t think of pulling a 200 or 300 percent.

It’s their fault, not yours

We completely admit that sometimes it’s all them and not you. The company is probably not generating enough income to give raises. The company may be indebted or dealing with some financial issue, and may have difficulty giving raises at the time. They may also be a bunch of users and decide that no one deserves a raise.

Fix: Check that it’s not a financially sensitive time for the organisation.If they are just in the habit of using people, start looking in other places while giving your best where you are.

You perform below par

It a fair deal to meet expectations, but it’s a loss to the organisation if you perform below par and don’t even meet up. You become very dispensable and automatically become the weaker link of your team, and weak links don’t get raises. If you give your bosses the impression that you don’t take your job seriously, they won’t take your pay seriously.

Fix: Be more proactive. Spot problems and find their solutions before your employers do. Brainstorm great ideas in line with an ongoing project and present it to your team lead before anyone else has time to figure it out.

You take work stuff to social media

Remember that bank guy that tweeted about not liking his job and then losing it entirely, well that’s real. Your bosses are on social media too. Leave work stuff at work. If you’re always venting about your job, it shows that you don’t care about the reputation of your organisation. Not only will this not earn you a raise, it can also take your job from you.

Fix: Whatever happens at work stays at work. Except it’s a praise or in defence, don’t jump on any social media conversation about your organisation. It might seem really juicy as a trend, but don’t do it. It’s a trap! We repeat, don’t do it!

Don’t ever feel unqualified for a raise except you know you aren’t doing so well or you have just joined the organisation and you’re not due for one. Work smarter and harder than your bosses expect you to. Share some of your experiences with us on what you had to do to get a raise.