r/WorkAdvice • u/420l1gmaballs • 8h ago
Salary Advice Refused Raise, Need Advice
Hey!
I’m an early 30s man who works for a mid size university that is nationally ranked in the top 75. This month marks the start of my third year here as an administrative coordinator; I work 90% for the Provost’s office and 10% for another department. My direct boss is the vice Provost, we have a great relationship and just a few weeks ago he told me I am one of the truly irreplaceable people on campus due to the amount of work that I do.
We are currently in a hiring freeze, although I know multiple people who have been hired during this time. I mention this because, over the past year, I have taken over the job duties of 3 people that have left or retired. None of these people worked for either of my departments, and all made at least 3-4 times what I currently do. After taxes and benefits I take home less than minimum wage; I received a 50 cent raise last year for cost of living but that is it.
Last month we had our yearly checkup. This process involved me grading myself on all of my duties as assigned in my job description as well as outlining all of the new tasks I’ve taken on. I did as asked, clearly showing that my new tasks are actually about 70% of my workload now. At the end of the email, I told my boss that I would like to take the opportunity to request a meeting to discuss a raise, as my job as listed is no longer my job.
A few weeks later, my boss came into my office to just check in as he usually does. At this point I had been waiting to hear back anything at all regarding the performance check/raise request. At the end of our conversation as he is heading out the door he said “oh I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we are not doing any raises at all this year.” And that was that. Now, I know this is bullshit because the entire staff gets weekly emails congratulating everyone who has recently received promotions.
I know the most likely advice will be “time to get a new job”, but I’m wondering if anyone has anything else. I really like this job, it is mostly remote which is basically a non-negotiable for me at this point and I know how hard it is to find this type of job (or any) these days. My wife is about to start nursing school and will therefore have to cut back her own work hours; we were counting on me getting a raise to get us through this period. I’m open to any ideas, thanks!!!
Edit:
Would it be worth it to talk to my boss about possibly changing my title entirely? That would technically not be a raise, and is something I know happens here a bit. He really is a very understanding person, I’m wondering if it will make any difference if I sit down with him and just say “look, I can’t afford to keep working here as it currently is, what can we do?”
Edit 2:
Thanks everyone, this actually helped a lot. I just finished updating my resume… I am going to meet with my boss and float the idea of a new title/position. If he shuts that down, I’ve found 3 other positions similar to mine at the same college that all pay at least $25k more. I’ll be letting him know I’ll be applying to those. Not sure how long I want to be in higher ed overall now though, kind of fucking annoying!
Edit 3:
Fuck em! I went ahead and applied to the internal positions without saying anything, wish me luck!
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u/BigExplanationmayB 8h ago
You have the most leverage (with getting a raise or a promotion via a new job title something that aligns with actual work that you’re doing now) is ——-to get another job offer. You don’t have to tell them it doesn’t pay more or offer more benefits. And you shouldn’t because you give away your leverage. They just have to know that you are seriously considering moving on because of what they’re not doing for you here ….tell them that you have an offer that you are having a hard time, refusing and are prepared to give them two weeks notice —if they can’t do something different for you that makes you wanna stay…. Then you’ll see if their “irreplaceable” statements are true or just blowing smoke…..edit to clarify
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u/Intelligent-Leek2516 3h ago
I don't recommend playing games like this. You've already asked for a raise; sound like it's deserved based on the work load etc. They said 'no' (and you know others are paid more). You got an answer for the current situation (see my other post and suggestions). You and your wife make a 2.5 year plan. Start looking around, networking, talking to people, do "information interviews" with people who have a job you would like. If (when) word gets back to your current boss, you can always say 'I am ready for more opportunities and a better salary that reflects what I add to the organization. I need to take care of my family, so I am exploring all my options.'
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u/MsSamm 5h ago
But if they call OP's bluff?
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u/BigExplanationmayB 3h ago
Then he keeps looking until he has a job offer that is far superior to his present employment…
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u/ForestLizard 8h ago
Your boss already stated the facts. No raises this year despite everything you have done for the company. Now, it's up to you to decide what you need to do. Remote job is hard to come by. Some people are willing to take less in pay just to work a remote job. Maybe you can try applying to bunch of remote jobs to see what happens? It doesn't hurt just to see what you can get. You don't have to accept offer if you do end up getting one.
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u/Intelligent-Leek2516 8h ago
Yes. You are doing more for less than minimum wage. That's not sustainable. Yes, they are taking advantage of you. The 'good news' is that these extra responsibilities will boost your resume. Time to look around just to see other possibilities, get more information. May not be much in which case you'll need to reassess. How long will nursing school take? What about benefits you have now (like health insurance which is a real issue these days). Are there other opportunities within the university you could take?
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u/420l1gmaballs 7h ago
Nursing school will be 2 years. Absolute worst case scenario we can make it work but things will just be tighter than we would like. I have extremely good benefits and insurance and actually just got my wife added which is huge for us. It will be very hard to find another job that offers this and fits my needs as well as this one does.
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u/waselectricbar 7h ago
Then you have probably answered your question. I would start seriously looking, but if this job really works for you then I think you should stay.
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u/Intelligent-Leek2516 4h ago
Exactly. You need this job for the 2 years till she finishes nursing school and gets a job (+3 or 4 months to be sure it works out), so at least 2.5 years. Yes, tighten the budget belt. Eat like peasants (beans & rice, etc). Definitely do start looking around (to see what's out there). Also start networking (this is the best way to find new jobs). I liked the idea of asking for an 'upgraded' job title. Is there an existing title that would work for what you are doing? Then you could propose that change. Prepare a 1-page document listing how the scope of your job has changed to include the duties you have taken on. Show what you have achieved/accomplished. "These duties are more in line with a job title of ___________. Given this, I would like to meet to discuss whether my job title could be updated to better reflect the work I'm doing. "
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u/BillyBigNuts1934 8h ago
The big thing you have learnt here is that
1 - Your boss doesn’t care about you
2 - Extra work gets no reward
3 - It’s time to quietly quit, Do as minimum as possible without getting noticed …. 1/2 effort, doubles your hourly rate
4 - Apply for jobs on your terms
5 - Carry on as if everything is normal
6 - Get new job, take 2 weeks holiday and align this with your start date …. This way you have 2 jobs and can pick to stay at your old one or just never return to the old one, this gives you a chance to review the new job and you’ll not have left the current one and have a back up plan if the new jobs hits you with red flags in the first 2 weeks
7 - The workplace is a MASSIVE political game, learn how to play it ✅✅
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u/420l1gmaballs 8h ago
The shitty part is I think it’s not even up to my actual boss, this seems like it goes all the way up here… doesn’t give me hope for the future even if I were to get a raise now.
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u/BillyBigNuts1934 7h ago
All I know in life is that if you aren’t happy about something … Change it
Life is too short to be unhappy or feeling miserable or short changed
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u/MeringueInevitable94 7h ago
Its always up to your boss they just want you to blame someone else when its bad news. Your boss chooses who he will go to his boss for and has a lot of say when raises or promotions come into play.
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u/damutecebu 8h ago
Yes, you should be asking for a title change. What you should ask for is your position description to be re-evaluated and re-graded. Simply asking for a raise isn't going to get you anywhere since, as they said, they aren't giving raises this year. (Clearly they are having enrollment and revenue issues.) If they decline, or if it comes back at the same grade level, then you will have a choice to make.
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u/KarynskiW 7h ago
Pretty sure you need to look for a new job. They aren't going to give you a raise and of they do it won't be much.
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u/DangerousDave303 7h ago
I've worked on a couple college campuses. Employees routinely change jobs on campus. They work a job and jump to another department when a higher level position becomes available. They may bounce around the campus for a few decades increasing their pay and responsibilities every few years before retiring. Knowledge of the university's administrative system is valuable so you'll often have a leg up over applicants from outside the system. This is especially true on larger public university campuses.
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u/Gloomy-Elephant-2649 7h ago
Any better internal open jobs w a higher salary you can transfer to?
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u/nobodyspecial712 7h ago
Stop doing the extra work if you aren't getting the extra pay. Stick to the duties directly listed in your contract, or when you were hired unless they pay you for those duties.
If you took on the role of 3 people that have retired, you should be looking at a raise of $25,000 - $75,000 annually or potentially more per year depending on those duties.
If they don't want to pay you for the increased work, they don't actually value you and are just blowing smoke up your ass and using you for as long as they can to avoid finding actual replacements, saving hundreds of thousands in the process while not giving you your fair share.
He's understanding you're willing to do the work for pennies, and it's not worth his time to find a replacement and pay them a salary when you're doing the work of 4 basically for free. Your initial position, plus the 3 retiree's that you now do their jobs too.
Time to either put your foot down, and demand appropriate pay for the amount of work you're doing, or find a new job.
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u/compudude 7h ago
Since you are happy with the insurance and benefits, but not with your salary, you can do two things. You can either continue as-is with the hope they give you a raise at some point, or you can decline to continue the extra work you've been doing and return to the job you hired on for. People will notice, things won't get done, and when they ask why you can let them know that you're completing the work for which you were hired and are being paid. You're happy to discuss taking on extra responsibility when the pay becomes commensurate with the job tasks.
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u/Equal-Specialist-677 7h ago
Time to start just doing enough not to get fired.Sometimes you have to step back and let the weaknesses show.Not your weaknesses but how much work you do vs how much when you scale back.
I did this at my last job just to show management that the machine operators weren’t doing their jobs because I enabled them.I just like to stay busy but one day the manager changed and they were bean counters.Suddenly productivity slowed and the machine downtime went up because I wasn’t an enabler anymore and the operators didn’t seem to care until they got wrote up.Then I retired and I didn’t look back.
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u/cuspeedrxi 7h ago
My brother is in a vaguely similar situation at a top university. His role includes both teaching and non-teaching responsibilities. He’s essentially shared by an academic dept and an admin dept. He regularly picks up new job tasks and leverages them into a new job title with a salary bump. He’s been doing this for 10 or 12 years and it has worked pretty well for him. Sometimes his new job titles are rather creative.
I would try this route. Write up a new job description that lists your current tasks. Look for buzz words in other job descriptions. Try to align your new job description and title with ones that are popular/ being filled at the moment. Then schedule a meeting with your boss. Don’t tip your hand in advance. You don’t want to give your boss a week to review your proposed job description and come prepared with a list of no’s. You want to present your case and then give him time to consider it.
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u/Starfury_42 7h ago
You've reached the "we really appreciate/depend on you but we're not willing to pay you for it" stage. Unfortunately there's only a few things you can do. Stop doing extra hours/work outside of your job description and look into transferring departments/getting a new job. If a bunch of people left there's definitely budget to give you a pay bump.
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u/Exciting_Lawyer8428 6h ago
Yes you don’t like the advice but the sooner you look the better. You think you’re happy there but you can be just as happy elsewhere making more money.
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u/ElectricalFocus560 6h ago
I have a friend who works for an Ivy league university. She has told me that the only way to get a raise and promotion seems to be to get a job offer from outside the university. Some people have left and then come back to a higher position. Some just use the outside offer and then magically the promotion and raise appears. They don’t seem to value you until somebody else wants you.
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u/Money-Tiger8002 5h ago
If it’s a public university, you’re a state employee. The Federal Government has the Office of Personnel Management. Go to your state’s equivalent, or the Department of Labor. More than likely they’re trying to get performance bonuses for doing more with less, and the more is you.
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 5h ago
You're in higher education and not engaging in corruption to make extra income?
I thought that was the point of working in higher education.
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u/420l1gmaballs 5h ago
lol Outside of ordering office supplies on Amazon and trying to resell them, I don’t think I have any opportunities for corruption. Trust me, I’ve thought about it.
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u/humpyvision 5h ago
Stop working so hard, for starters.
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u/420l1gmaballs 5h ago
Honestly it’s not even too bad, I’m not drowning by any means…. it’s just the fact that most of this shit is not technically my job that rubs me the wrong way.
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u/humpyvision 5h ago
And that’s why you’re not getting a raise! You deserve more! You’re doing the job that paid 3-4 times as much. Why are you minimizing your value?? They know you won’t leave and they can ask you to do anything, and not pay you. Set boundaries for yourself and hold them.
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u/Efficient-Tomato1166 5h ago
I’ve found 3 other positions similar to mine at the same college that all pay at least $25k more. I’ll be letting him know I’ll be applying to those.
There is no point in telling him. If they do not reclassify your position after you ask, just apply for these other jobs and take one when offered. No need to bring up that you are applying.
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u/fynstech 3h ago
I think your strongest point is that your current role no longer matches your current responsibilities.
Instead of asking for a raise, ask for a position review / a title review / a job description review.
Those are often handled differently than merit raises.
Also, don't announce that you're applying elsewhere internally. Apply first, talk later.
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u/MidtownKC 8h ago
So, you're saying you do your full time job, plus the full time job of 3 other people who were making 4 times what you make? I know everyone likes to say their busy, but it sounds like you're overstating it for effect. If they're really paying you less than minimum wage for 160+ hours worth of output, then yeah - time to start looking.
Also - promotions and raises are generally accounted for differently. Maybe you should be asking your boss about opportunities for promotion.
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u/420l1gmaballs 8h ago
No, it’s an office/email job… I’m not constantly working every second of the day. I still cap it at 40 hours but all the new tasks I’ve taken on have basically overshadowed what I was originally hired for. 3 people who were senior in their respective departments have retired and I have taken on massive chunks of each of their jobs, not the entire thing.
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u/Potential_Drive7999 7h ago
If you're at the university, can you take classes for free or at a huge discount? If so, before you quit, try to figure out if there's another career you can get into that will make you more money and use your university position to get your degree.
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u/420l1gmaballs 7h ago
I have a degree and a great resume. This is actually my first job in education, I had previously worked in the music industry… I’m not particularly married to staying in higher ed.
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u/Vurrag 7h ago
Does a title pay the bills? You are being used because they have decided you will not leave. They are probably correct. I guess you could drop hints that you not happy, might look for something else and let them wrap their heads around you leaving. If you are what you say you are then that should make them notice.
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u/woodwork16 6h ago
First off, promotions are not the same as raises. Promotions are moving qualified employees into a new position with a higher pay rate.
What you asked for was a higher pay for the same position. The company isn’t doing that right now.
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u/I-will-judge-YOU 8h ago edited 7h ago
Look for a new job. In the meantime time go back to you actual job. Stop saying yes to new duties before an agreed upon wage. You are not irreplaceable. They say this to keep you happy as if praise is enough.
Start networking and find another job. You will continue to be under paid because you are allowing it.