I have been with my current company for seven years and I have averaged a $1 raise each year I have worked here. 7 years, $7. I want to acknowledge the fact that I realize I have it better than many people and am speaking from a position of some privilege as some folks get no raises. If that is you, I'm sorry and you deserve better.
I started at an entry level assembly technician position with no experience as I had previously only done customer service and retail. I learned quickly and became the best assembly tech in the department and was put into the lead position when our previous lead left (no raise for that “promotion”). A time came where they had an open CNC machinist position and the lead at that time straight up offered me the job because he saw how good of an employee I was and he wanted me in his department. I took the offer and excelled at that role as well, enough that years later after I had become a designer, they brought me back into the shop for seven weeks to train the machinists because their quality and efficiency were abysmal and I knew their job better than they did.
After I learned machining I wanted to learn how to do computer drafting so I spent my free time after work learning the software. I then applied for an open position in our design department and got hired on where I have worked for the last 3+ years. I've improved a ton from when I started designing and whenever I touch base with my boss about performance he says I'm a great employee and he doesn't want to lose me.
Around the same time I got hired into design 3 years ago, we hired another guy. He is in college for mechanical engineering but he had no experience working in the field. He was hired on for fifty cents less than I was. At this point, I had been with the company for 4 years.
We hired another guy on about a year and a half ago. He had some experience working in the field but even now, after a year and a half he still asks people (including me) questions about the most basic design work. He makes the same amount as me.
The guy that started at the same time as me just got a $4 raise and now makes $2.50 more than I do. Me and the newest guy got the same $1 cost of living raise so we are still paid the same. I'm not mad about the guy getting a $4 raise, in fact, I'm actually happy for him. He stepped up his game this past year and learned a lot to where he has surpassed me in design ability. I think he deserves that raise. Still, I've been here four years longer than him and worked my way up from the bottom. I feel like I shouldn't be making $2.50 less than he is. He got over half my seven years worth of raises in one year.
The company said that this year was the biggest amount they have ever allotted for raises and part of that was to bring up people who were underpaid for their role. somehow none of that came my direction. Either I'm underpaid or those two are overpaid. (I actually think we are all underpaid for the work we do but that's a different story.)
I got a job offer at a different company making $5 more per hour with way better benefits and bonuses. My boss was surprised when I told him I was leaving. Both he and the $4 raise guy are telling me there is money to be made at this company if I pull myself up by my bootstraps and improve/learn new skills. They want me to learn to program the machines now after one of our programmers left. I'm guessing that they can't find a replacement for him for what they are offering as that's been an issue with this company since I started and that employees wage was the reason he left. They want me to learn it so I can do it for my wage and they won't have to pay someone else for a full time position. Why would I get a good raise for learning programming when that wasn't the case when I learned machining or design? They have created a mentality in me that I should do the bare minimum because working hard and excelling will not be rewarded.
I explained to my boss that from my estimation, I can either take a job at a better company making $5 more an hour right now and be at a higher wage with raises over five years or I can stay here for 5 more years to make the same that I can get right now. It's a no brainer.
I also explained to him that I view this situation as if I've never been given a raise in 7 years because if I were hired for the same job today, I would be paid the same as I'm currently at the entry level wage for a designer which is insulting.
Anyway, I just wanted to vent and get other peoples thoughts on the situation. There is so much more that I could write but this is already bloated and rambling.
If you read through all of this, Rock n' stone!
TLDR: New employees are paid the same or more than me for the same (or less) work even though I've been here for 7 years and worked my way up from the bottom. Boss and coworker tell me if I work harder I will see a bigger raise not realizing I have already done that and received no extra compensation.