Had to share my experience after reading some of the posts here … Long story but you might enjoy it if you like seeing greedy bosses panicked in to paying their staff a lot more. Salaries and most other numbers in annual terms. Didn't happen in the U.S.
TLDR at the bottom
Small company with 5 staff (including Boss).
Company lucks out with a bucketful of new work worth $500K+ in revenue. We'd usually need at least one more person to add to the team to meet the extra workload right? Wrong as Boss says let's see if we can manage this within our existing time capabilities.
Her second in command who is the most technically sound & responsible for QC understands this ain't worth it and quits rightaway. This leaves 3 of us mid to junior staff (I'm the most experienced of the trio) to do existing plus all the new work. As Boss is more of a relationships/BD person and a terrific salesperson but can't do the actual work (think IT trying to be vague with industry) at all having never done the grunt work in decades.
Us dumbasses all being in our 20s feel bad about the situation and do our best. During this time, Boss puts ads out for a Graduate role but we never seem to be able to hire someone. What about the senior guy we should replace too? Conveniently forgotten. Supposedly no right fit.
Anyway with a lot of overtime, self learning and zero help from Boss, we make it. She is beaming away about how this is the best team she has ever had. And how this is the most profitable year her company has had. Since senior guy left so big expenses drop and way more money came in from all the new work.
Everyone's hoping for a good review. And we all get great comments. But not much money. I go from $60K to $66K which is measly. Already underpaid as it is and getting jackshit more after a terrible year. Ask to at least bump to $70K which is $4K more in a year we know she pocketed well over $350K in additional profits, she says nah let's aim for that next year. To add insult to injury, she says “looks like we don't need any more staff since we made it through” … WTF we struggled through nearly a year to see improvements not to keep that normal forever.
Immediately throw my resume out there. A couple of months later an interview works great in this larger company. I am a great candidate based on an earlier role <so this low paying role was effectively a waste of time> … And I am offered $90K.
I let my coworkers know who are totally understanding. Let Boss know in a discussion. Keeping things civil. She says ah that is gonna be hard on a small company and all that. Offers to match salary. I say nah that is a bigger company and better opportunity. Then she says will push me to $100K to beat it and promises bonuses that could be 10% of annual salary (which admittedly is a lot). But then i say you couldn't give me $4K more a few months ago now you are giving me more than $40K more (counting bonuses) right away? She says would rather talk about the future than the past <lol ok>
I still quit of course. As she could backpedal later and my new offer wouldn't exist any more. So she says don't let other 2 know and she will tell them. Too late as I told them first! So she calls them in for individual chats and here is the best bit. Cites she is doing an early review to thank her staff. Gives them each $15K more right away pushing them to market or above salaries. And says I have decided to move on.
So all of us ended with way higher salaries as deserved but only because I moved on and she was scared shitless about losing more people.
When I met my coworker (who was the next most experienced) a few months later, she said the new guy they hired had neither the experience no qualifications I did but was given $90K. This pissed her off so she demanded more. And Boss pushed her up to $90K as well 🤣 But she was uncomfortable thinking of her career going forward. So she ended up quitting a few months later for a less paying but better opportunity
TLDR – 5 staff company. More work comes in. Senior guy leaves. Rest of us somehow manage. Boss says most profitable year ever. Not gonna even replace senior guy or add employees as we had been able to manage. Doesn't give us much in raises despite easily pocketing extra $350K+ profit for the year. I find a better paying job (nearly $25K). She offers to match and even considerably beat that salary despite not willing to give me just $4K more additional last we chatted about money. I still quit. She gives other 2 team members $15K each as she can't afford losing more people. So Boss was willing and able to give us all as much as $15K more but just didn't until she absolutely needed to … Greed isn't exclusively a corporate problem. It exists at all levels and small business owners can be just as terrible if their employees didn't know their worth