That Three-Percent Pay Raise Won't Go Very Far

People call our company all the time and say "I'm earning way less than I should be at my job, but I don't want to job-hunt."

We say "If you don't want to change jobs, that's cool -- you can keep the job you've got  -- but what is so great about your job that you want to stay there even though you're underpaid?

"Is the work enthralling? Are you learning amazing things every day? Is there something wonderful about your job, apart from the pay?"

They say "No. It's just a pain to change jobs."

When we were kids we took risks. As we get older, maybe our brain chemistry changes to make us risk-averse. I don't know. 

I don't know a thing about brain chemistry, but I observe the 'please don't make me change' phenomenon among working people every day.

People go to great lengths to avoid making changes. They put up with horrifying situations at work and they tell themselves and other people "It's okay. It's not that bad." We fear the unknown -- but that exactly is where all the good stuff is!

As we get older, most of us don't want to take risks anymore. We want to play it safe. We forget that there is no safety, except the kind we build for ourselves.

We want to burrow like prairie dogs do, but burrows aren't safe places. They flood when it rains and coyotes are standing ready to eat you when you venture out.

Burrows aren't safe at all. If I get to choose,  I'll choose to be an eagle over a prairie dog every time.

I'd choose altitude over dirt-wall protection underground! Altitude is visibility. You can see a lot of landscape when you're flying at three thousand feet.

You need altitude in your career, too.

You can do the math right now. Take your current annual salary and put it in a calculator, then multiply the number by 1.03. That's your current salary plus a three percent pay increase once a year. Multiply that number by 1.03 again.

That's your salary after two three-percent pay bumps. You can project your salary all the way out to your retirement with the assumptions that you'll stay in your current job and get a three percent raise every year.

Neither of those assumptions is especially sound. Anyone could lose their job at any moment, and plenty of employers give smaller-than-three-percent pay raises, or even none at all.

You might not like the number you end up with when you multiply your current wages by 1.03 over and over again. A three percent annual increase is not an exciting idea to anybody I know! You won't keep up with inflation that way.

When you project your annual income years into the future, you'll see that unless you are very well paid indeed you'll have a hard time saving money for retirement. 

It doesn't matter whether you make your income projections when you're fifty-seven years old, thirty-nine or twenty-five. If the financial path you're on right  now is not a path that leads you to your goals then it's time for a new path!

You're in the same boat if you're not currently getting the creative or muscle-building benefits you want and need in a job. Nothing will change in your career until you change it yourself.

If you don't see a path ahead at your current workplace that will bring you the projects, new skills, contacts, creative buzz and professional experiences you need, the question to ask yourself is "Why am I still in this job? What am I afraid of?"

There is nothing holding you back from the life and career you want except your own hesitation to step into new territory. We human beings are very good at self-deception. We are experts at creating false obstacles to our forward motion, and giving them a lot of our power.

We think about making changes and we talk to ourselves about it in our minds.

"I hate my job but well, you know - I 've got that big mortgage. I have to think about that. I can't take any chances!"

The movie "My Life, My Choices" plays in your head, but it's a short movie. It's over after one scene.

You -- the star and the director of your movie - ask "What do I really want from my life?" and your co-star, an annoying voice in your head, says "Wait - don't forget your big mortgage!"

You say "Oh yeah, that's right -- my mortgage." The screen fades to black and the credits roll. 

So wait -- who's running your career -- you, or the bank that holds your home loan?

You don't have to end your adventure movie after one scene! You can take steps to improve your situation. You can take step into the life and career you want, but it takes action.

Luckily the very act of trying something new - something new and a little scary - is what grows the muscles we all need to get the lives and careers we want!

There is a name for organizations, large and small, that decree that the largest annual salary increase you can get regardless of your performance is three percent, and that name is 'clueless.'

Those organizations are banking on the fact that most people don't like to go through the hassle of a job search. 

The most-marketable employees have the easiest time getting a new job, and they are always the first to leave an organization that makes it clear their talents aren't valued by their employer.

Great people don't kill themselves all year for a three percent raise, and it's insane that anyone would think they would. It defies everything we know about human nature. If your employer is making more money this year than it did last year, why shouldn't you do the same?

Everything you do and say tells the universe what you believe about yourself. When you keep a job where you are underpaid, you send out a very loud message.

Here's the message you send:

"I guess this is all I'm worth."

If you stick around in a place where they don't deserve you, you have become part of the problem. You can't blame your evil boss or your cheapskate company when you choose to stay in a place that dims your flame.

You have to see your choice in the equation first. When you see your own participation in your unhappy career situation,  you might be horrified with yourself at first, but that's okay -- the feeling is temporary.

You'll toss and turn at night and ask yourself "Why did I let myself get into this soul-crushing state?" but the next morning you'll have new energy to get out of it.

Your understanding of your power to choose your own path will give you a mojo boost, just enough to update your resume or call a recruiter to ask him or her what's shakin' in your local talent market. You can take that first, tiny step right now.

The first step in changing your life is the most important -- everything will get easier once you take that step!

New Human Workplace Virtual Courses Begin on November 7th, 2015! 

Grow your flame and take your next career step in a Four-Week or 12-Week virtual course from Human Workplace!

You can begin your Four-Week or 12-Week virtual course on Saturday, November 7th and receive one new lesson per week, or opt to receive all your lessons right away!

Check out the 12-Week Virtual Course Job-Hunt While You're Working or any of these popular 12-Week Virtual Courses!

Check out the Four-Week Virtual Course Know What You're Worth and Get Paid for It or any of these popular Four-Week Virtual Courses!

Contact us here with your questions!