It’s midweek. All Hands. The higher ups are ranting and raving about how great of a year we had. How well the company performed. How it’s all “due to our hard work and our commitment to ensuring a great client experience”. Then… the Q&A starts
The inevitable, quarterly question about pay comes up. Management scoffs and gives the same tired answers they always do, smiling because that “hard work” benefits them way more than it does us. “If you want better pay, get promoted”, they say. Work harder, get better reviews each year. Go above and beyond, that’ll make things better.
The kicker is: that’s all bullsh-t.
I’ve been here 8 years. Tried my very best for 6 of those. Got exceeds, got promoted, got licensed, dragged my a-s to the office almost every single day during RTO to sit on VIRTUAL teams meetings, and guess what… it’s always 2-4% merit increases. I half assed it last year, still did pretty well, but basically stopped working myself to the bone for self preservation. Guess what? 2-4%.
Bonus? Pretty much the same as last year accounting for the slight increase in base pay.
Promotions don’t seem to be available now. New hires get paid more than I do. The job market su-ks, I keep looking. I keep my job because I need stability to take care of my family.
My boss plays favorites and low performing ‘personalities’ get better raises because they make people laugh and pick up food during work hours.
This isn’t just a Schwab issue, but an endemic struggle for all who shoulder the palanquins of corporate America. Prices keep going up. Wages barely increase and the rich get richer.
I want to find that spark again. I want to love what I do and strive to perform at my best, but it’s so damned hard when either way… it’s 2 to fu--ing 4%…
There’s really no point