Woohoo!!

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k) 12/12/2019 at 17:35 • Filed to: None

8

25

Got a promotion/raise!

Feels pretty good as this is the first time since I left “the (accounting) firm” that I’ve been “promoted”, as opposed to leaving one company for another to climb the ladder. Something about it feels like I’ve actually proven myself instead of talking my way in to a job (with the resulting first year or so of imposter syndrome).

7% raise in base pay, not too bad and will improve my bonus and stock awards a bit too. No idea what a typical in-job raise is these days (i.e. my duties don’t really change – I’m just classified at a higher grade level)? I’m used to ~1% “cost of living” adjustments the last few years and not much else so this is certainly waaay better than that.

Time to start looking up irrational car purchases! JK – but doesn’t help that my wife recently commented how nice it was to have 3 cars in the household for when family visited (grand parents visit a lot, now having a toddler we use as bait for them).

But even if I do get a new car sometime in the near future it’ll be a new commuter (which won’t be anything “exciting”, but I’m excited for a PHEV or another cheap electric of some sort) – and pamper the ZHP for a few more years while slowly fixing up all the tiny little things.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:45

1

Congrats !

Discerning > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:50

0

Co ngrats.

My company did away with titles so I went from a Manager to a function. So not sure what that’s going to look like if I try to get a promotion in March. Probably also just a pay grade increase.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:53

1

hehehehehe

congrats mate :)

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:56

1

Congratulations!

And 7% is good! I got a raise recently as well and it was about 4%. My last gig used to give 2% at best .

lone_liberal > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:57

2

Congratulations! Drinks are on you!!!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 17:59

3

Congrats!

Coi ncidentally I was promoted yesterday as well with a 7% raise :p

Sovande > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 18:05

1

I'd be awfully happy with 7%! Congratulations!

shop-teacher > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 18:17

0

That’s awesome!

My wife went over a decade without a raise at the shit-as company she used to work for.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 18:42

0

Congratulations!

Just as a point of reference, 4% is usually considered to be keeping up with increases in cost of living. Anything less is really a pay cut since the cost of living in most places goes up every year.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 12/12/2019 at 18:58

1

Oh crap, boss forgot to tell you that he’s giving the job to me instead of you! 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > TheRealBicycleBuck 12/12/2019 at 18:59

1

Yup, definitely know this - but at the last 3 companies I’ve worked at this seems to be the standard rate. They give the usual “we benchmark our peers, and our pay increases are aligned with what the rest of the industry pays”.

Also same reasoning for execs making gaz illions. Sounds a lot like “we’ve investigated ourselves and found no wrong doing”. 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Discerning 12/12/2019 at 19:00

0

That’s interesting - do you find that to have helped remove some kind of hierarchy that was getting in the way of getting stuff done? Or just creates more confusion? 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > shop-teacher 12/12/2019 at 19:01

0

That’s crazy - hope things improved for her eventually! 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > lone_liberal 12/12/2019 at 19:02

0

I honestly don’t remember the last time I paid for drinks (meaning last time i went out to drink lol)...and doesn’t really sound particularly appealing. I’d say I’m getting old, but really I just know I’m getting boring :P 

Jesus Arias > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 19:05

1

Congrats good sir may your ne w found wealth bring to you and your family happiness and comfort .

Discerning > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 20:23

0

It creates confusion. It’s a Belgian company and they do weird stuff sometimes. Apparently the concern was that a new or junior employee would be intimidated by approaching a manager, etc vs just a functional area/region title.

So I'm now a regional function - which is odd

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 20:44

1

Or is it a double bluff!?!

shop-teacher > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/12/2019 at 22:08

1

We decided the best thing for the family would be for her to quit that dump, and stay home with the kids. That was almost two years ago now. It was definitely a good move. Although she wants to go back to work once the kids are both in school full-time.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > shop-teacher 12/13/2019 at 11:20

0

We’re in a similar situation (although my wife loved her job and misses it). She really wanted to take time off work once our daughter was born, probably do so until preschool. Thankfully we could stretch ourselves and make it work on one income (this raise will definitely help!) – and it has been amazing.

I have no idea how families with 2 working parents and no support system to help do it…as it is there’s so much logistics to keep a household running, it would be a really tough decision between making enough money to survive vs…having the time and bandwidth to actually get through the day. Definitely not in the “stay at home moms don’t work” camp.

Like your wife, mine will definitely want to go back too – she misses her science and those grown up interactions. Part of me is thankful that there will be less stress on my job security, but it’ll probably be a pretty rough transition for a little while.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 12/13/2019 at 11:22

0

Can we just be co-manager and co-manager ? You handle day to day operations, I’ll do big picture stuff.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Discerning 12/13/2019 at 11:23

0

PC culture! *shakes fists* 

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/13/2019 at 12:09

0

shop-teacher > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/13/2019 at 12:46

1

My wife loved most of her coworker s (she still gets together with some of them regularly) , but the company was just terrible. What made things work with us both working, and really no outside support system to speak of, was we had a good daycare situation. The daycare situation went sideways at the same time conditions at her job went from bad to worse . By then, our oldest was 5, and our little one was 2-1/2. If it was just the job, or just daycare that went bad, I’m sure we would have just switched the job or the daycare. But when they both went bad at once, it was time to pull the plug.

Thankfully, in the time between when we had our first kid, and the time we decided my wife had to stay home, I had gotten some raises. If we had needed to keep her home from the word go, we would have been seriously broke. In addition to my wife not getting a raise for over a decade, I also had six years without a raise. In that time, I had gotten married, bought a house, and had a kid.

My life is 100% better with her at home, despite the stress and responsibility of being the sole income.  It has definitely been a double-edged sword for my wife though.  It’ll be two more years before both kids are in school full time.  The little one will be in kindergarten next year, but we only have 1/2 day kindergarten in our district.  She’s itching to have an income of her own again.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > shop-teacher 12/13/2019 at 12:57

0

Sounds like it was the right decision for your family as a whole. My wife has periods where she just feels really guilty spending money as well – even when we feel like we’re keeping up with the bills just fine, because she “doesn’t work”. I keep reminding her that this position makes no sense – we’re both putting a lot of effort in to whatever it is we do everyday, and we have a certain amount of money that comes in as a result of those divisions of duties – so it’s her income as much as it is mine. Of course I understand where she’s coming from though, just shouldn’t be that way.

shop-teacher > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 12/13/2019 at 13:59

1

Yeah, we’ve had more or less the exact same conversations . I think part of it, for my wife certainly and maybe for your wife too, is there’s a certain vulnerability to not having “your own” income.  I’m sure I would feel uncomfortable about it too, if the roles were reversed.