So, as you all know, I got a big promotion in May. Well, it came with a tiny little raise which I didn't think even came close to reflecting the increase in responsibility and stress. So, right away, I went to my boss and told him I wasn't happy with the raise and he said we could do an informal mid-year review in October and if I was doing well in my new role, he would "bump me up" at that time.
So, from May until October, I worked my butt off to 'prove myself' in my new position. I took phone calls from clients on my days off, made sales phone calls in the evenings to get more work, worked extra hours, dealt with difficult clients, etc. One client in particular has made me cry at work twice in the last month. Not cool. I obviously need to develop a thicker skin. My new position has been so stressful - the only thing keeping me going in my job was looking forward to my big raise in October.
Well, the big meeting arrived last week. I was so excited for months; I couldn't wait to see what all my hard work had gotten me. Well, my boss gave me a raise in the amount of: big fat ZERO! He said there wasn't a problem with my performance, just that he doesn't think I've had enough time to prove myself yet. I was LIVID! So, naturally, I went into the bathroom at work and cried. So upset. I felt hurt and betrayed. I've been at the company for almost 8 years now; this made me feel so under-appreciated and under-valued.
I took the long weekend to calm down and decided to write my boss a letter explaining that had I been told at the outset that I'd need to work in the new position for a year before getting a substantial raise, I would have considered declining the promotion. In the spirit of compromise, I am willing to wait until January 1st, but I expect to be told now what the anticipated increase in salary will be so I can decide if I want to continue on that path or request to be returned to my former position. I just gave him the letter yesterday, so no response yet.
Honestly, my old job was so much less stress. If I'm not going to get a raise, it's just not worth it to me. Especially since we're probably going to have another baby soon. My number one priority is with my family, not my career.
This whole situation has made me re-evaluate what I want to do with my life though. Maybe project management at an engineering company isn't for me. Too much stress at this point in my life. I want to be in a job that I feel appreciated and that doesn't make me cry. I have been with the company for almost 8 years, and I have cried 4 times in total over my job and all 4 times have been in the last month. A sure sign that things are going downhill for me - fast. I need to get out of there.
Perfect time to have another baby, I think :) Then I'll have a year off to give me some time to think about my options and come up with a plan. We were originally thinking we'd have our kids 3 years apart and our girl is 2 years and 8 months now, so I guess we better get started ;)
