SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to vent that after slogging away at his company for 5 to 6 years, his salary is still stuck at fresh grad levels, around S$4,500.
Posting on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, on Saturday (Mar 1), he explained that he has consistently performed well, received positive feedback from his superiors, and has been entrusted with increasing workloads and opportunities.
Over time, he was even promoted to a role with significantly more responsibilities and demands, yet, despite all these achievements, he was disappointed to receive only a 4% salary increase this year.
“I feel underpaid and undervalued,” he lamented. “I’m thinking about quitting, even though I don’t have another job lined up, but that idea makes me anxious too. I just can’t wrap my head around doing so much work while earning so little, especially when my colleagues earn way more and seem to do less.”
Hoping to gain some perspective, he reached out to the online community for advice, writing, “Has anyone been in a similar spot? I would love to hear your advice or experiences.”
“Loyalty doesn’t pay in this day and age…”
The post quickly gained traction on the platform, with many users jumping in to offer advice.
One user warned that quitting without a backup plan could be risky, especially in the current job market, and advised him to start talking to recruiters and applying for new roles “while he still has a job.”
He added, “4% for promotion is really little. Is it possible to flag (it) to your manager? I generally see promotion commanding more than 8% increment in MNCs.”
Another user, who’s in his 40s, shared the lessons he had picked up over the years.
He wrote, “This is real advice. I wanna share this with younger people. Quit and join a competitor [that will] boost your pay. The HR policy of nearly every company will pay 10 even 20% to poach a new lateral, but if you are loyal, you get 5% …. uncle got a rude shock ‘cause I stayed put for damn long. My close friends who jump every 1 to 2 years almost make double what I make.”
A third wrote, “Loyalty doesn’t pay in this day and age. Jumping ship pays better, but don’t quit without a job. Don’t believe what your HR says; they’re for the company, not for you. I’m speaking from experience.”
Does a promotion always come with a pay raise?
A 2016 study conducted by specialised recruitment firm Robert Half suggests that this is not always the case. The research found that only 17% of companies in Singapore consistently offer a pay raise when promoting an employee.
The study also showed that medium-sized companies (21%) are the most likely to offer pay raises with promotions, while both large and small companies are less likely to do so (15%).
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)