So, I was curious how my pay has changed in “real” (adjusted for inflation) terms over the years.
Turns out I peaked in 2021, in spite of being promoted in 2022.
In fact, I’m make less today than I was in 2018.
I’d encourage everyone to look at their W2s over the years. Specifically look at Box 5. And plug that number into an inflation calculator to see what it would be in today’s dollars. Do that for several years back and I’m guessing many will see the same pattern.
@c0 so true -
I could go on and on - but try running this list past your boss and you will be shut down before you get to item 3.
Also if you were hired fully remote and never had to go in the office and then were suddenly required to go into an office there is a cost to that. Gas, wear on your car and tires, plus if you have to commute an hour 3 days a week plus the time to log off and on and walk into the office you are working another 8 hours a week. The raise that doesn’t even cover your cost of living is eaten up right there.
@be I agree.
I used to give my children, nieces, nephews, and cousins advice to try and get on with either a large corporation, state govt, local govt, or a company with a union.
But none seem to really be working for folks willing to work hard to live out the American dream of getting married, buying a house, car, living debt free, able to save, and take vacations.
So, now the only best advice I can give is to be creative in finding a legal way to not “work for the MAN!” and to seek to live iut your life having to work as little as possible and enjoy your hobbies, such as learning to okay the guitar, take many trips to the zoo or park, play with a dog, go watch an orchestra, whatever brings you joy in life. Because it goes by way too fast and the super rich would have you to work 10+ hour days to make THEM rich, not you.
Its also easy to figure out your hourly wage, then how many "extra" hours you are putting in to keep up and those "extra" hours are free - so you are not really making what you think you are either - they are paying you for 40 and you are clearly working more than that.
I can think of several depts that staff (line staff) are working after the end of the business day and on the weekends to prepare for presentations either actual or for submission as part of their performance expectations Every single month.
Are managers working past business hours - some might be but no one cares and they shouldn't. I know I don't
Welcome to late stage capitalism. This is not an ELV problem, it's a US problem. Real wages stopped growing for most of us in the 1970s and inflation kept chugging away. Executive comp has continued to grow. The quality of corporate earnings is trash and employee salaries are just a slush fund for shoring up quarterly earnings so the we hit the targets the market expects us to hit without having to actually manage or take risk in the running of a business. It's all trash. Burn it down.