re: Who else got a crappy raise this year?

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Hell no. Base is everything as your career progresses. I don't even consider variable in my pay because it is just that - VARIABLE. When planning any kind of finances or evaluating my overall compensation, I plan it on base salary and variable is just a nice addition/surprise.

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Keep you from over spending. Much of my income is variable in a way. What I do is spend "last year's money". That way I'm never in a bind.

Lynx, you are in the consulting branch of one of the big 4 correct? If so I know what you mean. Everyone at my level in the firm was rated a 3 regardless of performance. It really was BS since not everyone performed at the same level. A few were just abysmal performers and received the same compensation as I did. It really left a bad taste in my mouth.

That's quite the sweeping generalization. US median household income(inflation adjusted) has been trending upward for the last 30 years and is up over $2,000 just between 2011-2013. It's easy to blame Wall St and CEOs, but maybe you should take a look at the goverment who has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, the same one that hasn't given you a raise since 2007.

Last year I got .5 but that was after a 30% raise earlier in the year

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Employer not very generous with the raises this year, most people i've talked to got 2-3%.

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Did the company do 2-3% better?

Did you?

If the answer to both is "yes," then you are correct; your employer is not very generous.

All too often, the answer to both is not "yes".

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Lynx, you are in the consulting branch of one of the big 4 correct? If so I know what you mean. Everyone at my level in the firm was rated a 3 regardless of performance. It really was BS since not everyone performed at the same level. A few were just abysmal performers and received the same compensation as I did. It really left a bad taste in my mouth.

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You must be in audit or some of the internal audit/risk advisory lines. They wreak of these policies. Tax gets a little differentiation at times based on utilization.

Pushing everyone into the middle ranking is total BS. The lack of meritocracy is one of the worst things about the B4.

Odd that I've had two people take substantial pay decreases to work for me this year alone. Of course, with performance bonuses they stand to make more. Both are exceeding their prior income. Go-getters seem to want performance based pay and slack asses seem to prefer fixed higher salaries. I have no problem paying more for good work.

Are you talking COL raises or performance raises? I got a 15% performance raise this year. No one has received a COL raise. We are a small consulting company and give out huge bonuses based on company profits and earnings goals. Dwarfs col raises but you can't count on them. Performance based raises are given when they are earned.. some may never get a raise based on performance.

Outside of the engineering, government and O&G for the most part, COL raises are not being given out as much from what I have seen while consulting for many different types of companies all over the US & Canada. Most companies are moving to a bonus structure and performance based incentives.

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Did the company do 2-3% better?

Did you?

If the answer to both is "yes," then you are correct; your employer is not very generous.

All too often, the answer to both is not "yes".

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The company as a whole did well in 2013 showing strong growth and higher than anticipated earnings. However, the company is divided into multiple divisions, and my division as a whole did not perform well in 2013, even though our local New Orleans office did! Therefore, it becomes a little more complicated as to weather or not employees in our local office deserve a raise.

I consider myself a very hard worker, and according to my supervisor, all of my superiors have had nothing but great things to say about me. In the past I have received biannual raises of 5%. This year, however was not even close to previous years.

Seems to me like the company allocates a certain amount of money to our local office to distribute to employees for raises. It also seems like its up to the supervisors of each discipline to allocate raises how they wish. And thus far, based on everyone I've talked to, we all get about the same percentage raise regardless of performance.

Have never heard of anyone in the company receiving a bonus either. Project Managers may receive bonuses; and if they do then its really hush hush.

Just doesnt seem like a very good structure to me. I would love for the company to reward the hard working employees with a bonus. I wouldn't be having this conversation if that were the case; I'd be content because I'd be getting what i deserve.

I received a mid year raise at 13%. I was also just promoted. I receive a 23% raise effective February 1. Performance bonuses should be coming around mid-February. I assume I will get that as well since my performance was deemed worthy enough for a promotion.