re: My assistant of 10 years gave her notice today.

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Basically if we raise one person that much, we have to raise them all. They talk. They all know what each other is making (despite prohibitions to the contrary). It's not just about one person getting a 14% raise. We can't blow up the firm's salary structure for one person.

I'm over it. She can go. Moving on.

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frick off.

People talking about their pay is one of the beautiful things about the free market. It's common knowledge how much workers in industries with high turnover make. Nobody's wondering about the pay of someone working at Amazon. It's right on their website because unionization in a workplace so low-skilled is almost fruitless.

This may be a troll post, but if you've lost a valued assistant over a 14% raise and you're angry with her you need to have some serious self-reflection.

Also, you're about to spend more money and go through more BS. If she was a consistent employee who you value, she's worth more than what you're paying her.

Blow up the firm's salary structure my arse.

How are those partner bonuses looking? I'll guess she's making $25 an hour, the firm can't fork over an extra $150 a week to an employee whose departure has obviously shaken someone in at least middle management?

You say you don't care, but you've made a thread on a message board about it. Don't you see the economics that are staring you right in the face? If you're smart, you will pay her to stay. Not because it's the right thing to do, that doesn't matter at all. Because you're about to pay someone else more to likely do a worse job. You lose value unless she stays.

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More money at another firm. Not dramatic life changing money. Basically a 14% raise. I could probably come up with something to offer her, but I can't match it. frick my life. frick relationships. It's all about the Hamiltons. From now on I am treating everyone as chattel.

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Pay more.

If you can’t afford to pay more do the shite yourself or accept turnover. Those are your options. No one gives a frick about your arse when they have bills to pay.

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Complete BS. Companies don’t have unlimited dollars for payroll. A company’s number 1 goal is to profit. It’s business. You show your loyalty by treating the employee like a valued person.

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And you treat someone like a valued person by paying them at least market, if not above market.

If assistant is leaving over a 14% raise, Sippy wasn't at market. If he has had the same asst for 10 years... odds are Sippy has no idea what market is.

Well, Sippy will find out soon enough, won't he?

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Also, most businesses spend between 25 and 33 percent of an employee's annual salary replacing that employee, between costs of hiring, lost time, training time, etc.

So you are about to spend a couple of years of that raise, replacing her.

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I don't get how OP (and many other companies) are missing this.

There is no savings when you cut out an employee unless the business is tanking. There was work they were doing. That work still carries the same tangible value. An employee who remains employed for 10 years and does a job well has intangible value separate from the work being done.

You lose the employee, the work is still there. It still has to be done. If it didn't, the company would have cut the woman a long time ago. So not only do you have the bring in value (in the form of an employee) commensurate with the workload, you also have to pay at least the same (probably more) and take a loss on the value that an employee with ten year brings.

Someone's losing somewhere. It's not the employee, because she's taking her value elsewhere. There are margins to be exploited in most markets. In this case, OP is the margin. He's going to have a bad 18-36 months while paying someone more money, all because he thinks 14% is too much.

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Basically if we raise one person that much, we have to raise them all. They talk. They all know what each other is making (despite prohibitions to the contrary). It's not just about one person getting a 14% raise. We can't blow up the firm's salary structure for one person.

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So here is how this works.

If your employees are worth 14% more, they will get it... either at your company or your competition.

If your employees aren't worth 14% more, then if they ask for it, you say no, and if they walk, you don't care.

This reminds me of a saying.

"What if we train our employees well and they get hired away?"

"Well, what if we don't train our employees well, and they stay?"

Because if they are crap employees, no one is going to want to hire them away. If they are good employees, they will be in demand.

All of my staff, seniors, and even some of my managers, I have told this to over the years... "If you are good... the headhunters will call you. I'm not afraid of that, I take that as a compliment. Talk to me before you take another position. If it's for an opportunity we can't offer you... I'll helo you celebrate the new gig".

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From now on I am treating everyone as chattel.

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That is all she was to you anyway, see how it is working out for you?

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More money at another firm. Not dramatic life changing money. Basically a 14% raise. I could probably come up with something to offer her, but I can't match it.

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You are lying through your teeth. If she has been with you 10 years she probably knows your office and clients etc better than you do. Also knows all of the dirt in the company and keeps everything running smooth that you never know about. Its not just the 14%. When was the last time she had a raise? How long did she go without a raise during covid? How much vacation does she have? There are tons of things you can do even if you can't match 14%, you maybe do 7% and a extra week vacation? sick time? Company performance bonus? I am just spit balling here but you get the point. If she is as valuable to you as you imply you can make her a offer to think. You just don't want to because you didn't value her before and now your arse is in a crack because you will have to hire someone probably at more money than you currently pay her and it will take that new employee years to get to where she is skill level with your company.

Lol how poor are you

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All of my staff, seniors, and even some of my managers, I have told this to over the years... "If you are good... the headhunters will call you. I'm not afraid of that, I take that as a compliment. Talk to me before you take another position. If it's for an opportunity we can't offer you... I'll helo you celebrate the new gig".

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This is absolutely correct. I have no problem when people advance.

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since you people have made a lot of assumptions based on limited info in my post.

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It's been cringeworthy seeing people respond to you with legit anger given the tone and content of your post. Combining the opportunity to white knight and post like a victimized clock puncher really lets the OT shine.

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14% is a lot of money for someone getting paid assistant wages

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its probably like 5-7k more for the the employer (aka OP).