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I have a team of 8 members. i asked for a raise for three of them and the upper management gave me the approval for two and reject the third guy because he didn't finish a year yet. he is very hard-worker and his salary is low a little bit. so i am thinking in sending an email to the upper management telling them that i will pay this raise for this guy from my personal account on behalf of the company. I like my team and i would like to keep them loyal, satisfied and happy. do you think it is rude to do so?

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    How should I properly approach my boss if I'm feeling one of my team is underpaid? (see also about 80 questions linked to this one)
    – gnat
    Jan 25, 2015 at 20:40
  • Was this person that was denied the raise started at a significantly lower-level than everyone else?
    – user8365
    Jan 25, 2015 at 20:46
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    @gnat That question is when the employee feels underpaid, not when the team lead feels someone on their team is underpaid.
    – Eric
    Jan 25, 2015 at 21:12
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    "reject the third guy because he didn't finish a year yet" This is very common, don't be surprised. It's up to him to make sure that he gets the salary that he feels he deserves when he signs up, the minimum waiting time has to be taken into account before he can ask for a raise.
    – Jonast92
    Jan 26, 2015 at 15:07
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    I'm not sure why you're so concerned about this. The management overall gave a positive response. Stay a year and then revisit the conversation. Sounds like a done deal. Jan 26, 2015 at 21:28

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I like my team and i would like to keep them loyal, satisfied and happy. do you think it is rude to do so?

It's not rude, it's just not smart.

Do you think you should fund all raises for everyone on your team? If not, what will you say to the Nth team member who wants his/hers? Do you think your manager should fund your raise, or that other managers should fund raises for members of their team.

While your heart is in the right place, it's not your role to fund raises for your team. It's your role to convince management that they are worth more. You weren't able to do so, and you were given a very reasonable response as to why.

If you don't understand upper management's thinking as to why someone with less than a year in the company shouldn't get a raise yet, arrange a meeting so that you can learn. This will make you a better manager in the long run.

If you don't understand why this individual with less than 1 year of service wasn't granted a raise, again - arrange a meeting so that you can learn.

Far better to wait until this one employee has been there a year, then push management for a raise. You have already set the stage, just follow through according to your company's guidelines.

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    Thanks a lot for your answer, in fact our policy doesn't have anything preventing the raise before finishing a year. it happened before, (even in my team last year), some employees had a raise before finishing their first year
    – WEB
    Jan 26, 2015 at 8:52
  • @LinaRamiz It might be worth noting that specifically this has happened before recently, in addition you can bring up accomplishments of the individual who's raise was not approved. I would say if they reject it a second time despite this probably best to let the issue be for now and explain to the person you're fighting to get them a raise, but upper management wants them to finish their first year first. (Which waiting for them to finish a year seems reasonable enough) Jan 26, 2015 at 17:41
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Your intent is sweet and kind but management's contention that No.3 hasn't finished out the year yet is valid. Your offering to pay for No.3's raise is out of line because management is not being a bunch of skinflints and that your offering to pay from your own account creates the wrongful impression that management is not willing to give the raise because management is being cheap. Let No. 3's 12-month tenure play itself out and if No. 3 is as good and as hard working as you say he is, management should have no trouble giving No. 3 that raise. The regular channel worked well enough for No. 1 and No. 2 - give the regular channel a chance to work well for No. 3.

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In addition to the good answers already here, paying for the raise yourself is a terrible idea. Unless you're in a location that takes no taxes from pay, it will cause all sorts of problems. Either you're providing a gift directly from you to him on a regular basis (and what happens when you want to stop, or you leave?) Or else you're asking the company to take some of your pay and give it to him, juggle the taxes appropriately, and generally do a lot of changes that they are probably not experienced or willing to do. You're saying that you think the company is using its money in the wrong way, and you're willing to take a pay cut because you feel so strongly that it is wrong.

Your better bet it to try to get the raise at the 1 year anniversary, or as soon as the company will provide it. Keep advocating for him, but don't offer to pay it yourself.

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I think you should be commended for wanting to support your team, but I don't think your management is out of line. Although the amount of experience can be used to determine how competent someone is (arguably not perfect), but that's not the same as the amount of time working for the same company.

Let's assume all three are equal in production and capability. The two that have been with the company longer, have shown loyalty and deserve something extra? Holding off bonuses and raises until a person has spent a certain amount of time with the company is common. If you leave before a bonus period, I wouldn't expect a check in the mail. You usually get nothing even though you may have been with the company a large percentage of the bonus period.

Be upfront with your employees and make sure everyone understands the evaluation process used by the company. I hope this person wasn't lead to believe he/she should expect a bonus/raise before their first year is up. Your goal is to keep this person motivated, but you don't want to do it at the expense of the other two who may feel slighted by getting the same raise as someone who has not been with the company as long (Again, assuming they're all the same capability.).

I do disagree with too fixed of bonus periods along with time of employment requirements.. I would hate to be the employee who takes a job one month before a bonus period and has to wait 23 months to get a bonus because there is also a 12 month requirement.

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  • I think your point about discouraging the other workers is a good one, but I'm mystified by your take on bonus periods. If I come in one month before the bonus period, why should I get the same bonus that everyone else has been working a year to earn? I didn't contribute much to the success that made the bonus possible.
    – ColleenV
    Jan 25, 2015 at 20:49
  • in fact the proposed raise for this guy was 1/4 of the raise for the other two guys. the other two guys are intermediate and i asked for 200 for each one, while i asked for 50 for this guy. do you think it is rude to tell them that i will pay it from my personal account?
    – WEB
    Jan 25, 2015 at 21:00
  • @ColleenV - I agree if it one month, but how would you feel if you had to wait 23? If you take a job in February and bonuses are given on Jan 1 (calendar year cycle), but they say you don't qualify because you don't have 12 months yet. You'll have to wait until next year.
    – user8365
    Jan 28, 2015 at 15:02
  • Oh I misunderstood. You meant they came on one month after the bonus, worked 11 months and got nothing for the next annual bonus. Every company I've worked for prorated the bonus if you deserved one. I'm fortunate that my employer gives a payment each quarter based on our quarterly results and what the annual bonus is likely to be, then we get the difference at the end of the year between what we are actually awarded and what we've already received.
    – ColleenV
    Jan 28, 2015 at 15:23
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upper management gave me the approval for two and reject the third guy because he didn't finish a year yet.

This is company specific and perhaps management is bound by policy. Check first. Even if there is such a policy, a) Performance can be recognized as soon as the staffer hits 12 months ie don't have to wait for the next cycle for pay raises and you can indicate he is doing well even before that (much preferably by telling him he has delivered a number of expected deliverables ie stay facts-based.) or b) Raise a memo for special approval (not to sidestep policy but perhaps to highlight that the intent of the policy may have been to prevent rewards from being extended prematurely without hard performance data which usually comes after one year of service and that this particular staffer has actually delivered hard performance in a period shorter than 12 months).

i am thinking in sending an email to the upper management telling them that i will pay this raise for this guy from my personal account on behalf of the company

If you are you are just informing management and not asking for approval, this would be a move approved by you, and not management, so the payout can't technically be made "on behalf of the company". Find formal ways to recognize the staff unless you own the company. And as long as the staffer has proven his performance and this is on record, you can communicate that these achievements are visible to you and that the company will respond in due time.

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  • I asked this from the company to be deducted from my salary and added to his salary. this is to be done at the management side, and that is why i need their approval
    – WEB
    Jan 26, 2015 at 8:38
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    This would appear that you are requesting management to implement a personal request/arrangement. They are not likely to be offended but implementing a raise on personal basis is not likely to be approved. Imagine if you leave the company at some point, will the company then be authorized to reduce your staffer's pay automatically?
    – pyfork
    Jan 26, 2015 at 8:57

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