Is it possible to make up for unfulfilled raises?

For 13 years, Richard Urlich says he was content with whatever salary his bosses bestowed upon him. “I’d take my 3 or 4 percent each year and deal with it,” he says. But then the percentage game began taking a downward turn.

“Three percent became 2 percent, then 1 percent, then nothing,” says Urlich. And still, he said nothing.

“Companies have a way of convincing their employees that they’re all in it together, and that the years with zero percent raises are just one way to ensure that the company stays above water,” says Yolanda Martin, a job analyst and career consultant in Washington, D.C. “But the reality is that most companies, especially ones that aren’t public, can compensate their executives and shareholders in different ways during the lean times, so the sacrifices are never quite equal.”

Martin says it’s nearly impossible to make up for lost raises, but she says there are some things employees can do to gain some ground in income.

But first things first, Martin says. “You have to decide if you want to stay with your company through thick and thin,” she says. “And if you do, you have to realize the thick times won’t always make up for the thin years. That’s just the way it is.”

Shared strategy

If you decide to stick around, the first thing you should do is map out a plan for future raises. “The best strategy is to tie your compensation to your performance, even if it means that compensation is delayed or given forms other than salary,” says Martin. “That sounds like an obvious HR plan but today’s workers can tell you that high ratings don’t always equal high salaries.

Urlich says his performance reviews were stellar during his company’s lean years but they never translated to an increase in pay, then or now. “I remember asking if my current superior reviews would mean something when raises returned in the future,” he says. “I was told that they would be taken into consideration but there would be no real formula for tying our previous reviews to future compensation.”

Martin says that’s often the case. Still, she adds: “There’s nothing wrong with asking your boss for a future raise or a one-time bonus to make up for some of the ground you lost during the tough times. At the very least, employers may feel like you’re in it for the duration, that you’ll be there to help them get through the current challenges and emerge on the other side.”

Hannah Young, a career consultant in San Diego, agrees, albeit with a note of caution. “Your boss can sign off on a future raise but he or she may lay you off long before that raise comes to fruition,” she says.

Cash substitute

“You can negotiate days off, bonuses, perks at work, new responsibilities, a new title — there are many ways to get rewarded for your work,” says Young. “The key is to ask for those rewards. No positive review should go unrecognized, but you need to outline what type of compensation you’ll get when you do great work.”

Urlich says when raises began dwindling, he and his coworkers decided to ask for similar rewards. “We began asking for flexible hours and improvements to our space,” he says. “There was a section of the floor that was empty that they used to lease to other companies. It had more windows, a better view and much better flow, so we asked if we could move to the new section. We’d been asking for years, actually, but when you’re able to say, ‘Hey, since we aren’t getting any raises, how about we move to that side of the floor?’ and it didn’t even take any negotiating. They agreed as soon as we asked.”

A better cubicle doesn’t help pay the mortgage, but it’s something. “When you get nothing on the financial end, your have to get something somewhere else or it feels like you’re work is being ignored. Ultimately, a lot of us negotiated extra vacation days and a few of us negotiated transportation stipends. You just have to fight for it.”