Ask for a raise?

[kateee]

Hi everyone!

I have been working at my current hospital for over 6 months now as an emergency department technition doing basic Cna work plus extra like ekgs and blood draws. I just found out today that a friend of mine got hired as a Cna on the med surg floor making a significant amount more per hour than me. I am wondering if I should ask for a raise, I think that it is unfair that someone who just got hired and who is qualified to do less than I am is getting paid more. I wish that she had never mentioned how much she was getting paid but I suppose she was just excited!

I am wondering what your opinions are? Should I ask for a raise and if so how should I do it?

thank you 😊

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Just FYI, administration usually strongly discourages employees to compare pay rates. If you do discuss a raise, DO NOT reveal that you know about your friend's rate. You will most likely jeopardize her job and yours.

While it is illlegal to forbid discussing wages, many companies do it anyway. Just in the news recently was a teen girl who found out her male friend was hired at the same job for 25 cents more an hour. When she brought this up hoping to get equal pay as should be the case, the pizza place fired both of them for discussing wages. Frankly I wish the govt would do more for workers and take this case on to send a message. But I doubt they will because it is just a small pizza place, and truthfully the govt is too busy trying to please companies in the hope of creating more jobs to salvage the economy.

Sure you can ask for a raise, but I would be surprised if you will get one. Most places only give the yearly 2-3% if you are lucky. Best chance to negotiate pay is when you are changing jobs. It used to be a given that you would get a raise switching jobs but I've heard of nurses being offered only the same wage and recently being expected to take a pay cut for a job. One negotiated a better wage than first offered, but it was still a pay cut and other, younger nurse just took the pay cut because she apparently didn't know any better.

Personally I find a pay cut insulting to begin with, especially when you bring experience to the table. I would never voluntarily take a pay cut if I can help it. Why go backwards. I have received other job offers over the years but just knowing there was no retirement plan turned me off from even considering one job as that would be a 5% pay cut right there.

That is one of the problems of finding a non bedside job they want to give you a pay cut and cut your benefits too. It's a hard pill to swallow. I know some feel the peace of mind and better working conditions, less stress, more than make up for it, but I'm not keen on taking a pay cut. I have plenty of bills to pay as well as save for retirement, etc.