There's an age-old saying that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, meaning that a guaranteed value will always hold more value than the prospect of something greater.
This, too, is true when it comes to employment. The fact of any trade in capital is that the person buying will always want to pay as little as possible, and the person selling will always want the highest possible price for their goods. While this is simple economics, it really just speaks to how the monkey part of our primitive brain seeks to hang on to every possible ounce of resource. It's a bit like your dog does when he gets a hold of something he thinks is particularly nice to have…
Just like you'll have hard luck convincing a dog to give you some of his dinner, you'll always struggle to get more money from your employer. So, when you're selling your time to them, the same is true as above: While you want more pay in return for your time, they always want to pay less—or stall out paying more as long as possible. Because, in most cases, the reality is that you're going to keep working for them in the meantime, regardless of whether you actually get that raise, so if they hold out on paying you more for that time, that's cash in hand for them and back into their pocket.
This worker encountered an unfortunate situation when they agreed to accept a bonus instead of a pay raise. Their boss continually tried to get out of the arrangement and push it out for as long as possible. Frustrated, they shared their experience with this online community, sparking discussion on the subject.
*Photo representative, not of actual subjects
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