'An extra 0.50 is what this promotion is worth to that company': Worker chases salary increase for 6 months only to be rewarded with a 50¢ raise

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 9, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

As a famous interaction from the genius television show Mad Men goes, Don: "It's your job! I give you money, you give me ideas." Peggy: "And you never say thank you." Don: "That's what the money is for." And it's genius because you understand both sides. Peggy is feeling under-appreciated at work, but Don is there to remind her that the appreciation comes in the form of a salary. If you didn't have that, then you would have a little bit more of a right to feel under-appreciated. 

Of course, you need both appreciation and money in order to have a good, sustainable job, but one is usually more important than the other. At least it is for most people. Most people would rather be earning huge sums for little appreciation than peanuts for praise (though of course, it all depends on what the work is). A huge problem comes when you don't have either. 

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  • 01

    Finally got promoted after chasing it for 6 months....for a whopping .50 cents extra an hour.

    For the last 6 months I've been promised a promotion from my boss. However, each time I asked about getting that said promotion it was always met with things like "well not yet likely next month", "I'm trying to get it worked out it will be soon", so on and so on.
    via u/Universal09
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10502785024
    via Towfiqu barbhuiya

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • That's the situation this worker was in when they were hoping for a pay increase for months and months. They worked hard and earned their employer's trust and respect after some time. But when the notification of their pay increase came, they found that respect didn't go both ways. Read on for the story and see what happened. 

  • 03
    Finally last week I was told I got it. Instantly I got so excited like ok I was being played with for a while but it paid off. Today I got the details behind it and it's literally a .50 an hour raise. It's not like I have no extra responsibilities now I have a decent amount of extra stuff to do now.
    via u/Universal09
  • 04
    I'm so done, I hate corporate but I still try so hard to do what I have to in order to succeed and it's just met with pocket change. Don't get me wrong I'll take it, better off in my pocket than theirs but like I so wish I knew of a business to open so I can get out of corporate. Anyone ever have something similar happen?
    via u/Universal09
  • 05

    Commenters came to their side, offering advice.

    I_am_the_Jukebox 16h ago . Congratulations. You have a new title to put on your resume. Do that and walk away from this dumpster fire the moment someone offers you a job with a wage that reflects your worth to a company
    via u/I_am_the_Jukebox
  • 06
    Plastic-Anybody-5929 15h ago That's the thing. An extra 0.50 is what this promotion is worth to that company.
    via u/Plastic-Anybody-5929
  • 07
    RawRie575 • 13h ago That's not a promotion, that's an insult. 50 cents for extra responsibilities? Update your resume tonight and start applying elsewhere. Your skills are worth way more than pocket change.
    via u/RawRie575
  • 08
    SAMSUNG
    via Brooke Cagle

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    tundrabarone 16h ago As noted, update your resume with the new and improved TITLE.
    via u/tundrabarone
  • 10
    sb98neon • 16h ago Well, I only got $0.44 at my last yearly pay raise. So you should be grateful!!! /s S
    via u/sb98neon
  • 11
    Longshot1969 · 13h ago Just remember to act your wage
    via u/Longshot1969
  • 12
    Jabathewhut • 15h ago I was promised a huge payraise after a year. The payraise was .25 cents. I quit so hard.
    via u/Jabathewhut
  • 13
    gingerota 15h ago Mannnn... it took me over two years at a certain job to get a .50 raise! So I quit because that little crumb was insulting. Just got laid off of the job I got after that one, but at least I was making a little more for a little while.
    via u/gingerota
  • 14
    Yet AnotherZombie 15h ago That's a million dollar raise! (After two-million hours which is a little under 230 years)
    via u/YetAnotherZombie
  • 15
    No-Signature-167 • 15h ago Getting promoted from within is never the way. They already feel like they own you and can do whatever they want with you, so why would they give you a meaningful raise? Stay for a few months and use the promotion as a stepping stone to a better position at a new company, and get the money you deserve.
    via u/No-Signature-167
  • 16
    kiwimuz. 14h ago Well it looks like you will only be putting in 50 cents an hour extra effort.
    via u/kiwimuz
  • 17
    BOOGERJUICE_IRL 13h ago Burn that • to the ground.
    via u/BOOGERJUICE_IRL
  • 18
    lacroixmunist · 12h ago . What's even the point of a promotion if the extra pay isn't even a buck? Sounds like a restaurant, I was a busser and lower on the hierarchy than a server but even the supervisors made maybe $2 whole more than me
    via u/lacroixmunist
  • 19
    Drewsipher • 15h ago This sounds like my experience in a certain orange and black themed help desk. And then when I went for the next rung that'd be a better pay raise... they kept denying. I went to a new job and got 15k more a year then I would have made with exactly 40 hours every week
    via u/Drewsipher
  • 20
    formerly_gruntled • 15h ago You didn't;'t get an actual promotion. You are now just trusted enough to be given more critical work. But not trusted enough to get paid for it. Take your talents elsewhere.
    via u/formerly_gruntled
  • 21
    RespectableDegen 11h ago If you want to make more money, don't chase the promotion, find another job.
    via u/RespectableDegen
  • 22
    . sowazgud 9h ago I feel you man, my company got bought out and went corporate and these fake promises these guys gave were crazy. They made it seem so good and gave such small raises compared to previous owners
    via u/sowazgud
  • 23
    Suspicious-Bed9172 8h ago . Might as well have asked them to throw in a pizza party
    via u/Suspicious-Bed9172
  • 24
    TabuLougTyime · 3h ago I got offered a raise if I worked for a particular workplace for a month, so I did just that. Worked fine, even a bit of unpaid overtime too. Got fired around a quarter of a week before he'd have given me the raise.
    via u/TabuLougTyime
  • 25
    GilbeastZ 2h ago Literally happened to me last year. I received a okay raise. Then they decided to raise the floor to my new income without changing my pay. So I am now at the floor and have like double the responsibilities I used to.
    via u/GilbeastZ
  • 26
    Needless to say I am not working very hard and I am looking to get out in the next several months. It will prob be at the busiest time but you get what you pay for.
    via u/GilbeastZ
  • 27
    Alert-Pen5584 · 1h ago Don't spend it all in one place
    via u/Alert-Pen5584

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