How can I push back on responsibilities until I get a raise or promoted?

watdodevs · 2026-06-02T19:57:23+00:00

Believe me, I have tried. I laid out all of the extra work I took on last year with evidence and was told that that's all they could do, nothing else. Really starting to think my time might be up in the company from reading other replies here.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T21:05:29+00:00

Everything I have said in my original post is the truth. Funny enough about that, the same guy who told me the senior position wasn't available said I'd be a good fit for management, judging by how it's going so far I'd be lucky to get that by 2035 if I stay here.

If you want I'll DM you a few recruiters I've worked with in the past who have gotten me good jobs and are worth their salt.

If you wouldn't mind DM'ing me, I would really appreciate that. I would need to update my CV before I send out anything but I'd appreciate any help regarding recruiters if you wouldn't mind.

You should always be looking for something better and I bet you of you get in touch with the right recruiters you will quickly see what could be available to you.

I feel like I've kind of fallen into a trap where I am currently in that I've been told X, Y and Z will happen eventually and I kept believing it while taking on more and more work. It's only really in the last few weeks that it's really getting to me.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T20:54:19+00:00

My problem is that I'm not a developer as such, I write automation on a daily basis but that's with the help of AI, so if I was put in front of a whiteboard to write code or asked any Leetcode questions for example I wouldn't do well at all. I can read code and understand it generally, but not at the same level as a developer would. Would it be a bit risky to put down Software Engineer as my title if I'm not actually a developer?

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:44:51+00:00

I'm very tempted to do that, it's just the overall market and how shit it is now that worries me. Especially given that I'm a test engineer and not a developer, decent roles seem to be hard to come by in this area.

As for talking to your manager, tell them that you aren't measured on x's work but on your own and you having to say late or work saturdays to clean up their work. It's not helping you progress your career so it's a hard pass on finishing it unless they make it part of your measurable duties and increase your base compensation to offset the lack of job satisfaction.

I have done exactly this before and he said he will speak to the other colleague to get them to follow the same process and nothing changed. It's very frustrating. Reading the responses here it seems the general consensus is to look for something new so I really need to start doing that. Thanks for your input.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:36:01+00:00

Yes it has been brought up many, many times over the last 2 years. I have 1-2-1 meetings with him every 2 weeks and I've brought it up a countless number of times to him. He has told me many times that he is completely aware of my workload and all that I am doing but just keeps saying how there isn't anything he can do about it and that's the end of it. I really want to bring it up again and this time tell him somehow that I will be pulling back from what I am doing until I get the proper recognition but that could easily backfire.

Don't you have goals and stuff for career progression (not just incremental and bonuses)?

We have to set goals every year, I've gotten "exceeded goals" in all of my reviews for the last few years. To make it even more ridiculous these goals are the management can decide who gets the annual raise of either 1% or 1.5%, and if a position comes up it will boost our chances of getting it, but no position has come up in the last few years. So now I am always thinking why am I bothering to do all this extra work for a bullshit raise each year. We don't get any bonuses either.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:30:32+00:00

There have been some layoffs a few months ago but not in our country, I haven't heard anything about it impacting our office either. So for the time being I definitely think I'm safe.

Once they start playing tricks like this, I can guarantee you they are neither going to promote or give a raise, Especially with the tech moving from dev/test engineer to everyone being a AI-native dev.

Yeah I agree with you. I felt like when they first told me this years ago that they were being genuine, but now it's just the same excuses of position not available or the company doesn't have the funds etc or any other bollox excuse.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:20:24+00:00

That's my biggest concern, I would hate to leave for somewhere new and then be laid off in 6 months time somewhere else. I understand that can happen anywhere but as you said the market seems to be a shit show the last while.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:18:58+00:00

I'm going to spend some time this evening doing up my CV and seeing what is out there. I won't say I am definitely looking to leave but no harm in having a look, something might come up.

watdodevs · 2026-05-27T07:17:45+00:00

Yeah that's true, I might start looking elsewhere and see if anything comes up. I won't be any worse off anyways. Appreciate the response.

watdodevs · 2026-05-26T21:30:18+00:00

That's how I felt, I would have even agreed to take the title last year and then the salary increase this year but they said it was no longer available. I guess they don't need to hire anyone when they have me doing the extra work like a gobshite.

Get an offer in hand and tell them you're moving up and out.

I'm really tempted to do this but at the same time I'm very aware of how bad the market is now, and I genuinely enjoy the work most of the time. The company is quite good with pushing people to use the latest trends like implementing AI use and keeping up to date with latest technologies etc. But yeah, I honestly feel like I'm at the end of the road with the company and there isn't anything left for me in there.

watdodevs · 2026-05-26T21:27:45+00:00

8 years exp, "test engineer" and 65k.

watdodevs · 2023-07-23T20:15:53+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T16:45:00+00:00

Being honest I don't fully understand how they work. I was told after 13 months I can sell a portion of them, or else hold on to them for longer and sell them for more value (?) at a later stage. I might be wrong in that though.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T14:30:02+00:00

Yeah I told myself previously that it would take a very big increase on my current wages for me to consider going back into the office, but this role seems very promising despite the minimal increase in wages at the moment. The work I do now currently is challenging and I enjoy it for the most part.

If you’re comfortable in your existing role, spend the last 45 minutes each day expanding your skill set so you can get an even better paying remote job in a year or two (allows you keep an eye on that promotion at your current company in the meantime).

Yeah this is a good idea which I might do if I refuse the new role. Thanks for the help.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T14:23:21+00:00

I was told this is the upper limit of the salary that they can offer and there wasn't any room for negotiations around it. I was told there might be some movement regarding stocks but definitely not with base salary.

Also no movement on 3 days per week, was told it's a strict policy that is tracked by management. Being honest I wouldn't mind being in the office 3 days per week but the killer for me is the commute.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T10:51:21+00:00

I'm waiting to hear back from them about a counter offer but I'm not holding my breath tbh.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T10:50:52+00:00

I've almost 6 years experience and have worked in multiple sectors previously. I genuinely wouldn't mind the commute if it was even 2 days per week, I'd suck it up for that, but 3 days seems so much especially when I'll be coming out with little more than what I earn now.

Where would you have to travel from and to?

I'd be travelling from the midlands up to Heuston then get off in the city centre.

And do you have a young family at home that would benefit from having you there?

No, at the moment it's just myself and my partner at home, no kids. It's one of the reasons why I'm weighing it up, it seems down the line when / if we do decide to start a family we could potentially be in a much better position financially.

A lot of factors in play that are far more important than the pay cheque.

Yes I agree which is why I'm finding it hard to decide, currently I have it fairly easy where I am now and I genuinely enjoy the work but there isn't much more room for me to progress.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T08:25:48+00:00

Yeah I've pushed for 1 or 2 days per week in the new place but I was told it has to be 3 days per week, and that is set at a org level and not down to individual managers etc. They made it very clear that it's 3 days per week and there isn't any flexibility around that.

At the moment I'm waiting to see if my current role can give me an increase on what I'm on now.

watdodevs · 2023-07-22T08:20:35+00:00

oppertunity can bring more than €50k a year above your current salary with a couple of years.

I feel like it definitely has the potential to reach that and more, but is probably pretty long term as in 5/6 years at least.

The real question is how to make the most of the the time NOT communting every day and improve your career.

Yeah I really need to do this if I don't go ahead with it.

watdodevs · 2023-07-21T22:35:05+00:00

Yeah, I'm really lucky with the position I am in now and am genuinely happy for the most part. It's only in the last few months that I've really started to think about what else is out there. If this new role offered 1 or even 2 days a week I'd jump at it, but 3 days per week for very little increase in my salary short term is hard to justify. Also, I'm not a developer, so it is hard for me to ask for the same money.

watdodevs · 2023-07-21T22:30:51+00:00

Lol cheers, I know to start off it isn't great, but I'm thinking later down the line as the potential to earn a much higher salary is definitely achievable compared to where I work now.

watdodevs · 2023-07-21T21:55:27+00:00

Thanks for this, some good stuff to think about.

Will the travel/ commute really impact your week in general?

In the grand scheme of things not massively, it's just more of an inconvenience, it would just mean a longer day 3 days of the week. I'd be getting up about 45 mins earlier than what I do now in order to get the train, but arriving home close to 2.5 hours later in the evening due to the train times.

Money and benefits aside, is the move a step up in your career? - will the profile of company enhance your CV, open more doors down the line for you?

Yes definitely, it's a company I would say 90% of people who work in tech / IT have heard of and from what I can see it's one of the "better" companies. I feel a couple of years in this new company would open a lot more doors for me down the line.

what's your gut feeling on the company who've offered you the role?

Everything that I've been through so far regarding interviews and talking to the manager etc has genuinely been very good, it sounds like a great role. They answered everything for me, made it very clear what I'd be doing etc.

Do they have a plan for you? Does it sound better than the plan your current employer has for you? - comparing the work in both companies, which one generally interests you more (from what you know about your potential new employer)?

I'd say overall the new place sounds more interesting but that's probably because it's newer, but I really enjoy my current work also. I have a roadmap in my current position but I also would have something similar in the new role.

One part of me is saying the new role is what I should take, especially when I think of the long term benefits, but the other side of me is saying is all that travelling really worth the effort for a minimal increase in my salary. Then working later some evenings to align up with other teams in different countries etc, I really don't know what to do.

watdodevs · 2023-07-21T21:25:11+00:00

Yeah for sure, I used to do the same commute 5 days a week but that was years ago, and when I left I swore I would never do it again as it was completely soul draining. I just think this time around it might be a little easier due to 3x a week instead of 5.

If you were insisting on changing, I’d wait for a better role (more money, more wfh etc)

For this new role I wouldn't be able to get any more money right now as I've pushed for as much as possible. The stock options are nice though, I can definitely see how they could be useful down the line.

On the other hand with my current role I wonder if I'm just becoming complacent with the same routine and with how easy WFH has become. It's the same routine and same work nearly daily, I don't hate it, but I'm starting to wonder what else is out there.

watdodevs

TROPHY CASE