Here is what we do so you know:
Give a tiny raise at the middle of the year… call it merit
Do not refer to it as Cost of living.
Policy is only one raise per six months
Use q4, EOY, and budget season to delay raises till first of year
During q1 use verbiage to express budget not approved.
If you submit a raise, they will drag their feet or ignore it for two months, deny it when the annual raises spreadsheet comes in and say we can t get them one in a quarter
Tell them end of q1 annual 6% merit raise was approved and waiting to roll that and if they get a raise now they won’t get the annual.
Give 1-2% raise to everyone not just the ones that deserve a merit raise and say they changed the budget last min and only approved 1-2%.
Resubmit get denied by policy again.
And The best one is submit for raise, knowing it will not get approved so you can show your people it was submitted and partially approved and out of your hands just to save face. They won’t deny it and wait until it times out and you have to submit again.
Push back to the uppers and get reprimand or gaslighted again
If you know you now or juts Think about it….