On a slight tangent, if you work at a large corp that has very organised payroll/HR procedures, such as reviewing pay only at fixed times (eg. once every 12 months, as my current employer does), how hard is it usually to argue for a payrise ahead of schedule?
If the next pay review is 6 months away, is it feasible to argue for a payrise now, or would managers have very limited power to fight against the HR process?
In my experience, managers are actually more constrained during the annual review cycle. They tend to have very specific quotas for promotions and raises. One large company I worked for literally had a bell curve for raises that managers had to fit their employees into. Every meaningful raise I've gotten has come outside of the annual process.
That's a tough one to answer because it's so company-dependent. It's pretty hard, but far from impossible. It will depend greatly on a number of factors, including but not limited to your value to the company, how far you are from the pay you want, and how the politics of the situation work. Even if they turn you down, your boss certainly won't forget turning you down (next time, or when you leave).
I would be very surprised if managers in almost all companies didn't have the ability to offer off-period raises for purposes of retention. If the HR group is really buttoned down, there's probably even a procedure for it.
If the next pay review is 6 months away, is it feasible to argue for a payrise now, or would managers have very limited power to fight against the HR process?