I’m not sure exactly how to handle this situation.
I started working on-campus last year. Boss told me that after every semester working for him i’d get a raise. I got a raise in the summer. I emailed him recently asking since its the new semester, am i getting the raise, and he said, it’s only if u’ve been working for a year… “please correct me if i am wrong.” SO i replied and said that he tld me it was after a semester, and I got one raise. He replied back saying it must have been an oversight and asked me when I started working. I told him the month. he hant replied.
Now— even if he was mistaken (which is very likely) and gave me the raise when he shouldn’t have–i still think i deserve one anyway. After next month it will be one year. Also i ahve been working non-stop all year long, the only “vacation” i took was being sick in the hosp. I think i’ve been working pretty hard and am a good employee but its not recognized. I want to bring this up to him. How do I do that and make it turn out good for me?
PS-- quitting isn’t an option right now, so no suggestions to quit please.
Is there a Collective Agreement that applies to you? If so, I'd consult that before engaging in further discussion about this. Universities are pretty stringent when it comes to pay scales and upgrades.
Confirm the policy from your HR. If you find out that he is telling you the truth , then wait till your one year is complete to talk to him. Employers do not even honor the written offer they make , you are talking about something he told you verbally.
From my professional experience, I can tell you that your boss might not have thought enough when he said about the raise to you. It was just a way from him to motivate you. Its true that organizations here do not respect what they sign with employees, let alone something said only verbally.
My advise to you would be simple, i.e.
Take a clear judgment of your worth to your employer, how much beneficial you really are to him, not just what you think, but the real worth from the context of your boss.
Organizations will engage you with the minimum money possible, now if you think from your point 1 analysis that your boss wants you to carry on, then you can discuss with him in plain English after completion of the year.
If you think that you are easily replacable and your boss had no special interest in retaining you as a employee, than no kind of articulation will work for you.
So the point here to understand is that, Its not important what he said to you while hiring, what is important his how useful you are as a employee to him, and that will decide either he will give you a raise or not. I hope it helps.