There are plenty of stories about how to get a pay rise. But what happens when you don’t get one or do the same job for years, with more and more responsibility, for no extra pay?

I thought about the post-pay-rise blues after congratulating a friend who was recently promoted. “Hope you got a big pay rise to match the big new job,” I joked. “Yeah, right,” she replied. “I got the promise of a pay rise. The only thing promoted was my workload and stress levels.”

Keep up the good work...just don't expect extra financial rewards. Credit:John Woudstra

At least she has an exciting new work challenge. What of employees who pinned their hopes on a decent pay rise this year, but were told the company had to, yet again, limit merit-based increases? How do they stay motivated when extra effort is unrewarded or, worse, unnoticed?

How do they respond if their pay-rise request was yet again rejected? Do they pick themselves up again and fight even harder for an increase in a year’s time or stage a “silent protest” by working less or reducing their emotional investment and engagement with the firm.