I'm an "Xennial" and I can't tell you how many times I've heard boomers and even Xers comment on how frequently people change jobs nowadays. Like it's somehow shameful. But loyalty isn't given, it's earned, and not just earned once, but repeatedly. As soon as one side gets taken for granted in a relationship, loyalty can't be expected. When an employer doesn't want to ensure its wages are keeping up with industry, it can and will lose its best people. I've seen it many times in my 20 years in the workforce and experienced it myself. I've fortunately had the pleasure of working for good, employee-centric companies, but even there, they didn't always recognize that they weren't keeping pace with industry pay rates. I started low and made modest increases. But soon I had enough experience that I was considerably more valuable than my rate reflected. However, attempts to make my case for better pay were not well received "there's only so much in the bucket for annual increases.") I had to to turn in my notice in order for the company to recognize that they couldn't easily replace my skill set. They offered me more (like 30% plus another week of vacation) and I accepted, but even that had me below what I was worth.

A couple of years later I found another opportunity that would pay yet another 15% higher and had a much higher bonus potential. I jumped ship and then again when I found a better cultural fit for me. This company, recognizing the value of my skill set, has increased my pay 12% in two years to make sure I stick around. In 4 years I nearly doubled my pay simply by being open to new opportunities. Had I stayed at that first company and not sought other opportunities, I would be making no more than 75% of my current salary. Some of my colleagues are still there.

The lesson? If you know your worth, don't be afraid to go out and sell yourself. If your current employer doesn't recognize it, another employer likely will...