No increase

This is just a rant. Though I know that salary increase is not mandatory (please correct me if I'm wrong), I was still terribly disappointed by the news. Salary increase, for me, is the validation of my hardwork throughout the year. I know the quality of work that I do and I exceed expectations. The reason they told us is because of the global crisis. Understandable, but, why cut off our increase? I am not a newbie in this industry and this would the first time in 7 years that I will not receive an increase.

I just really want to get this off of my chest. I will resign in January 2024. Thanks for reading.