Far too many people over value themselves. Every employee thinks that they are the only one that can do their job as well as they can. In my experience, that is rarely the case. Sometimes the only reason an employee has a job is that the search and hire process is too much of a hassle. Here the employee thinks that they're All-World and deserve 30-50% raises or bonuses plus equity and you, as the manager, can't seem to the justify the salary they currently make. There is a massive disconnect between how employees value their work product and how their supervisors value them. Yes, you can ask for more money, even high raises, but don't be offended when your boss just doesn't think your worth the hassle anymore.

The best employees are the ones that stop whining at every opportunity about their pay. The squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease; sometimes, it just gets removed and replaced.

Just remember, in this labor marketplace, there are 100s of people who can do your job and dozens upon dozens that can do it better than you can. The only reason your company hasn't taken that step is that they don't want the hassle of searching, hiring and training your replacement. So, ask for more money, ask for more benefits, even ask for equity, but don't push too hard or you might find out just how valuable you really are to your company.

For every rockstar employee, there are dozens of duds.