If you are a “star employee,” a good company will often be able to find a bit extra to keep you satisfied. [2] X Expert Source Meredith Walters, MBACertified Career Coach Expert Interview. 22 November 2019. Be aware that it is a fairly standard tactic to tell you that the business is already over its annual budget, to try to deter you from asking. [3] X Research source This means that you need to know your worth as assessed against objective criteria (see below) and be persistent. If you’ve already negotiated a pay deal with your boss, it may be harder to ask for more. Your boss assumes you’re happy with the amount you’re getting and isn’t not likely to be favorably disposed to adding more financial burden to the company without good reason. Be careful about using another job offer as leverage. Your boss may call you on it; it’s important to really have such a job offer and be willing to take it if you’re rebuffed by your boss. Be ready to walk that plank!
Does your company require annual performance reviews to determine your salary? Do salaries advance according to a fixed schedule or rank? Who can make the decision (or ask for it to be made)?
Your job description Your responsibilities, including any management or leadership tasks Years of experience and seniority in the company’s line of work Your level of education Your location
While these things will be helpful when you build your case, they should not be used as the principal argument for getting a pay raise; they simply inform you about your potential worth, not your boss. [6] X Research source
You should also keep your eyes on the horizon and regularly envision the path ahead for your company and for the industry. Make it a point to consciously set aside time at the end of each month to critically examine the path ahead. The very act of anticipating needed actions will serve you well in day-to-day operations and in salary re-negotiaon: You will be leading the way into the future and enhancing the company’s ability to capitalize on the changing market.
While some people believe it’s helpful to write down accomplishments to present to your boss, others believe your accomplishments should already be evident and you should only need to highlight those to remind your boss of what he already knows and reinforce that knowledge. [8] X Research source It depends on what you know about your boss’s preferences, your relationship dynamics with your boss, and your own level of comfort with reciting your accomplishments verbatim. If you choose to convince your boss verbally, memorize the list. If you choose to present a written copy to your boss for his or her reference, have somebody proofread it for you first.
Did you complete or help to complete a tough project? And get positive results from it? Did you work extra hours or meet an urgent deadline? Are you continuing to demonstrate this type of commitment? Did you take initiative? In what ways? Did you go beyond the call of duty? In what ways? Did you save the company time or money? Did you improve any systems or processes? Did you empower others with your support and guidance or training? As Carolyn Kepcher says, “A rising tide lifts all boats,"[10] X Research source and a boss wants to hear that you’ve helped facilitate team members and make them stronger, more positive forces for the company.
Be sure to identify specific long-term goals and objectives that will benefit the company in the future. Keeping an existing employee happy is also less of a hassle than conducting interviews and hiring a new one. While you don’t want to say this outright, emphasizing a positive role in your company’s evolution which helps assure the company’s future success will definitely resonate with your boss.
If you feel comfortable with your position, tie the salary increase to the increased revenue or profit that is tied to your past successes and expectations for the near future. If you anticipate being able to bring home a lucrative project or contract in the next few months, that may well fund your pay raise (and more). The implication that the next ten months of your year are all bottom-line profit does not have to be stated explicitly, but, if the case is made convincingly, the conclusion is inescapable. If your boss sees an easy way to justify the salary increase to superiors, you are in a strong position, indeed. The usual tactic of negotiating from a much higher point isn’t as good an idea with salary increase requests because your boss might think you’re trying to milk the company and push the boundaries. You can break the numbers down so they seem less imposing. For example, you can explain it as being an extra $40 a check rather than $2,200 for the year. [12] X Research source You can also negotiate for more than just a pay raise. Maybe you’re happy to take other things in lieu of money, such as shares in the company, a wardrobe allowance, rental assistance, or even a more prestigious title. Ask for a company car, or for a better one. If appropriate, talk about increased benefits, more conspicuous job titles, and modifications to your responsibilities, management oversight, or assignments. Be prepared to compromise and haggle. Even though you haven’t given your boss an unrealistic figure, you should expect some bargaining to go on if your boss is receptive to the request.
In particular, women are often afraid to ask for a pay raise due to a mindset that does not want to appear demanding or pushy. [13] X Research source See this as an opportunity to show that you care enough to develop a career trajectory that favors your workplace as well as yourself. Negotiation is a learned skill. If you are afraid of this aspect, take some time out to learn it and practice implementing it in a variety of contexts before approaching your boss.
The time is right when your value to the organization is clearly high. [14] X Research source This means seizing the iron while it’s hot and asking for a pay raise off the back of excellent successes such as holding a highly successful conference, getting fantastic feedback, getting a big client signed on, producing outstanding work that outsiders have praised, etc. Don’t choose a time when the company has just posted major losses. [15] X Research source Asking for a pay rise based purely on “time done” is dangerous because it makes you appear like a timekeeper rather than someone interested in the company’s progression. Never say to your boss: “I’ve been here for a year and I deserve a pay rise. ”[16] X Research source Your boss will be likely to respond, “And so what?”
Remember, a face-to-face request is far harder to turn down than a letter or email. Try to avoid Monday, when there will be a million things to do, or Friday, when your boss may already have other things on his mind.
Start by saying how much you enjoy your job. Being personable will help make that human connection with your boss. Follow up by discussing your achievements. This will show your boss why a pay raise matters to you.
If it’s an outright “no,” see the next section. If it’s “I need time to think about this,” try to pinpoint a future time for reopening the discussion. If your boss agrees immediately, say something like, “Don’t say yes unless you mean it” as a means of reinforcing it in his or her mind and then proceed to “hold your boss” to it (see below). [17] X Research source
Making your boss feel bad about reneging (for example, mentioning someone you know who asked for a pay raise only to have a boss take it back and how staff morale plummeted). This will have to be done subtly and with tact. Ask when your boss will implement the pay raise. A subtle way of doing this might be to ask if there is anything you need to sign to put it into effect. Go one step further and tell your boss: “I guess that you’ll have this arranged by the end of the month after you’ve approved the paperwork,” etc. ; this puts a plan into action so that he or she doesn’t have to.
If you are a star employee, keep performing excellently and ask again in a few months time.
It’s better to stick with it for a little while longer to try to work for that raise. But if months have passed and you haven’t gotten the recognition you deserve in spite of your hard work, then don’t feel bad about seeing what other companies have to offer.
