Pointers for a Pay Raise

Want to be paid more? This is the place you will get all the information you need to ask for and get a pay raise.

These are some pointers if you aim to keep your job and pitch for a better pay. The actual raise and the moment you ask for a raise are important as is your usefulness to the workplace.

Cover of Negotiating Skills (Essential Managers)

The don’ts first: Emotion is a disadvantage.

Anxiety: Anxiety actually de-rates your worth and the result will get you a pittance in the form of a raise, if at all. You can expect a threat of layoff, just to scare you off.

Aggression: Most of the bosses are bad at taking aggressiveness in their stride. They equate it to being a challenge to their authority. The usual response is irritation. A ticked off boss is not a person to reason with, let alone talk of a pay raise. The pink slip will surely reach you, earlier than you think likely.

Blackmail: Bullying the boss with “quitting-the-job-if-no-pay-raise” stuff is in fact a gift, served on a platter, to the boss. Don’t be stunned if you offer is taken instantly. It is boss’s job to trim the workforce, remember? The truth is, no company hires someone who cannot be replaced right away. No matter how excellent you are, there is always someone good enough to step into your shoes.

Complain: Personal responsibilities and burdens you have are of no concern to the boss. You have a job contract with the company and that is what matters. An alert boss will link your troubles to the seeming fall in efficiency of your work and you will only move up in the layoff list.

Compare: Don’t compare your performance with other office mate’s poor performance. You will get a review of someone else’s better performance. This will be a huge dig at you, eating away into your confidence. No good can come from it.

Fawning: Sucking-up to the boss actually misfires most of the time. This usually tips off a good boss and gives him the time and reason to say “NO”. The boss is there where he is because of the capabilities he has; giving in to sweet talk is not one of them. Taking unemotional decisions is one of them.

Favor: Never offer a favor. It can be taken as a bribe or you can be taken as a personal slave. Both are simply not worth the salary increment.

Responsibility: Don’t propose to take on more job responsibility. The boss may jump at it and say “Okay, if you are good at it, then you’ll get a raise”. The result can be a battering at work and a fall in your efficiency. This fall will be your fall. Forget the raise you may lose your job. Anyways you wanted a pay raise not a promotion.

Now that you know what you should not do, there’s what you have to do to ask and get a pay raise.

The do’s.

Research: Research and find out from the job market how much your job is worth. Consider all the perquisites while you evaluate. Some jobs may give you a transport allowance, but you need to drive to work. This is an expense. Free company transport is a better bet. Balance such factors and evaluate.

Fix the amount: Do your calculations and fix the exact amount you want as a raise. Decide the flexibility you can afford in negotiating the amount. Not knowing the amount you want is a shortcoming.

Prepare yourself: Make a list of all the successes and failures you have had, and the reasons. List out the additional work responsibilities you have had to take. Rehearse and practice your proposal. Hone up your negotiating skills. Being tongue tied is taken as a sign of weakness.

Timing: Time your request around when the company has posted good results. A healthy company is a company which can take the load of extra payroll.

Be composed: Any show of any emotion can be interpreted in a way for the management to wiggle out of a pay raise. Be impassive and professional and do your presentation. Get your message across.

If everything fails, get yourself a new job. Good luck!