How to ask for a pay raise

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What to tell your boss to increase your income and not get kicked out of work.

According to statistics, over the past three years, 49% of Russians have spoken to their bosses about a wage increase. And almost half of them received an increase. So the easiest way to get a pay increase is to ask. But you need to act wisely.

Choose a moment

For the operation to be successful, it is necessary to contact the boss about a salary increase when several factors are triggered:

1. The company has the resource to raise wages: sales have not fallen, the budget has not been cut, funding "from the center" has come.
2. You haven't had any obvious failures lately. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain why you should pay more.
3. The manager is not busy. With an emergency, he has to deal with many issues at the same time, and your attempts to distract him will only anger him.
4. The boss is in a good mood. Of course, the ideal boss is always fair and impartial, but most of us are still ruled by humans, not robots.

Prepare your arguments

Put yourself in the shoes of your boss and think about which arguments will play into your hands and which ones will worsen the situation.

Successful arguments

1. You have more responsibilities

You came to the company under certain conditions, but since then the workload has grown. During the day you manage to work for yourself and a little for that guy, but your salary is not paid for two.

Explain to the employer that thanks to you, he saves salary at another work rate, so you deserve a raise.

However, you should not be impudent: if you do not have a time machine, you will not be able to do a good job for two, so no one will double your salary. 20-30% is the amount you can count on.

2. Your colleagues in similar positions get more

You have been working in the company for a long time and have come to a certain salary. But the market did not stand still, and newcomers in similar positions are initially offered more.

Definitely, this is a reason to turn to the leadership and restore justice. But you have to be honest with yourself. Perhaps new hires are doing a little more. Before talking to your boss, you should mobilize all your strength and become a truly valuable person.

3. You bring tangible profit to the company

For any organization, the measure of your success is the amount of money you have brought in. Not every specialization allows you to directly influence a firm's income. Your task is to find the connections between the commercial success of the company and your work and show them. Don't be unfounded: numbers, graphs and statistics work the most convincingly.

4. You are willing to work harder to increase your income

With experience, you have learned to do basic work faster, and you have freed up some working time for new tasks. Ask your boss to expand your responsibilities and accompany it with a pay raise.

Ask what you have to do to get the right amount. The answer will make it clear whether, in principle, it is worth counting on an increase in wages or it is better to direct energy to finding a new job.

If the manager is willing to consider options, this is a good signal. Show that you have a good understanding of the processes that take place within the company, and are not afraid of responsibility. Take the initiative, and you can expect to increase not only your income, but also your position.

Controversial arguments

In theory, any of these arguments could work. But they can be easily turned against you.

1. During your work you have learned a lot

At first glance, this phrase characterizes you positively, but there are nuances. For most specialties, continuous development is a prerequisite. You must catch trends in the field, otherwise you will simply be pushed out of the market.

The argument about new knowledge is more of a reason not to lay you off than to raise your salary.

To make this argument work, you need to jump over your head and add something to your pool of competencies that will show your high motivation, and not just a logical growth in the profession.

2. If your salary increases, you move mountains

This is an attempt to conclude an unsupported agreement on your part, because promises are just words. At the same time, the employer, according to the law, having raised the salary, cannot simply lower it back. Not the best deal for him.

Going to the boss for a serious conversation, you need to move the mountain and confirm this with evidence: reports, figures, facts. At the very least, leverage should be established to crush the mountain. You are trying to sell your work for a higher price, so demonstrate the product to the buyer as best you can.

3. You have difficult personal circumstances

The employer must pay you the amount specified in the employment contract and comply with the provisions of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. And he doesn't have to think for you, for example, to live with three children in a one-room apartment.

And then, you have at least a one-room apartment, and your colleague (perhaps no less talented) generally rents a corner in a communal apartment. So it will be difficult to prove why exactly you need to pay extra for demographic feats or a mortgage for half your life.

4. You have been working in the company for a very long time

Your loyalty is commendable. But the manager may have a question why you did not advance up the career ladder, but stumbled on the same position. It is better to attach an explanation of what the company has been doing for you all these years and, most importantly, what you have done for it, to the argument about seniority.

5. Either your salary is raised, or you leave

This is an all-in move, and it is worth laying out cards on the table only when you have an offer from another company or you are ready to go nowhere. If you are denied a pay raise, you will have to quit. Otherwise, you will be remembered as a blackmailer who lies and does not keep his word. By the way, a lot depends on how you build the conversation.

If you issue an ultimatum, the chances are high that the boss will react negatively simply out of principle. But try to talk to him as an ally, not as an enemy.

You love the company, see yourself in it and the benefits that you could bring. But someone offered more money, and you are forced to leave - not at the call of your heart, but out of necessity. In this case, the chances of staying in a company with a higher salary are much greater.

Ask for a specific increase

Speak out the specific number in percentage or the currency in which you are paid your salary. Of course, the calculations should be based on objective factors (amount of work, skills and abilities), and not the amount that you lack for complete happiness. Statistics also stand for specifics in the requirements.

Requests for a wage increase without specific wishes were refused by 61% of Russians. Those who voiced a specific figure were told “no” much less often.

To understand how much your work is worth, research the relevant vacancies. At the same time, add suitable suggestions to your "Favorites" in case of an unsuccessful conversation with your boss.

Prepare for rejection

Consider escape routes. If you did not become impudent, did not raise your voice, did not threaten or blackmail your boss, most likely you can simply return to your workplace.

However, if there are no prospects for career growth and income growth, it may be time to look into the Favorites folder where you saved vacancies and think about changing your job.