Asking for a Raise When You're Scared
Posted: Friday, January 29, 2010
by Lesa Caskey
Brick Elm LLC
Hannah Writes: Lesa, I have been with my company for almost 7 years. I know that I am a very good worker based on my performance reviews. I stay late, skip lunch and just do what I need to do to get my work done. My boss and I have a great working relationship but I am scared to approach him about a raise. I am not sure even how to start the conversation. I do not want to be threatening but I know there is another company that will offer me more than what I am currently being paid. How do I use this as leverage without seeming threatening? I know just to have a job right now is a blessing so I do not want to seem greedy, I just feel like I have worked hard and deserve a raise. Thanks.
First, go to www.salary.com or some other site that offers free data on the average salaries for various positions around the country. Find out where you are according to the averages and ask yourself if you're truly underpaid or not. If you are in fact being underpaid for your role in your geographic area then you should definitely bring this up to your boss. Simply tell him that you have stumbled across some information that lead you to inquire about your salary as compared to others in your field. You discovered that you're underpaid by $______ per year based on the average salary data and that you feel your proven performance and dedication is worthy of an increase of ___% (however much it takes to get you where you want to be) more than the average.
Some things to keep in mind are the financial health of the company you work for, the possibility that your boss may not make much more than you do now and of course how many people like you there are in your area. Said another way, are there more jobs available than there are qualified people with your skill set or vice versa? If your company is struggling financially, your boss doesn't make that much more than you and your skills are fairly common then odds are you will not get an increase and you are likely to create some tension in your relationship. If the opposite is true in that your company is doing well, your boss clearly makes more than you do and your job is fairly unique then I say full steam ahead!
The final consideration is the date and size of your last increase. If you've had a pay increase in the last 12 months then you should wait until the next review period to ask. If your review happened just recently but you feel that your increase was insufficient then it's understandable for you to revisit the issue now.
Best of luck to you! Let me know what you decide to do and how it goes.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Your article is informative, helpful and well written. It is good to see someone write on a subject like this, in such an easy to read manner. Thanks a lot.---EllaThank you for the comment, Ella. I'm glad you liked it!
Good information, sound advice. It's a difficult thing for a person to do.Thanks for the comment, Jack. It's true that it's a difficult thing for a person to do, but definitely not impossible. I have used the process above for myself and have also known others who have successfully negotiated raises or market increases in just this way. Especially in smaller companies, employers can become out of touch with market salary information and out of no malice or master plan to get one over on anyone, they simply keep on keepin' on without giving it a second thought. Our gentle inquiries and reminders are not out of line in the least. And if nothing else, we may learn that our employer doesn't value our contribution appropriately and so we can move forward with confidence to another company.
Very information article. In many companies there is a prescribed system, for example, pay increase once a year as part of a formal salary review. If your company does have such a system, there can be little point in trying to negotiate outside of it. Wait until your evaluation is due and then be prepared with your objective arguments and your negotiation technique.
Great info in your article. That and a cup of courage should motivate enough to go for it!
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