If there was ever a conversation at work that would take the cake as the most nerve-wracking, most would agree that asking for raise would win with flying colours. Sitting down with your boss and putting across your argument as to why they should give you more of their profit isn’t something that everyone has the guts to do but when you’re working relentlessly and don’t seem to be getting much for it, it might be time to turn around and put on your battle armour. In the meantime, we’ve put together a list of what some of the ‘ideal’ situations might be if you’re looking to ask for the extra digits on your paycheck.
When Is The Best Time?
When we talk about the ‘best time’ to ask, we don’t necessarily mean when the best time for you is. While having to turn to a payday loan from someone such as Uncle Buck Loan Company may feel like an ideal time to ask, this, unfortunately, isn’t the case. In fact, we instead need to take a look at the best time for the company for you to ask. This can come down to three ideal times: three months before your annual review, when you’ve just completed a major project successfully and have another one lined up, or when you’ve taken on an ongoing hard-to-staff assignment.
New responsibilities are always likely to crop up in your job, but while being tasked with shredding every week isn’t exactly perfect cause for a raise, taking on an entirely new job role or responsibility that can affect the company considerably most certainly is. What’s more, ensuring you ask before your review meeting could also give them the chance to put in that request if they agree you’re deserving of a pay rise and have time to get it approved before your meeting.
What Are The Best Reasons?
While new responsibilities are always a good reason to request a pay rise, there is more to it than just that. In fact, you’ll need to prove yourself as more than just someone willing to take on responsibilities. Being able to talk about the future as though you’ll be at the job for a long time to come is ideal – after all, why would they give a pay rise to someone who looks like they’re going to leave at the next available moment? Similarly, you need to avoid the pitfall of explaining why you need a pay rise and instead focus on why you deserve one. While your restricted budget every month might be bringing tears to your eyes and your boss might be sympathetic, it’s likely that a good chunk of your colleagues are also suffering financially and they can’t give a pay rise to everyone. Instead, you need to prove that you’re worthy of their extra investment.
Some Dos And Don’ts To Consider
With the above in mind, there are some other dos and don’ts that you need to consider before embarking on your pay rise battle to help ensure that you don’t come out disappointed.
For a start, you need to treat this essentially as another interview. Dress the part, make sure that you rehearse and prepare accordingly and make sure you have other options ready to be brought out if they’re needed. Of course, we don’t mean another job, but other requests you could make instead. If your company is strapped for cash currently, they might be more inclined to accept your request to work from home once a week or treat you to tickets to an event you’ve been wanting to attend. You need to be prepared to hear ‘no’ to your pay rise, but be able to fight for what you deserve.
However, it’s also important to ensure you avoid some of the biggest pitfalls to avoid. For a start, don’t even think about asking your boss during periods of high stress. When their mind is on something else, they’re unlikely to fully listen to your argument and even less likely to accept and agree even if they do. The next big ‘no’ is to not make any ultimatums! Making heavy demands or seeming too assertive can push your boss in the wrong direction and even risk you losing your job. It’s better to treat the meeting as a discussion as opposed to a request or a demand to avoid this completely.
Asking for a pay rise can be nerve-wracking, but luckily there is plenty of advice out there to help guide you through the entire process. While there isn’t any single ideal time to ask, it’s still ideal to find out the ‘better’ times in order to avoid disappointment. Through careful preparation and confidence in your abilities, you could find your bank account that little bit fuller in no time.