Negotiating for a Raise August 27, 2015 817 Monterey, St. Joseph, MO - 816-233-8281 - www.endpov.com

Pick your timing carefully Wait until you have a track record of accomplishments you can point to that show you merit the raise. And if you’ve done something great recently, even better. Avoid asking for a raise if you’ve only been on the job for a few months or if the company is struggling financially.

Understand what your manager is likely thinking When a staff member asks for more money, a manager is likely thinking about that person’s value. Managers are much more willing to go out of their way to accommodate someone fantastic who they don’t want to lose—and much less likely when the request comes from someone they’re lukewarm about.

Don’t talk about personal reasons for wanting a raise, like your expenses Your request needs to be all about your value to the company, not about the fact that your rent is going up or that you have bills to pay. Employers don’t pay people based on their own financial needs. Stick to reasons that are about business and your value to the company. This game develops descriptive and instructional skills as well as teamwork. The game works best with small groups--a minimum of four people, up to six or seven--and requires two identical sets of building blocks. 

Don’t compare your salary to your co-workers’ It’s frustrating to see someone doing a worse job than you and getting more money, but managers do not respond well when employees use a co-worker’s salary as the basis for a raise request. Base your salary requirements on the industry norm and what you’ll be bringing to the company, nothing else.

Base your request on your value to the company Build a case for why you’ve earned a raise, and why your company is better off in the future because of your work. Think back to any special achievements in the last year or how you’ve positively affected the business. Why would your manager be upset to lose you if you left?

Provide details to support your case Maybe you can show a file of compliments you’ve received from customers. Or maybe you can show that your idea increased revenue by X dollars, or that your productivity rate is twice the average rate. The idea here is that you want to show a case for your value to the business.

Don’t threaten to leave if you don’t get a raise Even if it’s true, you don’t need to say this out loud. Managers understand that this is the implied subtext when someone asks for a raise; it’s definitely on their mind that they risk losing you if they can’t do what you’re asking. You don’t need to spell it out.

Don’t have an attitude of entitlement You want to be confident and direct, but it won’t go over well if you feel entitled to a raise just because a year’s gone by, or because you’ve done the basic requirements of your job. Show how you’ve earned a raise, and how you will continue to add more value to the business, and you’re more likely to get one.

Rehearse what you’re going to say ahead of time. You might open with something like: “This company has been wonderful about rewarding my performance with increased responsibilities, and I’m grateful for that. But I’ve been performing at a high level for a while now and have consistently exceeded my sales targets. I’d like to talk about adjusting my salary to reflect these contributions.”

Know what to do if your boss says no If your boss turns you down, ask what you would need to accomplish to earn a raise in the future. Be specific. What targets would you need to hit? Figuring this out will not only help you meet those goals, you can also refer to those benchmarks the next time you ask for a raise.

Questions?

817 Monterey, St. Joseph, MO - 816-233-8281 - www.endpov.com Disclaimer Dan Nowalk makes every effort to offer accurate, common-sense, ethical Human Resources management, employer, and workplace advice, but he is not an attorney, and the content on the presentation, while authoritative, is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality, and is not to be construed as legal advice. When in doubt, always seek legal counsel to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct.  817 Monterey, St. Joseph, MO - 816-233-8281 - www.endpov.com