The Retail Appointment Magazine September 2017 TRAP_Sep 2017_DigitalEdition | Page 5
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t can happen that an employer genuinely doesn’t
realise that you are underpaid. Indeed, your boss
may have forgotten what salary you are actually
being paid. It’s a strange phenomenon but most of
us hate to talk about money.
I
As they say in sales, if you don’t
ask the question the answer is
always no.
Sometimes though, asking for a rise can go horribly
wrong, so you need to handle it properly.
Start with an honest assessment. Do you really de-
serve a pay rise? Of course we all want more money,
but can you justify why you should be paid more?
Good reasons include:
You know for certain that someone else in your
company at the same level is being paid more
than you.
You have more than exceeding your targets or
achieved more than you were asked to do.
You know your current salary is below par in the
industry.
your reasons. Make sure your facts are correct and
verifiable. For example, you could look up various
job adverts or research into average salaries in your
area. If you’re quoting someone else’s salary in the
organisation, be careful. Are you sure? How did you
come by this information? Will you be doing damage
to a friend or colleague by revealing that you know
their salary? Apart from the fact that it is wrong to
your friend, it looks bad if you have found out some-
thing that you shouldn’t have.
Try to focus on the positi ves.
What you have achieved. What you are going to
achieve. You must have a legitimate reason. Being
with an employer for a long time doesn’t necessarily
mean you should get paid more. Well run organisa-
tions pay on merit, not longevity. And just saying you
want it, is stating the obvious and makes you look
petulant.
Be very careful not to sound threatening, and espe-
cially never make and explicit threat. None of us likes
to be threatened, and if you confront your boss with,
“Give me more money or I will leave” a) you had
better be prepared to carry out your threat and, b)
even if your threat gets the right response, your
“card will be marked”.
Bad reasons include:
I want it.
I think I am worth it.
I have been here a long time.
We’ll look at these later but the next stage is to
choose your moment. If your boss is having a really
bad day, then it is probably a bad day to ask. Wait.
If you’re having a really bad day, then you should
wait. Try to find a time when both of you are feeling
relaxed, or at least as relaxed as possible before
making your approach. Don’t be too nervous, it is
perfectly acceptable to ask for more money.
If you are already in a meeting with your boss, then
it might be fine to bring it up then, especially if the
meeting is going well. Get to the point. Start the con-
versation with “I want to talk to you about my salary.”
If you’re feeling a bit shy, don’t worry. A degree of
coyness will show that you are not being threatening.
You should be deferential, but don’t over do it. Give
My advice to people who are counter-offered when
they resign to join another organisation is that it al-
most never works out well. Once you have indicated
that you are leaving or, in this case, you are thinking
of leaving, your star will no longer be in the ascen-
dant. In fact, you should go out of your way to say
that you are not thinking of leaving and that you are
happy in your job. You may try a bit of flattery on
your boss by saying, “I feel I can talk to you about
this.” Or, “I know that you will be fair with me.”
If you don’t have success the first time of asking,
stay positive. You have sown the seed that you want
more money, and if your rebuffal at the first attempt
results in you remaining positive, all to the good.
Sulking will most certainly damage your case.
Finally, if you are disgruntled about your salary or
your boss’s refusal to do anything about it, discuss
it only with those who can sort it out. Don’t go
whinging to your colleagues, as it almost always gets
back and is very likely to damage your chances of
pay rises or promotions in the future.
“You must have a legitimate reason.”
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