When it comes to financial stability, landing a raise can be a game-changer. Knowing how to ask for a raise effectively, however, isn’t always easy. In this article, you’ll learn insider tips on how to get a raise at work based on your knowledge and value to the company. You’ll also discover the best time to ask for a raise, and the steps to take in order to make a compelling case.
Before you head to your boss’s office, it is important to understand what your boss wants. This is because in order to get a raise or at least convince your boss to increase your salary, you need to help your boss get what he/she wants. Every employer wants to know how you can add value to the company and your long-term goals within the company.
No employer will pay you more money when you have mediocre performance or if you are planning to leave your job. For this reason, you first need to become an asset instead of a liability before you can ask for a raise. In order words, you need to add value to the company before requesting a higher salary. If you think you are underpaid or undervalued at your current job, this article was written specifically for you.
In this article, you will learn about effective tips to get a raise at work. The strategies you will learn in this article can also help you get a promotion without having to work harder than your co-workers.
How to ask for a raise and get it?
Doing everything you are supposed to do at work will help you get a raise. But, you still need to use the right strategies when asking for a raise. The following tips can help you ask for a raise and successfully get it.
- List all your accomplishments. When it is time to ask for a raise, make sure that you understand your contributions to the company. To do this, you need to evaluate and list your accomplishments over the last 6 to 12 months.
- Know the top salary you can make at your current job. There are job positions where no matter what you do, you cannot get paid more. So, make sure that you understand where you stand and how far up you can go.
- Focus your negotiation based on what you can do. In order to get a raise, you need to show your boss what you have accomplished and what you can do. In order words, focus on what it’s in for your boss. Keep the conversation on the value you are bringing to the table.
- Stay confident. Confidence is crucial when you are asking for a raise. When you are confident, your boss sees that you have done your homework and know your worth.
- Focus on what your boss wants and what you can do to help. Sometimes negotiating a salary requires you to show where the company is failing and how you can help.
- Put your request in writing. Requesting a salary increase by writing is an effective way to approach this complex problem. Look back at your experience, accomplishments, and how you are planning to help the company move forward, and put everything in writing. The more you can quantify your value to the company, the more chances you will get a raise.
Things you should never do when asking for a raise
Asking for a raise does not mean you will get it. But, there are times when your boss will deny you a raise simply because of the way you expressed your request.
The following are things you should never do when asking for a raise.
- Do not threaten to quit. Threatening to quit when asking for a raise shows that you are only interested in money. That is you need the money and you are willing to leave your job to get it. This approach sends a negative message and makes the conversation difficult. You cannot convince someone to pay you more by threatening to quit.
- Do not use your co-worker’s salary as a bargaining power. By default, you are not supposed to know your co-worker’s salary. In some businesses, knowing your co-worker’s salary can get both of you fired. But, even if you might not get fired, using your co-worker’s salary as a bargaining power shows that you have nothing to bring to the table. That is you are asking to be paid more only because your co-worker is getting paid more than you.
- Do not be pushy. Always remember that asking for a raise is more of convincing your boss than simply requesting. Your job is to help your boss understand why you deserve to be paid more. And this happens only if you can help your boss achieve what he/she wants. What does your boss want? Your boss wants value from you. Your boss wants answers to problems that are threatening the business. Every employer needs to learn new ways of conducting business and how to stay in business longer, etc. It is easier to get raise at work when you have helped in addressing these issues or at least are willing to do something about them. Pushing your way into the conversation, only makes matters worse and reduces your chances of getting a raise.
Without further ado, the following are 12 tips to get a raise at work and become a better employee.
1. Show up to work on time
One of the best tips to get a raise at work is to show up on time. Employees who are dedicated to their jobs show up on time. And these same employees are usually the ones who get raises and promotions on a daily basis. Showing up on time shows that you care about your job and the company in general.
When you are at work on time, you will have enough time to get ready for the task ahead. You will have time to have coffee, chat with your friends before you start working, put on your uniform, use the bathroom, etc. All these activities do not add value to your work. But, by handling them ahead of time, you get to focus on your work without interruptions. This helps you increase value in the company and meet deadlines. If you did not know it, employers love employees who can help their companies meet deadlines and deliver their products on time. Very often, you will realize that showing up on time is part of the equation.
Your employer will remember you as an employee who shows up on time no matter the conditions and circumstances. You cannot ask for a raise if you are the one getting points due to tardiness. Showing up on time plays an important role when deciding your raise, bonus, and promotion.
2. Always work when you are at work
Although every employee wants to get a raise; most people violate the simple rule of the work environment that determines how far they can go. Working all the time when you are at work is one of the most important tips to get a raise at work. Every employer wants to see that you can perform your job at least to the expected level. To achieve this level of performance, you need to work when you are at work. Working always when you are at work is different from overworking yourself to death in exchange for a raise. Working when you are at work means that you spend your scheduled working hours doing job-related tasks. That is how simple this concept is.
As long as you are contributing to the task ahead and helping your company solve job-related problems and meet its target, you will have this box checked. After achieving this level of mentality, it will be much easier to negotiate a raise because your boss will know what you are capable of and the value you add to the company.
What do most people do when it comes to working always when they are at work?
Instead of spending 100% of the time working, people only work 30% of the time and spend the remaining time gossiping. Remember, you are not getting paid to talk, sit down, or take unnecessary breaks.
If you want to be a different employee and get a raise without even asking for it, spend your time working instead of talking. That is work always when you are at work.
Yes, it is sometimes hard to accomplish this goal. There will always be those coworkers who will be stopping by to tell you all about their weekends and how they painted their nails. But, these conversations should not take much of your time. If your coworkers are distracting you from doing your job, remind them that you have a job to do and you can resume the conversations after work.
The more time you spend working, the more your contribution to the company will be. As a result, you will be recognized through raises, bonuses, and promotions.
3. Avoid unnecessary time-offs
Managers and supervisors evaluate employees’ raises based on the contributions and values they bring to the company. Some of the questions you must ask yourself before asking for a raise is whether you are dependable, reliable, and able to do your job. Being dependable and reliable means that the company expects you to be there when needed and you can deliver. In order words, if there is a task ahead, are you able to show up and can the company depend on you to get the job done?
Unfortunately, many employees take unnecessary time off especially unplanned ones. This is one of the worst behavior in work environments that prevents many employees to get raises or promotions. Even if you are allowed to take random time off, it is critical to plan those time offs with your boss as much as possible. This allows your boss to organize his schedules ahead of time and find replacements. In order words, communicating with your boss and keeping them in the loop makes you a valuable employee. This allows you to get a raise much easier than any other employee. Sometimes, you can get a raise at work without asking for it simply because you care about your job.
But, if you take off randomly, your boss will get frustrated. Sometimes your bosses will struggle to find replacements when you take time off, especially unplanned time off. Without a replacement, there will be a lot of stress on your co-workers and the company as a whole. As a result, you will find it difficult to get a raise when you need it the most. To increase your chances of getting a raise at work, always plan your time off.
4. Respect your break time
Most business owners, supervisors, and managers like and promote employees who respect their break times. Every business has its rules regarding break time. Spending more time on your breaks than the company allows becomes a burden for the business. In order words, you waste time that could have been used to increase productivity and sales. Employees who violate their break time often are the least to get a raise. Why would an employer give you a raise when you don’t respect your time at work?
Regardless of whether you have a 15 min, 30, or 1-hour, you should respect your break.
It is considered stealing from your company when you use more minutes on your break than you were supposed to.
For example, if you use 25 minutes on a 15-minute break, you will be stealing 10 minutes from your company. This is because you will be paid for those 10 minutes when in reality, you were not working.
The violation of your break time makes it harder to get a raise at work. The way you manage your break time also affects your chances of getting a promotion at work.
5. Respect your co-workers
All employers cherish employees who create a harmonic work environment and peacefully interact with their co-workers. That is why your workplace is called a work environment instead of a fighting environment.
If you can manage to peacefully work with your co-workers and become an asset to the team rather than a liability, then you would have made your first step in getting a raise at work. It is not always about how hard you work. Your behaviors at work also contribute to how long you stay in the company and how much raise you can get at work. You cannot be promoted when you are the one causing fights, disrespecting co-workers, and creating a toxic environment. Your interaction with other employees will determine whether you stay in the company or get fired. You should always respect your co-workers all the time.
Rudeness and other bad behaviors create an unsafe and hostile work environment. Companies spend a lot of money and resources to fix conflicts instead of getting the job done. For this reason, your days will be numbered if all you do is cause conflicts in the work environment.
If you need to get a raise at work, be an exceptional employee. Respect your coworkers like you want to be respected.
In the event of conflicts, follow the proper procedures set by your company. Otherwise, you will ruin your reputation at work which will lead to not getting a raise or promotion.
6. Follow the dress code policy
Do you want to get a raise and be promoted fast? If so, make sure that you follow the dress code policy of your company. Every company in the world has guidelines on clothes you can wear. There are also prohibited types of clothes that none can wear. So, understand these rules and follow them by the book.
This is because getting a raise sometimes comes from the way you behave and how you follow the company’s policies. You cannot get a raise if you are the one getting chased out of the building due to inappropriate clothing.
The dress code policy will include but not be limited to the following.
- Acceptable shoes
- The kind of shirts you need
- Jackets or no jackets
- Shorts or no shorts
- Hats or no hats
- Having name tags all the time
- No flip flops, etc.
These rules were established by the company for a reason. Violating your company’s dress code can lead to not getting a promotion or a raise when the time comes.
7. Follow all safety, qualify, and design procedures
Do you really want to get a raise fast? If so, follow all your job’s safety, qualify, and design specifications. Your employer hired you to perform a specific job. So, do your job exactly how your boss wants you to do it. Many companies pay millions of dollars due to safety problems, bad products, etc.
Employees who never follow safety guidelines and product design specifications cost their companies millions of dollars in damages. So, before you ask for a raise, first follow your job description by the book. Make a difference and become exemplary first. Then ask for a raise.
Your primary function is to follow all safety, quality, design, and related procedures. You must follow each rule your company set for you. These rules are there to ensure that all employee’s rights and safety are respected. In addition, these regulations help companies to meet their customer’s and environmental requirements.
Without following these rules, you are no better than someone who had been fired. There is no way you will get a raise if you do not do what your company hired you to do. Why would your boss give you a raise when you are costing the company thousands of dollars in damages?
8. Ask questions when you do not understand your tasks
The process of getting a raise at work starts with how effectively you perform your tasks. Even if you know your job by heart, there are times when your tasks will change due to systems improvement or the adoption of new technologies. Whether you are new to your job or have been working there for a while, it is critical to ask questions when you don’t understand how to do your job.
If there is something you are asked to do and you don’t know how it is done, ask questions. Your supervisor, lead, or manager will always help you. Asking questions prevents you from making mistakes that could have been avoided. In addition, questions show that you are willing to learn and become a better employee through adaptations to new systems. That is what all bosses like.
Your ability to learn makes you stand out. And when it comes to asking for a raise, these positive attitudes toward your job come into play. You are more likely to be promoted and get a raise when you have a continuous learning mentality. The more you learn directly impacts how much you can do at your job. Hence, making you an asset to the company rather than a liability.
Asking questions shows your willingness to learn. Supervisors and managers think that people who learn a lot on the job end up staying longer and contributing more to the job.
As a result, these people receive raises and get promoted when opportunities arise.
9. Offer your help before you are asked to help
In order to get a raise at work and be promoted fast, you have to think in terms of what your boss wants. Don’t think about what you want which is a raise. Think about what you can do at your current job to increase productivity, improve safety, and boost morale. What are you offering in exchange for a raise? If your value is large enough, your manager will not hesitate to offer you a raise.
One of the best ways to increase value and become an integral part of your job is to be proactive at your job all the time. Offering your help to your co-workers is very important in the workplace. Not only that you help your co-workers succeed, but you can also prevent delays at your job and become an important figure in the company. Once your boss sees how much contribution you are bringing into the company and your support to the team, you will have been way ahead in getting a raise and a promotion.
Always do more than you are getting paid for. You need to offer your help before your supervisor asks you to help. This shows that you put the success of the company ahead of yours. For this reason, you could be promoted to a higher position or get a good raise without even asking for it.
10. Contribute and participate in the company’s event
Attending your company’s events and offering your contributions shows your commitment to the company. Always remember that your bosses are watching every move you make. The more you show support to the company and sport its causes, the more noticeable you will become. As a result, you will easily earn a raise simply because of your participation in these events.
You can also volunteer at these events. Do something that makes you stand out. This will increase your recognition and trust in the company. It is all about changing the expectations of your employer about you as a person and employee.
The more you do and support the company, the higher the chances you will get a raise at your job and be promoted faster.
11. Learn as much as you can and go beyond your current job description
The fastest way to be promoted and get a raise at work is to learn as much as you can. The more you know about your job and beyond, the faster you will get a raise and hopefully a promotion. Again, your employer is looking for someone who can get the job done and offer more value beyond their job descriptions.
Knowing how to do more tasks in your company makes you harder to replace. This gives you a higher bargaining power. That is right. If you know how to do more tasks better and faster than anyone else in the company, your boss will be eager to give you a raise or a promotion. There is always a correlation between how much you make and the value you bring to the company. So, to make more money, you need to provide more value. There is no other formula.
A big mistake a lot of people make is to learn what they were hired for and stop right there. This is not enough to ensure a consistent raise and be promoted to the next level. What about a person who learned what you know and went beyond? I can guarantee you that someone with such knowledge will get the highest raise possible and get promoted faster than you.
Also, you can learn things that are not related to a particular task you perform. This will give you a broad knowledge of the company’s processes and structure.
The knowledge you accumulate will give you a chance to help your co-workers and contribute more to the company. As a result, you will be promoted and get more raises faster than your co-workers.
12. Become innovative and come up with solutions
I hate to tell you this but a person who comes up with solutions in his/her workplace often gets more raises and promotions than anybody else. Due to intense competition, companies are always looking for ways to improve their systems, design better products, retain their existing customers and acquire more, etc. Companies are also looking for new ways to do business to stay in business longer than their competitors.
Your job as an employee is to help your company achieve these goals. The question is, “Is there anything your company is struggling with? Also, is there anything you can do to solve that problem?”
If you can help your company make that extra step in a competitive market, then you will easily get a raise. Your contributions to your company’s daily problems can also earn you a promotion without asking for it. Always, participate in finding the solution to any problem you can think of in your organization. It does not have to be related to your main job. If you see a process that could be improved to increase productivity, safety, employee retention, etc, offer your help. That is how you get a raise and a promotion in a very competitive work environment.
You do not necessarily have to have a solution to the problem. Showing what is weighing the company down is a good starting point. Most companies pay millions of dollars simply to understand why they are failing. If you can help your employer cut down these costs by pinpointing the real issue the business is facing, you will earn remarkable recognition in the company.
How long does it take to get a raise at work?
The timeline for getting a raise differs from one company to another and the types of jobs you do. For example, most blue-collar companies wait for 90 days before they can give you your first raise. This 90 days period is considered a grace period where the company is evaluating your work habits and deciding whether to keep you or let you go.
But, if you dig deeper into the same industry, it might take longer to get a raise when you start as a contractor or temp to hire. That is it takes many months or years to get hired into the company and eventually earn your first raise.
But, if you look at white-collar jobs, many companies have a different structure for giving employees raises. It usually depends on how long it takes an employee to move from one level to another. For example, if you start as an Engineer I, it will take many months of hard work before you can move to Engineer II, Junior Engineer, Senior Engineer, etc. At each level, your company will have different payment structures.
This does not mean you cannot get a raise before you go from one career level to another. As long as you are adding value to the company, you might qualify for a raise before your official promotion date.
When is the best time to ask for a raise?
When it comes to asking for raises, many employees are hesitant to ask. Others have no clue when to ask for raises. When should you ask for a raise? Well, it all depends on how long you have been working in your current role, the company’s policy, and the contributions you have made. Some companies have regulations where you must work in your current role for at least one year before you can have your first raise.
If you recently started a new job, it will be best to wait for at least six months before you ask for a raise. This is because it takes time for you to prove your true worth. In addition, it takes many months for you to manage to do a full examination of your contribution and worth. Asking for a raise in less than 6 months might show that you are only interested in money. Hence, reducing your chances of getting a raise. In addition, anything less than six months is not enough to justify why you are worth more pay.
If you have been working in your current role for more than one year, you can definitely ask for a raise. Also, try to ask for a raise no more than once a year moving forward. The trick about raises is that as you contribute more to the company and build experience, your salary should also increase to reflect these changes.
