Jo Stuteley from office support recruiter la crème offers some advice on how to approach the often scary subject of a pay rise.

It’s something we all want but don’t always get. In today’s market, pay rises are not automatically a regular occurrence, with companies increasingly expecting employees to prove themselves before their salary goes up. But asking for more money can be a tricky task – how should you go about raising that all important question?

First of all, find out what your company’s policy is with regard to pay rises. Are they implemented as percentage increases across the board or are they performance based? If it’s the latter, how are you evaluated and what can you do to improve? Secondly, although it may sound obvious, be confident and just ask. As they say, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

There is no right or wrong way to ask the question, but make sure you think about it first and are prepared. As with many things, timing is absolutely key.  If you have just been given a pay rise and think you are worth more, then it may pay you to bide your time for a while to avoid an instant knee jerk “no!” reaction. Also, think about what salary you deserve as opposed to what you need, and do your research. Speak to recruitment consultants, friends, colleagues and professional institutes to find out exactly how much you could and should be earning in your role.

Really try and sell yourself and convince your boss that you deserve that extra money. Make a list of all the things you have achieved in your role and how you have helped the company – and think of how you could help them in the future. Use this to highlight that you are a valuable asset and a worthy candidate for a salary increase. It’s also a good idea to time your request so that it coincides with the end of a project you have played a successful part in. In addition, offer to take on more responsibility and prove that you are well worth a bigger and better salary.

When asking for a pay rise, if the answer is a definite ‘no’, what about benefits? It pays to be flexible – more and more organisations are offering flexible benefit packages and it may be worth considering this option. Also, ask for feedback and consider the reasons you were not given the rise. There may be things you can easily improve on in time for a future pay review.
If you’re not given a rise or any other incentives and truly believe that you are worth more, then it may be time to move on. Get speaking to those recruitment consultants and find out exactly what your options are.