Asking for a payrise

[RubyToogood]

Any advice? I guess I need to make some kind of case rather than just saying "please give me more money".

I probably wouldn't have done but I'm about to go up a grade and my boss has asked a couple of times if I'm going to ask for one which I think means I should.

I'm in a rather niche tech job so I'm not sure what I can compare myself to when making a case.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Are there pay rates associated with each pay grade? If so, ask for somewhere near the top of your new pay grade, and start negotiations!

 

[kalidarkone]

I just googled it and there seems to be a wealth of info about how to go about it.
Some personal successful anecdotes from urbs would be good though!

Hope you get a generous one!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

No experience of asking for pay rises, but I hope you can negotiate a decent raise. Good luck.

 

[RubyToogood]

Are there pay rates associated with each pay grade? If so, ask for somewhere near the top of your new pay grade, and start negotiations!

That's true, they may be listed somewhere. That would be a good starting point.

 

[Supine]

“Hi boss, Obviously with the increased responsibility associated with the grade rise there will be an increase in salary. Could we have a chat about how much and when please”

 

[platinumsage]

Make a list of reasons as long as you can, and then ask for at least double what you want. If they reject some of your reasons you can say "fair enough, give me half" etc

 

[Supine]

I once got pissed in the pub on a works do and said ok, boss. I’m brilliant you should pay me more.

It worked!

 

[Pickman's model]

Take a tip from the young ones. Walk into your boss's office and say 'give me some more money you bastard'

 

[RubyToogood]

“Hi boss, Obviously with the increased responsibility associated with the grade rise there will be an increase in salary. Could we have a chat about how much and when please”

That bit's basically done, so I know what I'd get with no haggling, just from them getting out the calculator.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

bit unclear about the 'going up a grade' thing

what's brought this on? have management decided you are undertaking more / new responsibilities? have you formally applied for a promotion / re-grade or what? or is this triggered by you getting a particular qualification, or length of service?

is this something you asked for, or they have told you or what? would have thought a conversation about the implications ought to include discussing money.

in local authority, there's a pay band that goes with each grade / scale, and a formal job evaluation scheme so that (in theory) people doing similar levels of work get put in to the same sort of grade.

in private sector it's all a bit more fuzzy and more likely to include factors like favouritism and taking the piss...

 

[killer b]

I don't understand why your boss - instead of asking you if you're going to ask for a raise - doesn't offer you a raise?

 

[MickiQ]

Make a list of stuff that you have achieved.

Have you delivered any projects lately.
Anything you have done that saves them money is always a good one
Have you gone above and beyond, staying late, coming in earlier to meet a deadline
Do you teach/mentor anyone?
Is there anyone who can pop in beforehand and say something like Ruby is a fantastic lass, I don't know how we could manage without her.

Good Luck

 

[Elpenor]

Find similar roles to what you do which are paying more and use these as evidence for benchmarking.

If there’s no obvious replacement in the org for what you do or it’s a hard to recruit for role then be ambitious with your request - as if you’re seen as a potential flight risk but also worth retaining then that’s another advantage.

 

[tommers]

I recently asked for a raise, I did an online course from @dmitryopines on that twitter. Cost 17 quid but it was really useful.

Basically try to work out why you staying is good for the person who makes the decision - e.g. are they trying to keep everything stable? Or do they care about numbers? Or do they value innovation? Whatever you think it is tailor your approach to that.

Then think of your number - don't base it on what you earn. Look at the market, then add more for your expertise in the job. You know people at the company, you are proven. They don't need to find somebody else etc etc. Then add a bit of leeway so you can negotiate.

Anticipate their objections - either can't or won't. Think of things to say back. Plan the conversation. Ask them when they can give you what you are asking for if they can't do it now.

Think of other things you ask for that aren't just money. E.g. improved working conditions, extra holiday, or even just finding out what they think of you.

There is more stuff but that was the basics.

I did all of that, went into the meeting, gave my speech and the guy basically said "oh, I thought you were going to ask for more, no problem". But I was PREPARED.

E-Learning: Negotiating Your Salary — ExplainTrade that's the link if you're interested. I was cos I am so bad at it.

 

[RubyToogood]

bit unclear about the 'going up a grade' thing

what's brought this on? have management decided you are undertaking more / new responsibilities? have you formally applied for a promotion / re-grade or what? or is this triggered by you getting a particular qualification, or length of service?

is this something you asked for, or they have told you or what? would have thought a conversation about the implications ought to include discussing money.

in local authority, there's a pay band that goes with each grade / scale, and a formal job evaluation scheme so that (in theory) people doing similar levels of work get put in to the same sort of grade.

in private sector it's all a bit more fuzzy and more likely to include factors like favouritism and taking the piss...

It's a structured thing that once you've done x, z and z you go up a level, then a, b and c and go up again. I've been working towards it. The expectations are slightly different of people at each level and we've been discussing some transitional arrangements as I'm way overexperienced in some areas and a bit under in others.

Although they've set the grades there seems to be wiggle room. Certainly when hiring and apparently now too. So far I've said entirely the wrong things so I need to organise myself [groan]

 

[Sue]

All good advice. As mentioned, bolster your arguments (pay scale, experience, stuff you've done) and come up with a number you'd be happy with. But if they ask for a number, DON'T TELL THEM -- ask what they're thinking of first so they have to name a figure. Then if it's near/higher than you're thinking, you can swiftly adjust and go higher. If it's lower than you want, reiterate your arguments and go higher than you'd be happy with so there's room for negotiation. Good luck.

 

[Riklet]

Can you find out what other people doing your job are on in your city/region? And if you are already near the top of that compare it to London maybe? There should be some stats online.

 

[weltweit]

Could search some job sites for ads for people doing similar work and see what they are offering.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You can find salary information on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed. If people in a particular company have reported their salary, it will give you a salary range of what the company is paying staff in particular roles. You could also try looking up the salaries for your role in competitor companies, to benchmark across the sector.

 

[nogojones]

Any advice? I guess I need to make some kind of case rather than just saying "please give me more money".

I probably wouldn't have done but I'm about to go up a grade and my boss has asked a couple of times if I'm going to ask for one which I think means I should.

I'm in a rather niche tech job so I'm not sure what I can compare myself to when making a case.

Due to the nature of this niche role you deserve a commensurate reward. "Thanks for mentioning that I should be asking for a raise, because I was a bit concerned that my specialist work wasn't being recognised. I thought £XXXX PA would be reasonable, given the bespoke nature of the role and the demonstrable quality of my work" Then ask for twice as much as you'd like.

Good luck! If you do get the full amount our fee is only 10% over the next three years.