Do you have the initiative to ask your boss for a raise?
With economic times the way they are now it is becoming harder for everyone to makes ends meet; some are going to a payday loan to get them by till next payday. There is another way but one must be very careful to recognize if it is a possibility. You can ask for a raise. When I say you must be careful, I mean you should tread lightly and realize if you really deserve a raise or if you just think you deserve a raise, and if your company can even afford to give you a raise right now. These times are hard for everyone and that includes most companies because every industry is losing customers and have no way to get more sense everyone is cutting back.
Backing up Your Raise
To go into a meeting with your boss and to not have anything backing you up could be pretty scary and will end up with you getting a “No” from your boss and maybe even being fired. So, work out figures and facts as to why you deserve a raise and how you are a very valuable contributor to your company. Once you have come up with all of this, remember, don’t brag about what you have done for the company. Keep it to the facts of how your performance has helped. Short and sweet. Don’t linger too long on one thing over another either.
Timing is everything!
So always remember the busiest time of the day for you are going to be just as busy if not worse for your boss, and remember Monday mornings and Friday afternoons will never be a good time to do it so hold off for another time if this is what you are planning. Once you plan on a time that works for you, then send a nice email to your boss setting up a time for your meeting and make sure to say that you would like a performance review or you would like to talk about your compensation, this will allow them to what the meeting is about and prepare for it. Just like getting a payday loan you may want to decide when and by whom you are getting it from.
How to phrase it?
Remember, you are trying to get a raise. Be brief and direct. If you get denied, ask how you may be able to get a raise in the future. Keep the need or want out of the conversation. You may be doing this because you can’t afford your bills, but your boss doesn’t worry about that. It is a personal problem that should stay at home; it surely does not fit into this conversation. Make sure to highlight what you have accomplished for the company and which tasks you have been able to help with. Make sure to ask for a specific amount of money or a percentage increase; don’t go into the meeting not knowing what you are going to do. And remember if you do get a “No,” or even if you get a “Yes,” but are not able to make bills on time, a payday loan may be what you need to get through.
Before you even consider asking for a pay raise, make sure you’re doing a darn good job. I think it will be ridiculous to ask for a pay raise when you know you have been showing up to work late and not putting in enough effort to do your best to add further productivity for the company. If this is you, be glad you even still have a job, especially with the economic system and the unemployment condition at the dire state it’s in.
If this helps let me know I always love feedback and I wonder if it works for everyone.
Asking for a raise is a daunting task at any time, never mind that it is getting harder and harder for companies to loosen the purse strings in this troubled economy. Money being tight right now creates an opportunity, though – if you get your nose right to the grindstone when things are tight, you create a better chance of getting a raise once the economy improves.