How to Ask for a Pay Rise: A 7 Step Guide to Negotiating Your Salary
Wanting a pay rise is natural when you work hard at your job and exceed expectations. As well as boosting your income, a salary increase can signify your value to your company, growing your confidence.
However, asking for a pay rise takes careful planning and can be a nerve-racking experience, especially if you’ve never done it before.
That’s why we’ve spoken to four industry experts who have real-life experience in asking for, accepting, and rejecting pay requests. This step-by-step guide will teach you how to ask for a salary increase and what to consider before doing so, as well as answering frequently asked questions.
Contents:
When is the right time to ask for a pay rise?
7 steps for how to ask for a pay rise
Things to avoid when asking for a pay rise
Could I get fired for asking for a pay rise?
How to deal with rejection
When is the right time to ask for a pay rise?
Before you speak to your manager about a salary increase it’s important to think about why you deserve to be paid more.
You may be due a pay rise if:
Your roles or responsibilities have changed — If you have taken on more work while at your company that isn’t reflected in your salary, you may be in a good position to ask for a raise. Try to wait at least six months before requesting a raise to give yourself time to demonstrate your skills.
You’ve been in your role for over 12 months — Companies will usually discuss salary with employees after one year in the role.
You’ve gained a qualification — If you have recently completed training or achieved a qualification such as a degree, you may be able to ask for a salary increase. Your accomplishment can be used to show your dedication to your role.
Your salary doesn’t reflect the industry average — If your salary doesn’t match the industry benchmark, your pay may not be equal to your value. Asking for a raise will show your manager that you know your worth.
7 steps for how to ask for a pay rise
Research the average salary for your role
Taking the time to do your research into the average salary will give you an idea of the region you should be aiming for.
Will Craig, Managing Director at Digital Impact, gives his advice on going in with a well-rounded figure.
“In my opinion, there’s one thing employees always overlook in salary negotiations: knowing your market value. If you want to convince your employer to raise your salary, it makes sense to know how much your competitors are willing to pay you. After all, if you don’t know what you’re worth, how can you know what to ask for?”
“Before negotiating a raise, I recommend you speak to your co-workers and your peers in the industry to get an idea of how much they’re paid,” says Will.
“Complement that research with salary info from job advertisements posted online. That will give you a solid figure for what the market will pay for someone of your capability and experience. If you’re currently being paid less than that figure, that’s a great bargaining tool!”
Using an online salary calculator is a great way to find the average pay for job roles similar to your own and help you decide on a fair salary. But remember — highly experienced and educated employees will earn the upper end of the pay spectrum, whereas beginners will be towards the lower. Your location and the cost of living will also determine how much you will earn.
Our top tip: ask for slightly more than you expect, as most managers will try to negotiate your figure.
Plan your timing
Learning how to negotiate a salary can be tough, but first, consider your timing. Don’t just stroll into the office one morning and book a meeting with your manager — there is a time and a place for everything. You need to consider the circumstances around the meeting as this can have a big impact on the result of your request.
The following factors may influence your manager’s receptiveness:
The time of year — Your workplace may have specific times when they undertake employee reviews.
Brian Johnson, Director at Forward Role, says this type of conversation has to be timed perfectly: Timing is an important factor when negotiating your salary so think about where your pay rise sits within the bigger business plan. When does your organisation review annual budgets? Is there a popular time for management to conduct performance appraisals? Ultimately you need to ask the question as soon as possible but these are key things to be mindful of.”
Your business's success — Your company’s financial health may indicate whether they are ready or capable of investing more in their employees. Take note of new starters and clients as this may signify the expansion of the business.
Build a business case
Now you’ve done your research and you have a clearer idea of your value, it’s time to plan for your meeting.
Get ready to give voice to your many accomplishments, but be sure you tie these back to your job and the company to make them tangible. If you’re there to negotiate a pay rise, you need to be sure you can demonstrate why it’s deserved. Don’t be afraid to shout about the things you’ve achieved, as this is your chance to showcase your skills and validate what you’re worth.
Peter Brown, a Former Senior Reward Consultant at Pay Data, gives his advice on creating a convincing case.
“Most bosses are respectful of reasonable pay rise requests, so the best thing to do is just ask for it. However, you must build a case for why you deserve a raise. Otherwise, you’re just asking for more money without a reason as to why your manager should even begin to review your current salary, let alone increase it. A manager will want to see any pay rise as justifiable, so it is important to consider the why.”
Peter recommends ensuring that you can answer the following questions when asking for a pay rise, as these will help you to make your case about why exactly you deserve a raise:
What have you contributed to the company since you started?
Have you taken on any additional responsibilities?
Have you completed a training course, managed a new team or started a new project?
Have you hit and/or exceeded your targets?
Preparing to answer these questions will help you to justify why you deserve a pay rise. You could also discuss other factors such as a demand for your experience or qualifications, if you haven’t had a salary increase in a few years, and if there is a skills shortage in your industry.
David Ingram, Found of Bring Digital, says he wants to see people come to him with real and tangible proof of their efforts.
“It’s always easy to give a pay rise when an employee can tie their achievements back to real commercial value for the company. For example, ‘I created a social media strategy that has driven £125,000 of new sales,’ or ‘I reduced the need to outsource our human resources services, which has saved us £36,000 a year.’”
“If an employee can come to a pay review with a list of their achievements against expectations you set at a previous review, then it makes it much easier to sign off. For example, ‘you wanted me to improve my leadership skills, and I’ve taken a course, read the three suggested books and taken responsibility for the development of a junior staff member’.”
“Both of these points come down to preparation; taking the time to think about how your value to the company has increased since your last review and bringing along the information that can evidence this.”
Make sure you make a note of your answers, that way you become familiar with them and can be more confident going into your meeting.
Schedule a meeting
The next step is asking for a meeting with your manager. Aim to schedule at least a 30-minute meeting, as this will give you enough time to discuss your request in-depth without feeling rushed.
You might say something along the lines of: “I’d like to meet with you to discuss my performance. If possible, could we schedule a 30-minute meeting next Wednesday at 1:30 pm? Please let me know if this date and time works for you.”
Or, if you already have an upcoming one-to-one with your manager, this may be a good chance to bring it up, but only if you have enough time.
Practice what you have to say
Going over and practising what you have to say will help you feel more confident before your meeting. If you’re nervous or haven’t done anything like this before, try formatting what you have to say into the following three stages.
The introduction — Quickly go over your reason for wanting the meeting.
The body — Discuss your ideal salary, why you believe you deserve the salary increase, and how you have arrived at the figure. Focus on your achievements, additional responsibilities, experience, and how you have contributed to the company.
The conclusion — Take the opportunity to summarise your main points and your strengths. Then, invite your manager to comment or give their thoughts.
Ask for a pay rise
Now that you’ve prepared, all that’s left to do is ask.
When you go into the meeting, try to be calm and relaxed; anxiety can throw you off balance. A cool demeanour might make you seem overconfident and cocky, or not wanting to appear boastful may make you play down your experience and skills. It can be tricky to get right!
What you want to avoid most is appearing too nervous, tentative, defensive or angry.
Speak slowly and steadily, and maintain relaxed eye contact with the other person without staring them down. Keep your voice strong yet reasonable, and you will come across as both confident and convincing.
Plan your next career milestone
If you secured a pay rise, take a moment to congratulate yourself: you have been recognised for your hard work and achievements. However, don’t slow down the pace now — keep that momentum going to continue to show your boss your value.
It’s now time to set your sights on your next career milestone.
Could I get fired for asking for a pay rise?
The answer is no. It is against UK law to punish or sack an employee for asking for a raise. If an employee is dismissed, the manager must show they have a valid, justified reason and act reasonably.
If your employer does punish, threaten, or dismiss you in response to asking for a pay rise, you can usually go to an employment tribunal to make a claim. If the case is won, the employer may have to pay compensation or give you your job back if applicable.
Once you’ve figured out how to ask for a pay rise, planned out what you’re going to say and worked up the courage to do it, it can feel frustrating if you receive a rejection.
But the way you handle it will say a lot about your character, and your manager will be looking out for your reaction.
Accept the decision — It’s not the time to argue back. It’s best to simply accept their decision straight away and gain an understanding of the decision later. However difficult it may be, keep your emotions in check and try not to let your facial expressions or body language portray any feelings of anger, disappointment or upset.
Ask for the reasons — Secondly, tell them you understand and ask for the reasons behind their decision. This could range from issues with your performance to average pay rise levels in the UK market, or even financial problems within the company itself.
Show your commitment to improving — Ask for the opportunity to set out your goals and make a plan for what you need to achieve to get a pay rise in the future.
If you feel you are undervalued at your current job and your manager isn’t offering any development opportunities, it may be time to leave.
Demanding a pay rise— Demanding a pay rise may come across as aggressive and anger your boss. Working with your manager to get to the solution that works for both of you will increase your chances of a salary increase.
Taking things personally— Staying calm and not letting your emotions get the better of you will help you to compose your words and deliver a convincing message.
Not doing your research or preparing — If you don’t prepare before talking to your manager, you may not be able to justify why you deserve a pay rise. Doing your research will help you to understand your worth, increasing your confidence in the meeting.
Presenting an ultimatum— Suggesting to your manager that you may leave if you don’t get a pay rise could damage your professional relationship. Regarding the request as a conversation rather than a threat will provide a more successful outcome.
Once you understand what to consider, how to prepare yourself and how to execute it confidently, asking for a pay rise isn’t as daunting as it seems.
For more expert tips for succeeding in your job, read our blog.
At Forward Role we're here to help you throughout all stages of your career, so if you'd like to chat to one of our consultants, please get in touch.
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