I feel 2007 was a very good year in terms of my productivity for the company, how do I approach my boss about a raise? TS
Great start! You’ve already tied the cost to the benefit. It might seem obvious but in any commercial organisation, it’s going to be vital to establish that connection between ‘cause and effect’. You’ve made that link by relating your request for a raise directly to the measurable benefit that you’ve conferred on the company.
You now need to consider the official policy on pay rises. It could be that your organisation has a flexible, ad hoc approach to salary review. More likely though, there may be just one or two salary review points during the year, probably related directly to performance appraisal. But this doesn’t mean that you are confined to taking action at certain dates only. On the contrary this is an initiative that you should be working on all year round. I just point this out to stress that although your company’s pay review system may mean waiting for the actual dosh until the designated time, there is every reason to be sowing those seeds right now. If you do decide to make your case outside of the normal pay review timetable then the most valuable thing you can do is to look for precedents. Study those who have succeeded before. Understand what has worked for them and be prepared to model their approach.
In the meantime...
The key is preparation. You need to plan your approach. This is not the time to go for it, all guns blazing. A measured, rational, supported argument will take you much further towards your objective. Think business case. You must let go of emotion here. To negotiate the best deal you will need to logically articulate the justification for your raise. Put aside for now any feelings of what you might ‘deserve’. What will count is validating your request in the context of the benefits you have provided to the business.
So build your personal case as you would build a business case.
- What does the business value? Check it out because it may be very different to what you personally value. Your case will not be persuasive unless it’s based on what the business wants
What is the boss looking for? It’s perfectly reasonable to ask your boss a very direct question. - What do I have to do to secure this pay raise? Precisely what evidence do I need to do to demonstrate this? What does that mean in the context of my career?
- Ensure that you understand the company’s criteria for salary increases. Is it related to performance measures? If so understand what you need to demonstrate to reach this level. And again, what exactly does that look like? You need to get it down to practical tasks and behaviours. Talk to your line manager and/or HR. Look at precedents and use them as role models.
- Provide evidence to support your increased productivity and relate this back to what you know the business values. Construct a hypothetical defence. How would you respond to any challenges?
And don’t leave all the hard work until appraisal time. It’s always the right time to work on your strategy. Keep it on your agenda all year around. Find out what is expected and be sure that you are not only doing it but are seen to be doing it. This is not the time to be hiding your light under a bushel.
As for getting the most out of the meeting itself…..well that’s another matter entirely. Think: first impressions, focussing on your key objective, building empathy, reading and responding to body language, skilful questioning, optimising your language, clarity in communicating your case, negotiation, designing your concession strategy and setting yourself up for success. I could go on. But these are the answers to another question. Ask me that one next time!
This Q&A first appeared in www.careersinaudit.com
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