When’s the last time you asked for a raise? If you’re like a lot of people, the answer is never … because you worry that your boss will react badly or think your request is premature or presumptuous, or just that you’ll be turned down. But it’s perfectly normal to ask for a raise when you’ve earned one. (If you haven’t earned one, though, that’s another story entirely.)
My column for U.S. News & World Report this week is about the right times and wrong times to ask for a raise. Go check it out.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Though I would love to ask for a raise, my company falls under the number 3 category: when the company is struggling financially. However, it is hard at times to convince myself and my family members that even though I’ve earned a raise, it is just really bad timing to ask for one. Thanks for this article.
This is great advice – and the point about having been there under a year is something to keep in mind when you’re negotiating your starting salary and the job is in the process of being defined.
Some jobs are what they are, and if you’re taking on a position with clear duties a year is a good rule of thumb. But if you’re taking on a position which is going in a different direction due to your specific skill set…and what you’ll be doing and the scope of responsibility isn’t locked down there is nothing wrong with asking for a six month salary review when you take the job. Make sure they put it in your offer letter, so revisiting it isn’t awkward or premature…it’s just part of the contract.
Certain employees at my place don’t seem to understand that they aren’t going to get a raise if they do something that causes a loss to the company. And simply showing up at work to do the job you were hired to do isn’t a reason for an above-avergage raise.
In regards to hard financial times, my family doesn’t seem to get that even though I work my ass off and deserve a raise, it’s not right to ask for a raise when I know the shape the company is in financially. Part of being a senior manager is thinking about the good of the company rather than myself.
I was in management a few years ago, well before the global economic meltdown, and we had management (“leadership”) training once a week.
During the leadership training, the subject of a person asking for a raise came up. The course book that we were using basically said that if someone asks for a raise it means they are unhappy, a potential troublemaker and they’re probably the type of person who is only in it for the money and not for the love of the company.
The bosses really latched onto that idea. If you asked for a raise, you were just not going to work out with the company in the long term. If you said you got a better offer from another company and wanted to see if they could match it, they’d tell you “good luck at the new place”.
So, will I ever ask for a raise? Not unless I am prepared to quit on the spot.
Okay, but that’s a crazy idea they latched on to. A better idea would be to not work for crazies!
Wow. I don’t even know what to say to this.