Asking for a pay increase.

[RobertoCarlos]

Just wanted to get a general vibe on what mmo-champ users think on asking for pay/salary increases at their job.

Should you wait for them to approach you (which wont happen lets face it).

Should you wait for a performance review which is normal among most jobs at least every 3-6months or even yearly.

should you ask for one when you feel you know the job well and want to be paid the same as your co-workers or possibly higher if you deserve it and just bring it up asap?

[Brubear]

It depends on the circumstances. If the co-workers have been there longer then I would expect them to make more than me unless I was in a higher-paying position. Never wait for them to approach you with a raise outside of a performance review. But if you're asking for one outside of a review, there are certain things to keep in mind. If you've been taking on a lot of extra work/job duties with positive results but haven't been rewarded beyond "good job, mate!", then that would be an appropriate time to request a raise.

However, you need to put it in measurable terms so it's easier to justify to the bean counters, as an old teacher like to put it. You need to be able to cite specific examples of work/roles you've taken on and how they have improved things (ie: x helped improve y by z, we saved this much money by implementing this plan, etc). Even if you don't have the exact figures, you need to be able to articulate just why you feel you are deserving of a raise outside of the normal promotion/performance review. You can also bring up things like "the average pay for this position is this much for entry-level, I am making less than that and I am not entry level" or "based on my current job duties contrasted to similar positions in the field, my position should be paying me x amount more on average", etc.

There is nothing wrong with asking for a raise (and there are a lot of ways that business culture has acted to suppress wages, such as making it taboo to discuss how much you make with your co-workers), but if you're going to you need to have clear justification for why you feel you deserve to be paid more beyond "I work really hard/I feel I deserve more money" and the ability to back up your justification with concrete examples. That's not to say that sometimes going in and saying "I think I deserve to make more money" doesn't ever work, but it usually isn't as effective as being prepared.

[RobertoCarlos]

It depends on the circumstances. If the co-workers have been there longer then I would expect them to make more than me unless I was in a higher-paying position. Never wait for them to approach you with a raise outside of a performance review. But if you're asking for one outside of a review, there are certain things to keep in mind. If you've been taking on a lot of extra work/job duties with positive results but haven't been rewarded beyond "good job, mate!", then that would be an appropriate time to request a raise.

However, you need to put it in measurable terms so it's easier to justify to the bean counters, as an old teacher like to put it. You need to be able to cite specific examples of work/roles you've taken on and how they have improved things (ie: x helped improve y by z, we saved this much money by implementing this plan, etc). Even if you don't have the exact figures, you need to be able to articulate just why you feel you are deserving of a raise outside of the normal promotion/performance review. You can also bring up things like "the average pay for this position is this much for entry-level, I am making less than that and I am not entry level" or "based on my current job duties contrasted to similar positions in the field, my position should be paying me x amount more on average", etc.

There is nothing wrong with asking for a raise (and there are a lot of ways that business culture has acted to suppress wages, such as making it taboo to discuss how much you make with your co-workers), but if you're going to you need to have clear justification for why you feel you deserve to be paid more beyond "I work really hard/I feel I deserve more money" and the ability to back up your justification with concrete examples. That's not to say that sometimes going in and saying "I think I deserve to make more money" doesn't ever work, but it usually isn't as effective as being prepared.

Very good post sir. Very sound advice

and you're totally right you need to articulate reasons why you should deserve a raise with performance results

[Dakara]

I have an annual increment of (on Average) 2% built into my contract. I say on Average as every 3 years we re-negotiate for the next 3 years.

If you don’t get an annual increase in the order of 1-3% then you’re effectively going backwards due to inflation/CPI.

[Captain N]

I attend my Union Meetings -- discuss what is important to me and my union brothers and sisters as well as the Company's expectations of us. Collect data over the current Collective Bargaining Agreement that is important to productivity and safety. Then bring that information to the table the next time the Union and the Company sit down to discuss the next CBA.

It becomes incredibly difficult to fight not only a collective force asking for a raise at once, but also extremely difficult when that force has the black and white to back up why they deserve a raise.

[Rathwirt]

Just don't threaten to quit if you don't get a raise. A lot of companies have policies that require them to terminate you immediately if you do that. Generally just make sure you have a solid case and bring it up to your manager and/or HR depending on where you work.

[Dakara]

I attend my Union Meetings -- discuss what is important to me and my union brothers and sisters as well as the Company's expectations of us. Collect data over the current Collective Bargaining Agreement that is important to productivity and safety. Then bring that information to the table the next time the Union and the Company sit down to discuss the next CBA.

It becomes incredibly difficult to fight not only a collective force asking for a raise at once, but also extremely difficult when that force has the black and white to back up why they deserve a raise.

This.

For some reason, people love to hate on unions like it’s the early 1900’s. As a Union rep myself, it’s disgusting just how much modern Capitalism relies on “record profits” year after year for the shareholders. If they can’t reach those goals, they try take it from their employees.

[Brubear]

Very good post sir. Very sound advice

and you're totally right you need to articulate reasons why you should deserve a raise with performance results

Thanks. All of those business and accounting classes are finally paying off >.>

[telygroar]

Seeing others threads, I was expecting some people coming and saying "How dare you ask for a raise ! Be happy they even pay you !" or something like that, in all seriousness.

[chazus]

Should you wait for them to approach you (which wont happen lets face it).

Usually it won't. My company likes to do yearly reviews but is... lax about it.

Should you wait for a performance review which is normal among most jobs at least every 3-6months or even yearly.

I would say yearly is fine. 6 months seems a bit much, Imo.

should you ask for one when you feel you know the job well and want to be paid the same as your co-workers or possibly higher if you deserve it and just bring it up asap?

Depends, really. If you're pointing to coworkers about pay, that may sound like just complaining, and opens the dialogue of "Well lets actually write down all your merits and flaws and see why they get paid more" and you may end up locking yourself in. Doing a 'job well' is called 'doing your job'.

Now, if you DESERVE it, that's something different. I've personally been given more and more management duties, while maintaining or increasing my company income. That merits a pay increase. More responsibilities = more pay. More work with no extra pay is a problem, certainly.

I have mixed feelings about 'pay increase on seniority'. On one hand it seems like a great idea in a void. On the other... There's really no reason? Why get a raise because you weren't crap enough to get fired? That said... Keeping someone a long time is probably a financial boon, because retraining someone new costs a lot more than just giving someone a few thousand extra a year.

[hynx]

Just wanted to get a general vibe on what mmo-champ users think on asking for pay/salary increases at their job.

Should you wait for them to approach you (which wont happen lets face it).

Should you wait for a performance review which is normal among most jobs at least every 3-6months or even yearly.

should you ask for one when you feel you know the job well and want to be paid the same as your co-workers or possibly higher if you deserve it and just bring it up asap?

know your worth. ask for a raise. have good reason why you feel the need for it. begin the search process before hand for alternative work.engage in a few interviews, even if you arent serious about changing work environments. a lot of businesses now start with a phone interview, find out as much salary information as you can in regards to the competitor employer, use that information in your negotiations. try to do so in as kind of way as possible without alienating the competitor incase you feel attempting to get in for their salary is better than sticking around. Also let it be known to the competitor that you are still employed and that you are simply exploring the possibility of bringing your assets to prospects of better opportunity. They likely will throw a higher figure at you to steal you away from their competition. Use that as well, when asking for a raise. nothing wrong with playing both sides. but first and formost, KNOW YOUR WORTH TO THE COMPANY. if layoffs are around the corner, they might just let you walk to reduce the number of bodies they knew they were going to cut back with, even if their plan was originally to keep you on in the layoff rounds, before the hypothetical layoff announcements. is the company showing growth or loss? did you contribute to either of these as well? these are things you need to be aware of before requesting a raise outside of the typical evaluation period.

[RobertoCarlos]

I have mixed feelings about 'pay increase on seniority'. On one hand it seems like a great idea in a void. On the other... There's really no reason? Why get a raise because you weren't crap enough to get fired? That said... Keeping someone a long time is probably a financial boon, because retraining someone new costs a lot more than just giving someone a few thousand extra a year.

I agree with you if you think there are problems with just rewarding people pay increases because they did enough to not get fired for X amount of years.

Some people can learn things in a month or two that takes some people years.

Performance should be the factor. But these are big buinesses's we're talking about, its hard to stand out even when you pull above your weight

[Drutt]

The reality is that most companies won't negotiate a salary increase now. HR departments have become robotic, sterile departments driven by internal structures and merit increase guides.

If you're exceptional as an employee, you'll never get a decent payrise out of most companies because you'll be rewarded by the same system that rewards the mediocre and the slackers.

The way to maximise your income in the modern world is to move jobs relatively frequently, increasing your salary each time. Unless you're very, very lucky and find a company that still runs using old school values, loyalty is a one way street in today's world. Always be aware of what the goal of going to work is: to make money for yourself. Don't sacrifice yourself on the altar of loyalty if a company won't pay you what you're worth. Just find a place that will and move on; you'll be better off for it in the long run.

[RobertoCarlos]

The reality is that most companies won't negotiate a salary increase now. HR departments have become robotic, sterile departments driven by internal structures and merit increase guides.

If you're exceptional as an employee, you'll never get a decent payrise out of most companies because you'll be rewarded by the same system that rewards the mediocre and the slackers.

The way to maximise your income in the modern world is to move jobs relatively frequently, increasing your salary each time. Unless you're very, very lucky and find a company that still runs using old school values, loyalty is a one way street in today's world. Always be aware of what the goal of going to work is: to make money for yourself. Don't sacrifice yourself on the altar of loyalty if a company won't pay you what you're worth. Just find a place that will and move on; you'll be better off for it in the long run.

Well the world is still very old school in the sense its WHO YOU KNOW, not what your abilities are.

In saying that, if you're a good worker with good abilities you will build more relationships with others more easily and find it easier finding employment when you consider how important referrals are in this day and age and if your boss likes you it goes a long way to building a career

[Linkedblade]

Just wanted to get a general vibe on what mmo-champ users think on asking for pay/salary increases at their job.

Should you wait for them to approach you (which wont happen lets face it).

Should you wait for a performance review which is normal among most jobs at least every 3-6months or even yearly.

should you ask for one when you feel you know the job well and want to be paid the same as your co-workers or possibly higher if you deserve it and just bring it up asap?

You should have a dialog about your pay any time you think you should. The worst thing that would happen is you get told no.

If you get a better paying job elsewhere, take it. Use that as leverage at your current job. Especially if you have talent that you're company needs.

[breadisfunny]

at my job you don't ask for one.

[temp2021ph]

made my contract about 10 years ago. no annual increments, payouts only get smaller a bit every now and then because taxes are inflating too (they do here). The gross value stays the same. What i do is to lessen/slow down my workload every year about the % of the annual general inflation rate. the same money is worth less and less every year. they get what they are paying for. If they need more, they can pay more, or hire more people. i am pretty sure i will not have a stroke about work things, nor beg for more money. 10 years so far, sooo... kinda works? i am not saying everyone is happy about it though.
*an IT/manufacturing engineer
(PS.: by now i get so much free time, i could almost get a second job if i wanted to. but sadly not 1 with fixed hours)

[shise]

From my perspective, I would do it strategically.

Think of that one thing you do better than others or makes you unique, important, or whatever it is that has a good value on your personal performance.
Try to exploit it a lot through a couple months or til the next review (depends how badly you need it).

Never mention it, make it be mentioned it instead, meaning that you should make them realize your value.

It is at that point, when people appreciate you the most for that one (or more) reason/s that you can go on and ask. You will never have to mention your performance because you have clearly established it.

Of course, if they deny it, you can then use it and mention it, which is fair and normal as you never even did before.


It might sound silly or obvious but this gives you two game moves through the one same action: First you out stand and make others realize and speak it out laud, then you can mention it yourself.


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Now, if that job is not worth so much effort, that is up to you to decide, you can just go ahead and ask for it, there should be no consequences other than a no, which you already have anyway by not asking

[Mormolyce]

Best way to get yourself a pay increase is to line up interviews for other positions and tell your manager that you like working here but hey, if they can't match what you'd get in another position you'd have to consider your options. Their approach totally changes when you make it clear you have other options.

[Ceruion894]

Best way to get yourself a pay increase is to line up interviews for other positions and tell your manager that you like working here but hey, if they can't match what you'd get in another position you'd have to consider your options. Their approach totally changes when you make it clear you have other options.

Yeah don't do this, most companies approach will change. However it will most likely make things worse, it shows the company that you don't value them and they won't care for keeping you on board.

If you enjoy the job and do it well, ask for a raise during a performance review.
If you don't enjoy the job but do it well, ask casually during a meeting or during down time that won't disrupt business.
If you don't enjoy it and you don't do it well, look for other work and give proper notice of that. (With this option, you probably shouldn't ask for a raise...)