ASK HR: Do you have a fool-proof strategy I could use to get a pay rise?

So how do you calculate the ROI (Return-On-Indenture) on an employee? In this classic chicken-and-egg dilemma, which comes first, setting the budget for the year including salaries? PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Mind the timing of the conversation with your boss.
  • Although there may be no ideal moment, request for a meeting at a conducive time, preferably not coinciding with negative business results, peaks of work pressure or flurry of activity around absorbing work projects.

Q. I plan to ask for a pay rise but I have no idea how to start or steer this conversation. What do I need to approach and convince my boss that I am worth pay review?

 

It is common for people to perceive that the balance between their contribution and reward is skewed in favour of their employer.

Similarly, organisations may on occasion second-guess the adequacy of the value they draw from employees relative to the amount spent on rewarding them for their output. It is therefore rare to find employees and organisations sharing the perception that there is perfect harmony between reward and contribution.

Although some may not bat an eyelid while at it, many employees find seeking a pay rise uncomfortable, even in cases where it may be justifiable.

Besides socially driven hesitancy to broach the subject, there may be insufficient information about one’s own worth, how much others in similar circumstances are paid and the outer margin of the salary adjustment an organisation would be willing to yield based on the value it attributes to an employee.

Some situations can help to thaw the reticence around the topic of pay rise, such as the ongoing global agitation concerning pay transparency and equality.

Closer home, do your part to nurture a positive working relationship with your boss since it will make the conversation about pay easier to hold.

Needless to state, ensure that your performance meets or exceeds expectations and that your conduct is closely leashed to the values of your organisation.

Mind the timing of the conversation with your boss.

Although there may be no ideal moment, request for a meeting at a conducive time, preferably not coinciding with negative business results, peaks of work pressure or flurry of activity around absorbing work projects.

Have you done some research on the general worth of your role in organisations similar to yours? Is your request based on comparison with others or is it anchored on the value that you consistently bring to your organisation? Are you prepared to demonstrate how you positively impact the success of your organisation?

Arrange the meeting and remember to underscore your value to the organisation more than credentials since the former is a closer relative of your organisation’s bottom line than the latter.