How do you get a raise that's long overdue?

Question

It seems like everybody is tight with money, and are willing to let people sit in the sidelines waiting for their due rewards.

Is it the squeaky wheel that gets the grease?

Answer 1

I am a project manager and requested raises for several employees who 1 - deserved it by providing quality work and 2 - had not had raises in several years. Upper management told me - why give them raises when they keep working for the same amount? - ie NO! My argument to them was - do you want to keep your best employees or lose them to competitors? No response and guess what - the best people including myself found other higher paying positions and left the company. Did they learn their lesson? No the same mentality prevails and they just bring in new people and use and abuse them until they resign.
The best way to get a raise - change jobs!

Answer 2

First off, do your research. Go to www.payscale.com and salary.com and figure out what the going rate for your skills are . Be honest with your accomplishments and skill levels.

Second, write how your expertise has improved things at your company. Show how you're doing it.

I don't know where you work. If you are at a government job, you may not be eligible for a raise because of budget reasons, or you are put on the GS schedule, and you need to do more "time in grade"

Finally, what's the reality of your company? Is your boss a jealous, greedy person who resents every dollar he pays his employees? Has the company lost a major deal and now its time for some belt tightening? If neither is true, you can ask for a meeting with your boss to make your case for a higher salary.

Most importantly of all, you must be prepared to quit if the answer is no. As an example, say you are making 20K and you think you deserve 25K. What you are saying is that the company needs to pay 25K for your time. If the bosses don't want to pay 25K for you, they don't get you. Therefore, you should begin looking at other employers. I have found that changing jobs gives the biggest pay raises.

Answer 3

CREATIVE METHOD:
How much of a raise are you looking for? You may think how much it is for your annual income, but that is a higher number that bosses woudld choke on.
How much of a raise would that be on a daily basis?

eg: $3 a day extra is about $1000 for the year

Now, what would that daily increase buy ? A coffee and Newspaper? A bunch of flowers? .. you work it out. But make it something you think your boss thinks is normal and inexpensive.
So all you are asking for is that coffee and paper each day.
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If that fails, try a tactic used by SunTzu in "The Art of War". He was offered horses and gold to do a job. He said, NO, and gave a different payment. He got out a chess board and set it down:
"All I want isone grain of rice in the first square. tomorrow, double it, 2 rice in the 2nd square. the next day double it for the next square. Then just fill the 64 squares by doubling for each square."
The Boss thought that was a bargain ... until he came to pay it. It took 11 days to get to 1000 grains of rice ... almost a meal . 21 days to get to a million . 31 days for a billion
Oh and by the way, day 32 is 2 billion and that is only half way through

So you could try that wage reduction until he realises he will go bankrupt .... then offer to just go back to the pay rise instead.

Answer 4

This might be cheating... but the easiest way to negotiate a raise is to hire a professional to help you. As a professional salary negotiator myself, I have negotiated higher salaries for over 700 people. My trick is to handle the entire thing by email. Negotiating by email improves the odds for an amateur negotiator. That’s because it takes away your employer’s ability to "read you" in person and bluff you into taking less. Over email you can carefully choose every word. And a professional like me can get you every penny you deserve without risking your job. The only rule is that you can never tell ANYONE that you had outside help. To learn more check out NegotiatingSalary com

Answer 5

ive been thinking the same thing myself. I would just ask. schedule a sit down, meeting, lunch and say: ive been doing alot of work, and was wondering if i could receive a bonus or some compensation for all the extra work ive done like those tps reports, i was up for the last 3 weeks till 9 oclock and feel like there should be some compeensation.

Answer 6

Check around and see if other jobs in your field and area are paying more then what you make now. If they are, you can use that as leverage when asking for a raise. Especially if you are a good employee and have worked there for a while. Employers are well aware ussualy of what similar jobs are paying in your area and they will use it as a barganing tool.

Answer 7

Sit down and list all your past raises.
List all the reasons why you think you deserve a raise now (time passed, accomplishments, etc.)
Ask you boss when a good time to meet w/him or her would be and discuss it with them.

Answer 8

get out while your ahead my former employer cried poverty all the time and drove new a Caddy, It was more money for them everytime someone quit. Then they got new people cheaper . Lots of good employers gthat will pay what you are worth,

Answer 9

Demand it, just sitting back and watching the birds fly by your window won't earn you that extra dollar or two. Speak up!

Answer 10

Blackmail your boss.