How to ask for a pay rise

How to get a pay rise

I appeared on the Alexis Conran Show on Channel 5 to discuss how to ask for a pay rise successfully and improve your chances of getting a salary increase.

Requesting a pay rise

In times when salaries are not keeping up with inflation and the cost of living crisis, it can be hard to get any kind of pay rise. Whilst those in the public sector are mostly hindered by set bands of pay rates, there can be more flexibility in the private sector. But it all depends on how you tackle the situation…

The statistics

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data release Average weekly earnings in Great Britain: February 2024 the “… annual growth for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) was 6.2% in October to December 2023” or 5.8%, including bonuses.

So, if you think you deserve a pay rise, what is the best way to go about it? How do you increase your chances of getting that raise?

15 top tips to help you get a pay rise

 1. Take control!

Create an opportunity to formally discuss the issue, giving it the time that it deserves. It can be really hard to ask for something. Dr Marianne Trent, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist from Good Thinking Psychology Services, says that hints can be manipulative or passive aggressive or can be misinterpreted.

Jokes about your money or your lack of money or not being able to afford to go to that restaurant because x y z just won’t work. It needs to be more explicit and about taking control.

If you think you deserve a pay rise, you’re allowed to ask for one!

Trent says that we are the main character in our own lives, everybody else is just an extra and realising this can be empowering as well. She comments:

People may not have considered your position and where you’re at and how you’re managing financially. But you have because you are the main player in your life. And so just knowing that it’s okay to ask for what you want and to make people aware of what it is that you want and you know, not to minimise or dilute that in any way. That’s okay.”

2. Find the right time to ask

You want to be able to ask your boss at a time when they are going to be the most receptive. Ask for a meeting at a time when you know you will have that undivided attention, when you know they won’t be rushing to another engagement or are involved in a busy project.

Choose a time that’s good for the company. When they’ve had some positive news, such as a big sale, share price rise, etc.

Make sure it’s a good time for you to be able to show your achievements etc. See Demonstrate your work achievements below.

You want this to be face-to-face, not by email, so that a discussion can take place without time limits.

Say you would like to discuss your “performance” or your “current and future role”, rather than a pay rise which might put off your boss!

Be at the end of a successful project or piece of work, not in the middle of one, otherwise you risk your boss may just say “let’s see how this piece goes“.

3. Get the right person!

It may be your line manager who carries out your pay performance reviews and manages you but any salary rise may not be decided by them.

You will need to get your line manager on side though. It will be this person who helps to fight your corner, so ask them how to get the outcome you are looking for. Request their advice and timescales for discussions.

4. Be polite

No one is going to want to give you a pay rise if you are rude and demanding!

Choose your words carefully. Some people think if they are due a rise that it is their automatic right to receive one. This sense of entitlement will not help you. It can spill over into anger and frustration which will get you nowhere.

Thank your boss for their time!

5. Be objective

Personal reasons for wanting a pay rise are irrelevant. You need to state your facts and evidence of why you deserve a pay rise. For example, it could be other staff members on a higher wage yet having fewer responsibilities. Or demonstrating the salary for a job in a different company.

6. Talk about the company

Say how much you enjoy working at the company and that you hope to continue progressing your career within it.

If you have been a long time at the company, talk about how the pay no longer reflects your time and experience within it. But be careful to put this in the context of the company’s own financial situation.

7. Demonstrate your work achievements

Bring to the meeting a list of all your recent achievements to demonstrate what a good asset you are to the company and explain the benefits. For example, making a sale that bought in thousands of pounds. Align your own results with specific outcomes for the company.

Demonstrate anything that has exceeded expectations, the going “over and above” your job description.

Mention any further training and qualifications you have undertaken or gained since starting the job.

8. Talk about soft skills

Skills like being reliable, on time with a good work ethic and being flexible are good examples of positive work traits, as well as your achievements.

9. Show that you are a good team member

When sharing your achievements, include team activities. This shows you have been a valuable member, including how you may have trained newcomers. By illustrating that you are a good team player, this can indicate that if they were to lose you, they may also lose team successes.

10. Research salaries

Research the salary for similar jobs in other companies. These will give you some idea of the current going rate. Use more than one source for results. For example: Check a salary, TotalJobs, Monster and GlassDoor.

Research salaries in your company. Is someone else doing the same job for more money? Or getting the same money for having less responsibility? Is there a gender pay gap?

Look at the job adverts to determine what employees in similar jobs are being paid.

Take this research to the meeting.

11. Be realistic in the rise you request

According to the CIPD Labour Market Outlook Report, which surveyed more than 2,000 senior HR professionals and decision makers in the UK, the current average pay award is around 4%. It was 5% last year. Expectations in the public sector have fallen from 5% to 3%.

Do your personal research for your own industry.

12. Negotiate

Be ready to negotiate.

Having all your prepared evidence of what you have achieved and further information will really help. Demonstrating why any lower offer is unfair or unreasonable could assist in boosting the offer.

Be open to other benefits that the company could provide, such as gym membership, help with travel, etc.

13. Ask for more responsibilities

This shows that you are loyal to the company and keen to progress within it. This demonstrates that you are also offering to give something more to get that pay rise. Give-and-take goes a long way.

Offer to step up when people are on holiday or sick leave.

Show that you are keen to do more and within the company you are working for, so that they know you may look elsewhere if you don’t get a pay rise. Be careful with this so you don’t sound like you are threatening to leave, as they may just call your bluff!

If your employer refuses a pay rise, ask them what additional goals or responsibilities they can give you which could contribute to a rise in future.

14. Dress well

You want to make a good first impression in the meeting, particularly if you don’t see your boss very often. So, consider what you will wear on the day.

15. Ask for the decision in writing

Whether the answer is “yes” or “no”, you will want an answer and a written record of the decision. If the answer is “no” then ask your boss to provide the reasons in the email. This may be useful for picking up with the HR department or as evidence for a pay rise in the future.

Good luck with getting your pay rise!