How to ask for a raise: what to bring, what to say and how to handle a no

There are a number of employees whose workloads have continued to rise over time yet whose remuneration has remained static. Such employees want to discuss their salary with their manager but are at a loss as to how to raise the topic without appearing to be over the top or creating a litany of grievances that may take a long time to get through to a satisfactory conclusion. The short answer is to have a meeting and state your case supported by some evidence and then state the amount you wish to be granted, then stop talking and let your manager respond. If your manager says anything other than yes, then ask what it will take for a yes and set a date to reconvene on the topic.

Asking for a pay rise is more ordinary than it can feel. Research drawing on a representative 2013/14 survey of employees across Australia found that about 3/4 of males and 2/3 of females reported requesting a pay rise at some time while at their current employer¹. The following examples are presented using the fictional name of Sam as the employee and Jordan as his manager. Simply substitute in the real details of the employee working for a pay rise and the examples will apply.

Time your request and book the meeting

Avoid requesting a raise in the midst of a crisis. Instead select a time when you have just completed a significant project or a few weeks before budgets or reviews are set. Your increased responsibilities, which may have occurred some time previously, should also be fresh in your manager’s mind.

Schedule a separate meeting with your manager. Sam in the example below sends an email to book a 30 minute meeting with Jordan and sets out the purpose of the meeting (i.e. to discuss his role and his compensation).

Naming the topic of your meeting in advance of the meeting is just common courtesy. It gives your manager time to check on the feasibility of whatever it is you’re asking for before you two sit down to discuss it.

Build a short evidence list

Provide evidence of achievements from the past 6-12 months that demonstrate your value to the company. This can be in the form of a number of results (and their corresponding numbers), additional responsibilities (and how they differ from what you were hired to do), feedback from customers/peers (and the resulting change), and any relevant skills/certifications you have obtained. For example:

• The achievement, within a specific time frame and accompanied by numbers (eg. completed a project early, saved money).
• New responsibilities you’ve taken on since your pay was last set (e.g. training new staff, managing new accounts of current clients).
• Feedback from customers or colleagues that shows the effect of your work.
• Skills or certifications that changed what you can do for the team.

Remember to try to keep it to one page or less so you’re not deluging your manager with too much information. Ideally, your manager should be able to read through your document and reiterate your points to the approver(s) of your salary.

123

1. 1
   One page of results

   Three to five points, each tied to a number or a concrete detail. Keeping it to one page makes each item easy for your manager to repeat to whoever approves the budget.

2. 2
   A result with a number

   A chart of a project delivered early or sales you grew turns effort into something measurable. Bring the figure, then mention it briefly in the meeting.

3. 3
   The date to revisit

   If the answer is not now, agree a specific date to come back to it, then put that date in your own calendar and in your follow-up email.

Choose a number and say it plainly

Research current salaries for your role in your location by consulting relevant salary surveys and job ads. Deciding on a number is hard so you can choose a narrow range instead. Make sure the lower end of the range is an amount you would be happy to accept.

Say the number once, without an apology or a long lead-in:

Don’t use softeners like “I was sort of hoping for…” or “If it’s not too much trouble,…” These ideas imply that you are expecting to be told no and they invite your manager to bargain against your hesitation.

Open the meeting, then stop talking

Start with a statement of purpose and then go through your evidence before finishing with a statement of your requirements. For example: “Thanks for making time today. I want to talk about my pay. My role has grown over the past year and I’d like to show you how my new responsibilities and the additional value I’m bringing compare to similar roles elsewhere.”

Even if you feel that you have made a solid case for the pay rise you are asking for, it is best to stop talking after you have stated your number. The silence that follows can be uncomfortable but it is better than you subtracting from your number in a desperate attempt to fill the silence or over-explaining your reasons for asking for a pay rise.

Some people never get this far: the same research found that 14.6% of men and 12.9% of women in the survey hadn’t even tried to obtain a pay rise because they were worried about the impact on their working relationship with their manager¹.

Handle “no”, “not now” or “I need to check”

Your request for a pay rise does not have to end with a yes or no answer. Get your manager to commit to criteria for a yes, a date to revisit or both.

What to do after each answer

Your manager says yes+

Thank them, confirm the amount and when it starts, then send a short written summary. Stop here.

Your manager says no+

Ask what would need to change for this to be a yes, and agree a date to revisit it.

Your manager says not now+

Ask when the timing would work and what to focus on until then. Get a date.

Your manager needs to check with HR or the budget holder+

Offer to send your evidence list and ask when you'll hear back.

The answer stays vague+

Ask for one example of a result that would make the case, then confirm the next date in writing.

You can either try to negotiate what it is that your manager wants you to do in order for an increase to be awarded, or you can establish a date in the future in which you will revisit the issue and discuss your salary again. It is also wise to establish exactly who it is that needs to approve your salary increase. Get your manager to agree to check the budget with HR for example, and then establish a date in the future to discuss the results of their findings.

One question works for all three:

Also note that “keep doing great work” is hard to measure, so try to get the manager to agree to specific milestones. For example: “lead the next product launch and we’ll look again at the Q3 review”. This gives you something specific to aim for. If the answer stays vague, ask for one example of a result that would make the case.

Turning not now into a date (illustrative)

1. 
   Jordan

   I can see the case, but the budget is fixed until the new financial year.

2. 
   Sam

   That makes sense. What would it take for this to be a yes, and when could we revisit it?

3. 
   Jordan

   If the client handover goes well, I can put it forward at the July review.

4. 
   Sam

   Great. Could we book a time in the first week of July so it doesn't slip?

5. 
   Jordan

   Yes, let's do that.

6. 
   Sam

   Thanks. I'll send a quick note today with what we agreed.

Put the agreement in writing

Send a very brief summary within a day of meeting, stating what will happen next (e.g. they will check the budget with HR, then you meet again to review). Also include the agreed actions (e.g. that you will focus on completing the agreed goal until the revisit date). Here is Sam’s follow-up email to Jordan.

Add the revisit date to your calendar and send a friendly reminder if you haven’t heard back within the agreed timeframe.

Adapt the follow-up email

Hi [manager's name], thanks for today. To confirm: [what your manager agreed to do], and we'll meet again on [date] to review. Until then I'll focus on [agreed goal]. Let me know if I've missed anything.

What your manager agreed to do+

Write the exact step, such as checking the budget with HR or putting your raise forward at the next review.

Date+

Use a real calendar date. A month or a quarter is easier to let slip.

Agreed goal+

Name the criteria you heard in the meeting, in your manager's words where possible, so you both measure the same thing.

Your next step

Open a blank document and list out your evidence for the increase in pay for your role. List out three to five results from your work in the last year or so with a number or solid detail to back up each point. Then create a single sentence that you’ll use in the meeting with your manager to state your figure for an increase. Practice the whole conversation out loud with a scene partner in Quippy if you wish.

Sources and references

1. Artz, Goodall & Oswald (2018). Do Women Ask? Industrial Relations 57(4). Accepted version, University of Warwick repository.Self-reported answers from the 2013-14 Australian Workplace Relations Survey, a representative sample of Australian employees and workplaces; it measures whether people say they have asked for a raise at their current employer and why some have not; self-report, one country, cross-sectional, and the paper's focus is gender differences.