10 things not to say when asking for a raise

 Jack J. Kelly  March 20, 2018  Career Advice, compliancex  

By Jack J. Kelly

You’ve worked extremely hard, always arriving early in the morning when it was still dark out, and stayed late into the night slaving away at your desk when the rest of the team left hours before. You’ve accomplished all the things that your boss has asked of you and even exceeded your manager’s ridiculously high expectations. Basically, you killed it this year and rightfully believe the time is right to ask her for a much deserved raise.

It sounds so easy, but it’s not. The prospect of sitting down with your boss and asking for a raise is simple in concept, but quite challenging in practice. Your boss will be sitting directly across the desk (most likely making inscrutable seriously mean faces and glaring emotionless at you), perhaps with her boss, and maybe someone from human resources. They are attired in their armor of corporate business suits and scribbling things onto notepads and glancing at each other with knowing looks. Already, it’s three against one. It is an uncomfortable conversation filled with potential landmines. The upside is that you may get exactly what you want; however, it could easily backfire if you come across the wrong way. It’s critical to be careful of what you say and how you comport yourself.

This article will address what not to say.

 All too often, people use the wrong metrics, emotion-based pleas, and inappropriate rationales to demand that they are due or deserve without question – a salary increase.

The following reasons for a raise usually don’t work. Not only do they fail, the reasons will most likely alienate your boss and he will view you as an unappreciative complainer, whiner, or someone who believes they should receive an increase just because they showed-up to the office.

1. I will leave for a new job if I don’t get an increase. Threats seldom work. Even if they do, they are short-term solutions. You are now branded as a flight risk and the manager will be keeping an eye open for your cheaper replacement. 

2. So-and-so in my group makes x. I am so much better than so-and-so, so I should be paid 2x. Great, you have admitted to spying on your coworker’s compensation, dismissed his skills, and have not offered any tangible reasons why you deserve an increase- except for your employee bashing skills.

3. I have bills to pay- tuition payments, car leases, getting married, filing for divorce, having kids…. While these are real-life issues, management doesn’t care. They think, “Why should these be my problems?” and “Why should I pay you more for your mistakes in life?” or “How about working harder to deserve the raise rather than demanding one because you are in a financial pickle?”

4. I’ve been here over ___ years. Okay, so just by being here, we should pay you more? What have you accomplished in __ years? How have you added value to the organization? Can you name some of your biggest accomplishments?

5. I Googled how much people earn in my job, so you should pay me what Google says. Using metrics that are not widely accepted in your industry is useless. Many companies don’t place credence on random online salary guides. If you have real hard data from generally accepted sources, the information may carry greater weight. You are better off citing all your accomplishments instead of pointing out that some people in other companies may be earning more than you.

6. I’m the only one who really works around here.

7. I do your job for you!

8. I don’t care if the company is not doing well.

9. It’s not my fault that my division lost $1 billion dollars; I should still get an increase.

10. Well, if you don’t pay me, I won’t work as hard. The last few items are usually the last desperate resort of negotiations. The tactics are ineffectual. In fact, these arguments portray you as angry, resentful, bitter, self-centered, and insensitive. Also, it reflects a willful ignorance of larger issues that are adversely impacting the company and its financial results.

 In the next installment, I will help you with ideas to remain calm, cool, collected, and armed with reasoned arguments on why you should get that raise, which is long overdue.

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