The request for a salary increase is often an embarrassing and stressful moment for an employee. In order to be totally on D-Day, you must first make sure you are perfectly prepared. Obviously, you must not be too cool and arrive with your hands in your pockets. I think the most important thing is to have the right arguments, to have your company’s salary policy in mind, to do it at the right time, not to stress and to talk to the right person.
As a general rule, you don’t get a raise for no reason. There are different aspects that influence managers, and are seen as an excellent reason to offer you the possibility to negotiate a rise. Discover these in detail.
If your various objectives have been met, you complete a major challenge and you collect successes one after the other, then you must ask for a raise since you simply deserve it.
Important aspect: the increase and the exceptional bonus are not at all the same thing. The complete success of a project does not necessarily justify the request for a raise. “For such a situation, a bonus is generally a more justified reward. Often, a raise represents recognition of ongoing work or a change in responsibilities.
For a multitude of reasons, your compensation is lower than the average for your position, taking into account your experience. For this type of case, a salary catch-up of around 5% must be discussed in the annual budgets. The employee should not present his manager with a fait accompli but discuss this point with him well before the budgets are closed.
It is important to know how to put it in condition before the negotiation is opened. Be sure to find out about your company’s salary policy. Thus, it will prevent you from being too greedy. If the group has a habit of granting increases of around 4%, do not ask for double or triple!
Most of the time dreaded by employees, the request for a salary increase generates a lot of stress. And in a heavy context of health and economic crisis, this feeling is obviously accentuated. So, is this the right time to ask for a salary increase? At first glance, short-time working, PSE (employment protection plans) and possible economic layoffs can represent real barriers to a request for a salary increase.
Unless your company finds itself in a difficult economic situation, do not hesitate to ask for an increase in your remuneration. If you have worked a lot during the whole of 2020, even during the confinements, it is normal to want a reward, which would enhance your work.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many employees, including you, to adapt by teleworking, to work many more hours or to go beyond the scope of the job description. All of these actions, in the interest of society, undoubtedly justify a salary increase.
We recommend that you, first, learn more from your manager about the realities of the economic health of the company: is bankruptcy imminent? Has the company managed to keep its head above water? Was the group able to benefit from the Coronavirus in order to make a profit? Depending on the answer offered to this first question, you will be able to see whether or not you can request a raise.
If you want to take the plunge, the single quote from the Coronavirus pandemic will not be enough to justify your salary increase. I advise you, as I did when I asked for a salary increase, to support your statements with arguments, and demonstrate that your work offers something positive to society during the health crisis:
The mixture of these many and varied aspects will offer the possibility of a positive outcome in relation to your request: your activity environment, your profession, your function in society, all your achievements, but also your behavior during the confinements linked to the Coronavirus.
You made a strong impression during the Coronavirus crisis, and you want to get a salary increase? Once your value in society has been proven, all you have to do is indicate the desired sums. So, what rate of increase to claim? On this point, I recommend that you be as realistic as possible. Don’t ask for too big a raise!
Asking for a salary increase during the Coronavirus pandemic can seem extremely complicated. However, with adequate information on the financial context of the company and the leeway of your manager, but also by making a list of your achievements during the whole year, do not hesitate for a single second to ask for the increase desired.
Start the interview with simple topics. One removes the stress by talking about ancillary subjects such as a simple positive fact or the current atmosphere reigning in society. Make sure to be courteous and confident (without being arrogant). And during your pitch, seek your manager’s opinion.
Here are two examples of questions you can ask your supervisor:
Favor questions leading to affirmative answers from the manager.
There are different key moments, in the life of a company, to request a salary increase. However, there are more than others.
A promotion rhymes most of the time with a salary increase. An evolution or a change of position is an ideal moment to negotiate a raise. An additional workload justifies a new salary. It is therefore the ideal moment to address this subject.
Such an appointment with your manager is the perfect opportunity to take stock of the past year but also to highlight your projects, your expectations or your desires. However, it all depends on the corporate culture. If, in the latter, the increases are negotiated during the annual interview, have no fear and make your request. It is recommended that you request a raise only once a year.
My recommendation: if you prefer writing to speaking, you can write a letter requesting a salary increase to your manager.
It is essential to clearly identify the question for the employer. The latter will certainly ask the following question: “Why increase this employee and not another? “. This is where the concept of employee scarcity and profitability comes in. In the end, there is little chance of getting a raise if you are a simple “interchangeable” employee. The company will be more favorable to giving a raise to employees who are necessary and essential to its good health.
My recommendation for getting a raise: collect all the factual, quantitative and qualitative (therefore tangible) elements, offering the possibility of a relevant measurement of performance: savings made, income generated, errors that have not been made, optimization productivity … Thanks to these elements, you will be able to prove your added value, given to society.
This shows that you have contributed to better quality, increased customer satisfaction or the design of emotional intelligence in the service of society. Remind your manager of the elements on which your request is based.
I strongly advise you to speak to your manager to ask him for a raise, whether he is the decision maker or not. He will then forward the request to his manager. Thus, the negotiation will undoubtedly take place in threes.
On the other hand, submitting your request to human resources is frowned upon. Indeed, this puts the manager in an unpleasant position. If you go through this channel, his authority takes a hit. Regarding small structures, a request addressed to human resources is less incongruous.