Am I supposed to ask for a raise?

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L_Holmes
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06 Dec 2014, 4:32 am

I don't really know. It seems that some people will do it if they really want a raise, but is that the expected thing to do in every case, or else you get no raise ever? I asked a coworker how he got his raise, and apparently you aren't supposed to ask people that :oops: I guess he originally let slip about his raise by accident, as he was kind of surprised I knew about it, and then told me that it's a big no-no to ask coworkers about their pay/raises in the workplace. He wasn't mad, as it was kind of his fault for telling me, and I guess if I told on him about it he'd be in trouble. But he still said he couldn't really tell me how he go his raise, as he shouldn't have said anything. I was kind of confused about it at first, but I guess it probably has to do with jealousy, rivalry etc.

Anyway, I would feel very uncomfortable going in to ask my boss for more money; it just seems presumptuous, like going in and saying, "Hey, you don't pay me enough. I want more." I just don't like asking for things, ever. My family always thought it's because I have this high and mighty attitude, that I can do everything all on my own and I don't need anyone. Really, it's because I usually feel undeserving, or I just don't know how the person will react at all, which kind of scares me.

But if I want a raise, do I pretty much have to ask?


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ZenDen
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06 Dec 2014, 12:56 pm

L_Holmes wrote:
I don't really know. It seems that some people will do it if they really want a raise, but is that the expected thing to do in every case, or else you get no raise ever? I asked a coworker how he got his raise, and apparently you aren't supposed to ask people that :oops: I guess he originally let slip about his raise by accident, as he was kind of surprised I knew about it, and then told me that it's a big no-no to ask coworkers about their pay/raises in the workplace. He wasn't mad, as it was kind of his fault for telling me, and I guess if I told on him about it he'd be in trouble. But he still said he couldn't really tell me how he go his raise, as he shouldn't have said anything. I was kind of confused about it at first, but I guess it probably has to do with jealousy, rivalry etc.

Anyway, I would feel very uncomfortable going in to ask my boss for more money; it just seems presumptuous, like going in and saying, "Hey, you don't pay me enough. I want more." I just don't like asking for things, ever. My family always thought it's because I have this high and mighty attitude, that I can do everything all on my own and I don't need anyone. Really, it's because I usually feel undeserving, or I just don't know how the person will react at all, which kind of scares me.

But if I want a raise, do I pretty much have to ask?


Every company has their own unwritten rules about "secrecy" it seems. And there is no "cookie cutter" approach to what you ask. How long has your fellow employee worked for the company? What does your fellow employee do that is different from your job? Perhaps give us more information?

Perhaps take an oblique approach and suggest to the boss you'd like to take on more responsibility now that you understand the company's operations more fully. Employers understand the value in paying and retaining valuable employees. Then, later on, the more value you bring in with your request for more renumeration the better chance you have in success.

Some larger companies have standardized their evaluation/raise process to be almost automatic but most of us experience more of what you have. Generally just saying "I want more money" is an approach doomed to failure (at least in my early unsuccessful attempts :oops: ).



L_Holmes
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07 Dec 2014, 8:23 pm

He's only worked there a about 1.5 months longer than I have, and I've only been working there for 1.5 months myself. He makes a dollar more an hour. Part of it is that when he started working he was the only one in the position, normally they have 2 people, but some people had just quit. So he right off the bat had a lot of responsibility. But we technically have the same job title, and started with the same amount. He is unofficially my immediate supervisor, only in the sense that he knows more than I do so I can get in trouble with the actual supervisor if I don't listen to him. I did actually get in trouble for that, even though I didn't realize he was actually telling me, "Hey, you need to do this." To me it sounded like a suggestion (he said it like, "Hey, if you want to, go ahead and do this."), and I was busy with something else and so I told him I would do that when I finished what I was doing. Then he told the supervisor that I was ignoring him and I got in a bit of trouble.

A lot of times I just get confused, because I don't understand what people mean or why this thing works better like this, that kind of thing. And so I seem to be acting belligerent when I am genuinely not understanding. Apparently, "I don't get it" means "I don't believe you" to them.

But anyway, most of why I'm uncomfortable is I don't even know how they think I'm doing. I mean, they will say "good job" a lot, which would seem to mean I'm doing a good job, but they also will get annoyed when something is wrong, and they've never formally told me one-on-one about my performance. So I would feel really stupid if I went in thinking I was doing well and asked for a raise, and then find out that they actually aren't very satisfied with my job performance. If that were the case then their opinion of me would probably worsen.


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kraftiekortie
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07 Dec 2014, 10:38 pm

You've only been working at your place 1.5 months. It would make you look ridiculous if you asked for a raise. I would wait at least a year. And only if your attendance and performance are consistently good over that year.



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08 Dec 2014, 8:28 pm

As others have said: 1.5 months is a bit too soon to start asking for a raise.

So what do you do in the mean time, how long do you need to wait, how do you go about asking for one?

You've mentioned that you have received some positive feedback, but it's nondescript - "good job"

Never be afraid to ask someone more experienced for help in learning a new skill, or how to do what you are doing better. It's perfectly okay for you to request a private one-on-one meeting with your boss, or supervisor, and ask them for some mentoring. It's in the companies best interest for you to do well at your job, and to enjoy doing it.

I festered and stewed for several years at my job before I started coaching sessions with my boss. Once a month, or so, we meet and talk about what I am doing, and how I can be doing it better and what help I need. Since then I've felt more confident about my job, and I look forward to going to work.

Give the mentoring and coaching at least six months, and instead of asking for more money - ask what it takes for you to move up to the next level.



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13 Dec 2014, 2:50 am

I'd only outright ask for a raise if my job duties changed in a sense that would warrant one. But I'd look at that on a micro level, clearly s**t can get foisted on you in small increments etc. and if it adds up to where there's actual evidence to say "here's the difference in my general duties then vs. now", then sure.

I don't think I've ever been in a spot where I really felt the need to ask for a raise. Based on what it sounds like my company is planning for me though (basically to do half the total work of the other 3 people in my department, in addition to my own, without any more pay), I might have to press them for a lot more chips.


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bacun
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15 Dec 2014, 6:34 am

I'm not sure how old you are but you should know by working age that talking about salary with co-workers is a big No-no (Even though its in your best interest to discuss them)




Generally speaking you wait till a year of employment and ask for a raise ,some employers do a yearly review/raises .


When it comes to asking for a raise ,just steer the conversation to the cost of living /price of codes and then into your wage.It's pretty simple.



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15 Dec 2014, 6:43 pm

L_Holmes wrote:
But if I want a raise, do I pretty much have to ask?


Pretty much. But you shouldn't just ask. You should justify your request. If you can do that, they're much more likely to give you a raise.

If you just ask because you want more money or because you've been there x amount of time, neither is a good reason for your boss to actually give you a raise.

But if you can make a request and justify it by proving the value you bring to the workplace, i.e. I can now do tasks 1 2 3 and a b c since I've been trained to do them which makes me more valuable of an employee. Or I can do my one task in 1/2 the time it took me to do it when I was first trained. Or I'm now training others to do various jobs and that's valuable to the company because of the extra money it makes us. etc. Just because you want more money isn't a valid reason for a raise.. but if you can justify it with a very simple cost benefit business case, then your boss is much more likely to agree to give you a raise.


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16 Dec 2014, 9:55 am

goldfish21 wrote:
L_Holmes wrote:
But if I want a raise, do I pretty much have to ask?


Pretty much. But you shouldn't just ask. You should justify your request. If you can do that, they're much more likely to give you a raise.

If you just ask because you want more money or because you've been there x amount of time, neither is a good reason for your boss to actually give you a raise.

But if you can make a request and justify it by proving the value you bring to the workplace, i.e. I can now do tasks 1 2 3 and a b c since I've been trained to do them which makes me more valuable of an employee. Or I can do my one task in 1/2 the time it took me to do it when I was first trained. Or I'm now training others to do various jobs and that's valuable to the company because of the extra money it makes us. etc. Just because you want more money isn't a valid reason for a raise.. but if you can justify it with a very simple cost benefit business case, then your boss is much more likely to agree to give you a raise.

Good advice, definitely agree.
Depending on your work, there may be salary surveys (or indeed.com/salary or the nace calculator, etc) to point out any obvious discrepancies.

Of course, sometimes their hands are tied and you can't take it personally.
In my current role, it's classified as 'specialist' by HR, because I'm not in IT (if I were in IT, I'd be an 'Analyst' or 'SysAdmin', but, those roles only exist in that dept according to HR), going by my job duties, I asked for a certain starting amount. They reclassified me as a 'Senior Specialist', which got me into a higher pay bracket, but, even then, I'll max out that pay bracket in a couple of years and have to either go elsewhere, or request my boss have IT create brand new job title for me.
For all the good HR departments do, and I will not work for a company without one, the processes and procedures can be a bit restrictive when it comes to a niche worker like me.



goldfish21
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16 Dec 2014, 12:00 pm

L_Holmes wrote:
He's only worked there a about 1.5 months longer than I have, and I've only been working there for 1.5 months myself. He makes a dollar more an hour. Part of it is that when he started working he was the only one in the position, normally they have 2 people, but some people had just quit. So he right off the bat had a lot of responsibility. But we technically have the same job title, and started with the same amount. He is unofficially my immediate supervisor, only in the sense that he knows more than I do so I can get in trouble with the actual supervisor if I don't listen to him. I did actually get in trouble for that, even though I didn't realize he was actually telling me, "Hey, you need to do this." To me it sounded like a suggestion (he said it like, "Hey, if you want to, go ahead and do this."), and I was busy with something else and so I told him I would do that when I finished what I was doing. Then he told the supervisor that I was ignoring him and I got in a bit of trouble.

A lot of times I just get confused, because I don't understand what people mean or why this thing works better like this, that kind of thing. And so I seem to be acting belligerent when I am genuinely not understanding. Apparently, "I don't get it" means "I don't believe you" to them.

But anyway, most of why I'm uncomfortable is I don't even know how they think I'm doing. I mean, they will say "good job" a lot, which would seem to mean I'm doing a good job, but they also will get annoyed when something is wrong, and they've never formally told me one-on-one about my performance. So I would feel really stupid if I went in thinking I was doing well and asked for a raise, and then find out that they actually aren't very satisfied with my job performance. If that were the case then their opinion of me would probably worsen.


Then what you need to do is ask for some feedback on how you're performing.

Just say "hey, I've been here a little while and I was wondering if you could give me a little feedback on how I'm doing - what I'm doing well, what I need to improve on." Then you'll have your answers. If the review is glowing, you might be justified in requesting a raise. If they say "well, actually.. you're doing fine with this, but I'm glad you brought it up because you really need to work on this" then you know what you need to improve before you consider requesting a raise.


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