6 ms·

Need a raise, how to ask?

• FroshKiller 11y ago
  Why do you need a raise?
  • djmill 11y ago
    I feel as though I need a raise because my responsibilities have changed drastically since my last raise. I'm now managing people and leading a project. On top of that, my pay has always been less than that of other folks in the industry doing the same work. These other folks that I've talked to also don't have to deal with the pain points of working with offshore folks in a timezone with a difference of 12 hours. I'm on meetings at 6AM and my day ends at 5PM if I'm lucky. Yet, I know people who do less work, for companies with 100% in-house teams that work 9 - 5.
    • JSeymourATL 11y ago
      > I need a raise because my responsibilities have changed drastically since my last raise. This is entirely fair, as your contribution and value to the company has also increased. At the very least, the company should be paying market rates for your services. As a benchmark, median RoR guys in Boston are getting $115k > http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=ruby+on+rails,+supervise+offshore+team&l=Boston,+MA&jt=fulltime http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=ruby+on+rails,+supervise+offsho... How to Ask- Understand that perceptions dominate all parts of negotiation. It's important to take the emotional temperature of your boss and deal with it. Is he happy with your performance? On this subject, Stuart Diamond is masterful > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liCOqUQzpQs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liCOqUQzpQs
      • djmill 11y ago
        Awesome, thanks for the feedback. I've literally never had anything negative come from my bosses, it's only been praise about how much I've grown and to keep up the good work. When I moved away to go remote, none of my bosses were worried and they all skipped my 1-on-1's with them for the entire first 6 weeks after I started working remote... to me I felt like they felt as if I was capable and there were no worries on either end. I agree, market value in Boston is very high and thus why I feel like I'm being underpaid for my work and responsibilities - even if I'm living in an area where the average is slightly lower.
  • arielweisberg 11y ago
    That's a silly question? Is the utility of money in question?
    • otoburb 11y ago
      Utility of money is probably assumed - the question is meant to force the OP to find credible reasons for a raise that would reduce any potential objections when he articulates his request to the employer.
• djmill 11y ago
  Also, just stating that if Google throws me an offer, I'm obviously going to take it... but I'm not banking on that. This pay raise demand would be the latter if/else in the Google offer edge-case!
• arielweisberg 11y ago
  Get an outside offer from some place you are willing to work at. Either they match it or they don't it's all one to you. Frame it as you having to do what's right for you and that you can't afford to leave that kind of money on the table. Working careers are short and you will never get that money back if pass on it. It's the truth and it's something any half way decent manager can understand. It's not personal it's just a typical business decision for both parties. Expect that they may not match immediately. They will try to get you to wait a year or till the next cycle. The response is that you don't want to wait or leave money on the table due to the time value of money and the risk you are shouldering. Either they concede, sweeten the pot, or pass. If you do end up with future promises get it in writing signed by your manager. Read it and make sure there are no games. I wouldn't bother with estimates or middle grounds. Where the rubber meets the road is what kind offer you can get somewhere else. You are asking for a pittance from them and for the most part unless it's a failing business they shouldn't care.
  • djmill 11y ago
    Okay great, that makes sense. Thanks for the advice!
  • dudul 11y ago
    Agree with the idea to get an offer first, and then try to negotiate. However, I would not put it as bluntly as "give me more money, or I go work there". They may yield this time. Especially if you are an important member of the team with some exclusive knowledge (i.e. you're the only one who knows the codebase for component Foo, and if they lose you they are screwed). But, they will likely be bitter about it. Try to force you to share your knowledge in the next few months and kick you out. Again, I agree that it makes perfect sense to you as an employee to maximize your income, it's just business. But a lot of business owners, especially in startups, may take it personally ("How dare he want to leave us? How about our mission of making the world a better place? He's only in it for the money ????!!!"). So, long story short, I would amend this advice with not disclosing that you have an other offer and not setting an ultimatum.
    • djmill 11y ago
• DrNuke 11y ago
  You know already: without an offer, you are worth what you are currently paid. That said, raising informally the issue with your boss will let you know where you do stand.
• gmarx 11y ago
  You don't need an outside offer to ask for a raise. The cap for raises is nonsense. It may present a psychological barrier to your manager but mostly it is a prop to point to; so your manager can say "not my fault- see there's a sign that says no raises above 10%". The trick is they can give you more than 10% if it involves a promotion. The other trick is that raises are difficult to ask for. You have a cogent argument for a promotion and raise. Ask for it. Present your argument minus anything that could be viewed as a threat (like interviewing at Google).
• alain94040 11y ago
  > I know I can find work that pays more, yet I do not have another offer Read the true story I wrote below [1]. You don't want to look like a mercenary ("give me a raise or I quit"). But you do want to be paid fairly. Get an "informal" offer. Then tell your boss that you really want to stay with them, but the "outside market" is telling you that you are underpaid. That approach has worked for me in real life. [1] https://medium.com/@alain94040/how-to-negotiate-a-raise-9166c977645a https://medium.com/@alain94040/how-to-negotiate-a-raise-9166...
  • djmill 11y ago
    Great advice, this is really what I'd like to do... propose that I have an offer that I don't really want, but the money is better - hoping that they can match it, since the offer proves my worth
    • gumby 11y ago
      Here's how I do things: If an employee comes and says she or he has a better off I let them take it. If they're looking, they're looking, and I want people who want to work with us. I am not at all unhappy if someone comes and asks for a raise. I believe everyone is paid fairly, but if there's a mistake, well I'm glad to find out and fix it. But I'm happy to explain why the pay people are getting is probably fair. I use hiring info to keep abreast of salaries: if candidates seem to need more than I had planned to offer then I level the appropriate employees up as well. I.e. you don't have to try to get a new job just to get a raise. It means people are paid fairly (e.g. your company's cap on raises is stupid). Apparently publishing everybody's pay adds stress for some reason, but I try to set the pay as if they were published -- so if someone does find out they won't be surprised ("Woah, Jane gets 20% more than me? Crap, I guess she is the one we all go to when we are having trouble finding the right algorithm; I should pick up my game"). Note that there is nothing wrong with looking around at other company's hiring pages, linkedin etc; it's no different from keeping your other skills up to snuff (learning new technologies or whatever). I just don't like being presented with what's essentially an ultimatum -- it means the asker isn't really thinking about the issue.
• djmill 11y ago
  I think I've decided to take a different approach... I want to know what I can do to be inline with the rest of the industry. I think it makes sense to propose this as a question to my boss(es) after highlighting my accomplishments, etc. At least, if they respond: "You'll never make that much money" - then I know where I stand. And this way, they know that I'm currently sizing myself up to the rest of the averages out there.
• sauronlord 11y ago
  There is no such thing as "you need a raise" There is only "Holy crap, we cannot afford to lose John, we better give him a raise NOW"
• chrisbennet 11y ago
  The cap is crap of course. That is just their mechanism to avoid paying market. One of the reasons that is hard to get raises is that employers find it hard to adjust their perception of your new worth once you "level up". You may be a brain surgeon now but to them, you're still the kid who used to mow their lawn. It is quite possible that you might not be worth the same to them as you would to another company i.e. market. You may not have a future there if you want to get paid what you are worth. :-(
• zhte415 11y ago
  Employee "What do I need to do in order to [be paid X/get Y promotion]?" Boss "Are you sure you want to [be paid X/get Y promotion]?" In a sane organisation, this conversation should be possible. As you're working remotely, the boss may be unaware of creep with more and more responsibility you're taking. They should be reminded. Most people I've met are incredibly bad at managing directs remotely.
• JoshDoody 11y ago
  I was interviewed for this article on the General Assembly blog, and it is a direct answer to your question: How to (successfully) ask for a raise: https://generalassemb.ly/blog/how-to-successfully-ask-for-a-raise/ https://generalassemb.ly/blog/how-to-successfully-ask-for-a-... In your paragraph that starts with "How can I go about asking for a raise?", I think your plan is very good. Estimate your market value, adjust that market value for the specific value you add to your company (accounting for things like your statement that "...it'd still be cheaper for the company to give me a hefty raise rather than finding someone...") and make that your goal. List the additional things you're doing to add value to the company since your current salary was set (you've basically already done this in your post here). Find examples of praise that you've gotten from colleagues. Bundle that all up and there's your case for a raise. I recommend talking to your manager about it (requesting your raise in a 1-on-1), then following up with a written request via email so it can be circulated to the deciders. That's about the best you can do as far as making a case for a raise. The real question is whether you'll go elsewhere if you determine that you're significantly under-paid and your company can't adjust your salary to reflect the value you add there. And of course that's something you'll have to determine on your own, but looking elsewhere (Google) is a good start. Good luck!