asking for raise

[GracieJJ]

Originally Posted by mbuszu

Writing a letter is a potentially good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. Potentially bad as it can be passed into other's hands and anything you write will be scrutinized quite a bit. If there is anything in your letter which stretches the truth or which can be countered, the entire letter will easily be dismissed.

I like the letter idea myself. I've had tremendous success with letters sent to others I was negotiating with. Most everyone loves to avoid confrontation, so no, it's not generally looked down upon that you wrote a letter. As a manager I prefer to avoid emotionally charged discussions with my reports. If they feel bad about something, I'd rather they articulate their thoughts carefully in writing, giving me a chance to read them, and then scheduling a call or in person discussion. Of course this isn't for everything, but I do feel like this topic is one which would be appropriate for that course of action.

As the letter writer you will have the opportunity to do your research and gather all the facts as well - something which is potentially very positive for arguing your point. As a manager I'd appreciate that I could also take the letter to anyone else who needs to read it to authorize the increase in salary as well. It is thus mostly win-win; just be certain the letter is well written and without errors and emotionally charged accusations.

Regardless of how you ask for the raise, be certain you're ready to be told "we simply cannot afford to" or something to that effect. You thus need to be positive you can get another job for what you're asking. Once you're told "no" you will have a difficult choice ahead of you. Either settle for what you are getting and will get, fully expecting that all future requests will hold less weight with management (since they know you won't leave), or leave. I've been there done that myself. As a manager I am acutely aware of the motivational factors affecting my staff's performance. I know that saying "no" to a request like this may thus have transformed a previous shining-star into a disgruntled employee who doesn't work all that hard anymore. Put your own manager-hat on and imagine what effect that may have on your future decisions. As an employee I know what it is like to be told "no" as well. I didn't like it, and I dealt with it with 20/20 hindsight rather poorly - I stayed. Really think this through before you do something you cannot undo.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Agreed, letter's come off as being proffesional and formal. I personally think it be a joke if someone emails me for a raise, i have turned people away for doing so.

Asking in person can be ok but like mbuszu says, when everything happens so fast and you dont get the appropriate response, you get into some negative state of mind.

Managers prefer to think about these things rather than be pushed into a decision there and then.
Ofcourse the manager can always say "Ill think about it" but then he/she forgets about it soon things get hectic for him/her. The "letter" can/will a lasting affect in their head, because of the formality issue

[70Ford]

I negotiated a raise before. I wrote down on one sheet of paper what I was hired for...It came out to 1/2 a sheet. I then wrote down what I was doing/responsible for on another sheet of paper. It was a whole sheet. We then discussed what proper compensation could be.

It helped me because I didn't have to remember everything....plus I was nervous. Gave us both something to focus on.

[maf763]

It might be appropriate to start with the step of having a conversation with your supervisor about your compensation over the long-term. It may be that you are already in line for the type of increase you want. Small private schools know they can't compete financially with public schools and business, and should be understanding of the fact that you want to know where you stand. If they really like you, they may try to come up with some way to make it worth your while to stay. It's also a possibility though, that they just don't have the money to increase compensation at this point, especially if they have had some financial turbulence.

The fact that you took a pay cut to work there only makes you the same as everyone else there - I don't know that I would bring that line of reasoning up if I was you.

[Oobie119]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

There are some warning signs that make me think you should be asking for an evaluation, rather than an outright raise request.

Work you were promised went to someone else - Why? My guess is that you might have appeared overloaded or not able to juggle the extra work, or the new employee had a greater skill set and lower wages. You need to not take it personally, but get down to the real reasons for that shift.

A "very small" Christmas bonus? Compared to what? Did others also get bonuses, and do you know the general range of those? Or did no one else get a bonus? One doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but sometimes the breath of the horse can indicate how you are appreciated (or not). If others got larger bonuses, I'd be looking for other work. If I knew positively that I was the only one getting a bonus, I'd be far less quick to act.

COLA increases. Teachers and union workers may get them, but many private sector jobs do not include automatic COLAs. The real cost of living has gone up more than 4%, but most companies cannot afford to immediately adjust wages upward. A wait of a few months or a year is not uncommon.

In a free marketplace, one of the best techniques to insuring a raise is to have other companies tendering you initial offers. You make a casual inquiry, stating that your present situation is fine, but that you are looking to move up and to something a little more challenging. Give a general range of what you would expect and ask for some time to consider any offer. When an offer comes in, then you go in for the evaluation at the current employer and renegotiate or leave.

I'll never forget the stunned look on the face of one die-hard long-term company manager when he offered a pittance raise and an admonition that nothing more interesting was on the horizon. I thanked him for the offer and his candor, and gave my two week notice. Those with the fewest options tend to linger in the low paying jobs.

I recieved my most recent evaluation as EXCELLENT in all fields. The tutoring and other things went to a new employee who was LESS qualified, but the position he filled was empty for a VERY long time, and he knows our head secretary : ) I was the only one that I know of that received a bonus, I was just hoping for more. : )

[harry chickpea]

"I was just hoping for more."

Sounds like a common refrain. Seems like you are in a little stronger position than I first thought. If the new employee was less qualified, but knew the head secretary, that tells you that the head secretary has a fair amount of power (fairly common, since they often know deep dark secrets), and that the decisions are made partly on social merits, instead of strictly business.

Skewed decisions can be common in smaller businesses, and it just means you have to take those factors into consideration at Christmas parties, outings, and even around town. Hidden power players are the bane of hot-shot overachievers, but not people who do their homework and consider ramifications before acting.