Negotiate a Pay Raise
By Sanday Chongo Kabange
After working tirelessly and managed to deliver what your job description entails, it may be time for you to consider asking your employer for a salary raise.
Negotiating for an increased monthly wage can be difficult for many employees. Sometimes deserving employees are awarded by their employers at special one-off events coinciding with Workers’ Day or Christmas and New Year. Workers are typically offered special gifts, incentives or even pay hikes.
But at times, one cannot wait for special events to be considered for a salary hike. Workers that have delivered and met their work targets for a particular period can negotiate for a salary raise.
As an employee that has met his/ her targets and is considering negotiating for a pay hike, you must bear in mind that this process must be done with patience, research and professionalism.
Before you consider approaching your employer for pay rise, you must make sure that you do a comparable analysis on who gets what and for what task. Ensure that you do an independent but credible analysis to verify what other employees in the same job are getting. After you have done your investigations on wage differences, look for an appropriate time to approach your employer.
A good way to find out what others are earning in similar jobs to you is to take our Salary Survey.
Never negotiate for a wage hike when your employer/company is undergoing financial difficulties. The best time to negotiate for a pay rise is after the company’s financial statement has been made available to you or made public through a media advertisement. This way, you will be able to know the financial position of the company and make the right decision. If the company is running at a loss, this is definitely not the right time to seek an audience with your employer!
Never force or push your employers to increase your wage because of personal financial problems. Rather, ask for a pay rise when you confidently know that you are worth more than what you are currently getting. Remember that in some companies, your output determines your monthly wage. It is therefore important to have a solid basis from which you can negotiate a salary hike.
Another way of negotiating for a pay rise is by using the possibility of a job opportunity with another firm. Inform your employers that you have been offered a job that pays more than what you are currently receiving. Indicate that you might turn down the offer if your employer considers increasing your pay. You need to be careful, however, that this does not backfire on you. So take extra caution and speak with authority and confidence.
Issues that involve salaries and wages are sensitive matters that can build or break a company. Go slows, strikes, protests and even violent demonstration have arisen as a result of differences in salaries. So be aware that this is a volatile issue – but do not back down if you truly deserve to be fairly remunerated for your work.
However, if your employer rejects your proposition for a salary hike, do not react with force or emotions. Rather, remain calm and walk out of your employer’s office. Remember to thank your employer for giving you an audience to discuss your concerns with them.
And if you are not a member of a union, consider joining one now. Trade unions have experience in collective bargaining for their members. Unionised employers have a larger chance of negotiating for increased pay because they speak with one collective voice through their union leaders.
