Raise the bar: how to demonstrate to your boss that you deserve a pay rise

You could easily feel jittery if you approach your boss to ask them for a pay rise. After all, you don’t want to risk striking an arrogant or self-important tone – but, all the same, you don’t want to come across as so humble and reluctant that your manager could wonder why you asked in the first place.

Fortunately, it’s more comfortable to bring up the idea of a larger pay packet if, before then, you have excelled more than usual in the workplace, making it easier for you to justify the salary hike.

Invest in self-development

In a sense, you are probably already doing that by honing your existing job skills. However, you could go a step further by enrolling on a course. The Muse points out that plenty of free courses are available online, but taking classes at a local college or university is also an option.

Before you do any of this, though, you should directly ask your boss exactly what new skills you – or perhaps “the team”, if you would prefer to be more subtle – ought to learn.

Ask for your boss for boring-but-essential tasks

In probably every workplace, there are a few responsibilities that people only do because they have to, not because they want to – and your boss probably has some of those tasks on their own plate.

Just imagine, then, how much further you could get into their good books simply by asking your manager whether there are any important-but-dull tasks you can handle for them. Even if there aren’t, your offer to help won’t go unappreciated.

Surpass your manager’s expectations

If there aren’t any extra assignments for you to take on, doing even better with your existing ones can be a great way for you to ease your argument for a pay increase.

For example, you could endeavor to hand in completed projects ahead of the officially-set deadlines. Still, make sure that, in your attempt to do that, you don’t compromise on the quality of the work – as submitting a sloppily-done project early would be rather defeating the point.

Mentor a junior member of the team

That doesn’t necessarily have to mean enrolling in a formal mentorship program, though it would certainly be convenient if your company had one. There are more informal means of mentoring someone, such as by providing them with impromptu feedback and support from time to time.

As you do so, your relationship with your mentee should develop naturally – and, as their career takes off, yours will inevitably improve, too.

Be ready to negotiate in a flexible way

Sometimes, no matter how persuasively you put forward your argument for a pay rise, your boss might have to resist due to factors outside their control, Chron notes. In that case, you could indicate that you are still open to receiving other perks.

Through LifeWorks’ perks and savings scheme, many employers can provide their employees with price cuts on such routine purchases as cars and family outings – so, you could point this out as an option.