Teaching Your Employees How to Ask for a Raise

I believe that we should be teaching our employees how to be successful – not just in their specific roles in our business but also in their own career paths as the professional men and women they are. This means they need to know how to ask for raises and negotiate pay.

I don’t do raises or performance reviews just because another calendar year has passed. I meet with my employees when I need to or want to. I have an “open door” policy that allows my employees to schedule time to meet with me when they feel the need. This has worked well for my particular business.

I want my employees to love their jobs. I want to empower them to ask for the things they want out of their job, including raises.

The instructions below were written with the help of an excellent employee of mine who has been with me for four years.

Here is what I ask my employees to do when they feel they have earned a raise:

1. Schedule a time to meet with your employer when they are not otherwise busy.

2. Be sure you or your scheduling coordinator has confirmed and blocked out your meeting time with your employer.

3. Thank your employer for meeting with you.

4. Let your employer know that you are enjoying your work – mention a couple of specific things you like about working there or about your specific position. Avoid any negative or off-topic conversation.

5. Ask respectfully and confidently for a specific amount as a raise (dollar amount and/or percentage of your current pay).

6. Present the areas where you feel you have performed well enough to deserve a raise – share specific examples of goals you have met, as well as your growing talents and skills.

7. Share detailed ideas for how you plan to continue to grow professionally and how you will continue to benefit your team.

8. Type out all of the things listed above and give your boss a copy as you make your case. Include your name, the date of the meeting, and the amount of the raise your are requesting. Offer to email it to your boss if they would like.

9. Do not utilize personal situations to try to get a raise. Examples include rent, gas prices, childcare needs, etc. Although these are absolutely valid concerns, they do not have any bearing on how your employer views your performance in your job. Every other employee has these concerns as well.

10. Do not ask for a raise just because a certain amount of time has passed since your last one. You can ask how company loyalty may factor into your employer’s decision, depending on how many years you’ve been working for them. Every employer is different in that respect.

11. Do not compare yourself to fellow employees or make negative comments about fellow employees. If you have concerns about any of your team members, schedule a different meeting to discuss it. This meeting is about you and your compensation!

12. Let your employer know that you are aware they may need some time to consider your request. If they confirm that they will need time to think about it (that is, they will not be giving you an answer at that time), respectfully ask when you might expect a decision.

13. Thank them again for meeting with you.

14. Don’t forget to smile!

I absolutely love rewarding and retaining awesome team members – and you should too. A solid team of happy employees isn’t just a nice thing to have – it’s rocket fuel for the success of your business!