British employees are much less likely to ask for a salary rise than those in other parts of the world this year, finds a new survey by specialist recruitment firm Robert Half.
Just half (54 per cent) of respondents plan to request a rise, compared to 77 per cent of workers in France, 78 per cent in Germany and 81 per cent in Brazil.
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Phil Sheridan, Managing Director, Robert Half UK said: “It’s amazing that people would rather clean the house or run a marathon than ask for a pay rise. Self-confidence is the foundation of a successful career and the ability to negotiate and articulate well are some of the key soft skills for success. Your professional growth and earning potential depend not just on the demand for your technical skill set, but also on your willingness and ability to negotiate with current and prospective employers.”
Instead of making the case for a pay increase, employees would rather clean the house (24 per cent) or look for a new job (18 per cent).
However, UK workers may be more likely to be ‘suffering in silence’ as a quarter (23 per cent) would rather look for another job than ask their boss for a raise.
Robert Half suggests that employees should follow these four steps when asking for a raise:
1. Do your research – before you approach your boss for additional pay, you need to do your homework. Know how much someone with your level of skill and experience is worth on the open market, by checking comparable roles on online job boards and benchmarking pay.
2. Track your successes – when you enter pay negotiations, you should do so armed with information about your achievements and contributions to your team, department and organisation. Being able to provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of the value you offer will strengthen your case.
3. Be flexible – You should know exactly what you want from negotiations, in terms of pay, and set a realistic target for your new salary. But you also need to be flexible, in the event your employer turns round and says ‘no’. It might be that there simply is no room to manoeuvre in the budget, and your request for more money cannot be accepted.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t secure additional benefits – for instance, an additional week of annual leave or flexible hours. If all else fails, ask your employer to commit to a pay review six months along the line, when your organisation may be in better financial shape.
4. Get your timing right – timing is everything in salary negotiations. You’ve got to choose an appropriate time to request improved pay, based on external factors such as the performance of your company, its current staffing needs and wider industry trends.
