How do I (successfully) ask for a pay rise whilst pregnant (or is that just a stupid bloody question!?)

[OxfordToLondoner]

I work for a great company, with a fab boss, and have been in my role coming up for 3 years, with no salary increase. I've recently had a promotion (new responsibilities, new job title) but didn't raise the salary issue at the time - I had to push for the new job title so I won that battle first (cripes, even writing this I feel like an idiot!). I know I'm valued at work, and also that I will definitely come back. So....I'm thinking I will ask for a pay rise. I deserve it, the companies doing well etc etc.

BUT. I'm pregnant (and they know). Am I living in cloud cuckoo land?! AIBU? Any tips on how I should go about it?

Put your pregnancy to the side, the reason you want a payrise is because you have been promoted, have additional responsibilities and have worked hard - right?

So ignoring the pregnancy (as should your boss when you approach him/her), if you think you are worth above the current salary - why do you think this? What do you bring to the role that no one else can/does? How can you sell this idea to your boss?

Do your research: look at similar roles/vacancies in similar Companies (perhaps your competitors) on Reed, [www.totaljobs.co.uk totaljobs]] and print off a number of similar vacancies that show the salary based on your skills and experience.

You could do your own salary benchmarking - have a look on Randstad and Michael Page websites, they normally have free surveys; and I believe the Government produced one recently too (google 'salary surveys')

Pull out previous appraisals, customer/client feedback, emails of thanks from colleagues etc - use this as evidence that you do a good job and that you are valued in the Company.

Then, meet with your manager.

I used to hear quite regularly from certain employees that they were hard done to because of no pay rises in x years. I did a salary benchmark myself and only one of them should have been on more money (the rest were actually way above the 'going rate' for their role). The one who could have had a payrise behaved immaturely and approached it entirely wrong. He should have researched, armed himself with facts, knowledge and had confidence in himself to say "hey, I'm worth more and here's why" - instead, he moaned about the past, was negative in meetings and had an attitude towards me and management that we should just give him a payrise "just because". It isn't the answer and any owner of a business will not just give a payrise "just because they haven't had one in years".

I know it's a completely different story to what you are asking but it is always worth noting that those who ask professionally, do their research and approach the situation positively - do tend to get a pay rise.

"I've recently had a promotion (new responsibilities, new job title) but didn't raise the salary issue at the time"

This is one of the reasons there is still a gender pay gap. No man would have argued for a promotion without also arguing for the pay rise to go with it.

Even if they had been unwilling or unable to raise your pay then, you would probably have got a "we'll see how well you perform and review it in six months" or similar, which would have left you in a much stronger position now.

I'm sure you realise that now..

Anyway, I agree with everything Fadbook says.

Thanks Fadbook, great advice. And Flowery..,you're so right! When I agreed to the new role my boss new I was pregnant - I've had a couple of miscarriages last year and had decided to tell him as I was being asked to work crazy hours. Stupidly, I just felt like I wasn't in the right place to push for the pay. I feel like a right idiot. An actually quite senior, very well paid (due to my role / industry), and have been really bullish in the last about getting what I want/deserve...I just seem to have lost the confidence at the mo. I'm going to do that homework and sell the idea to my boss - I work in marketing so I should be able to do that, right?!

Well if you can't you probably don't deserve the payrise...