How do you ask for a raise?

[MrsJamin]

How on earth do you do it? I'm working for a small company that's not making much profit but I know that I am woefully underpaid for the role I'm doing. I can work very flexibly but it doesn't really offset the fact that my pay versus the benchmark (looked up on glass door) is about 60%.

It sounds like your company is not going to keep up with salary levels on Glassdoor I'm afraid. When you consider there are global multi-nationals on there, they will skew the averages significantly.

I think you may need to look elsewhere if you find it a struggle to manage on the salary level they've given and are only a small low profit organisation.

Have you asked your boss if they can review your salary based on reasonable benchmarking for SMEs?

1. Tell your line manager that you don't think you're being paid enough, so you're looking at job -ads. Not aggressively- just matter-of-fact

That might be enough.

1. If not, look at equivalent jobs with better remuneration packages and start going on interviews.

That might make them raise your pay.

1. Get offered another, better paid job and say you'll leave if they don't match the offer.

1. Leave or stay

This "Have you asked your boss if they can review your salary based on reasonable benchmarking for SMEs?" sounds like it's something I could ask. We're in a scale up that I believe in and so just saying I'd jump ship for salary only doesn't seem like something I would legitimately do. Finding similar jobs in my region not at global companies sounds like a better idea though, at least the difference will not look that stark. It's not as if I think anybody is being paid the going rate for their skills :(

But you can say that. I did at a job I was in... I just said something like -"I really don't want to leave but inevitably I will have to if the gap between what I'm paid here and what I could be paid gets too wide." They were mindful of that and raised my pay almost immediately. In the nicest possible way, all businesses will pay the lowest they can. You need to make them feel a tiny bit anxious about losing you

It's sad and annoying but often in an SME the only way to get a good pay rise is to move companies. If you are offered a role, make sure you start at a salary you're happy with, as often once you're in a job without promotion salaries don't rise by much. I've only ever been offered a big pay rise by handing in my notice but in the end decided to leave the company anyway as the new opportunity was much better.

Thanks. Working out I'm being paid 56% of the going rate for big businesses is sobering... The price we pay for flexibility?

MrsJ thats a big difference, but think about whether you have any job enhancements in your company that make it attractive. Things like proximity to home, WL balance, positive environment etc etc.

If you have a low salary and none of the added benefits, then yes it's probably time for a move. I tend to put a quantifiable £value to any enhancements to give a "Total Salary" and it may be better than you think.

But don't short change yourself, if there's an opportunity out there worth moving for.