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Original poster

Do you ask for Pay rises In work?

19 replies

BlueGrey1 · 14/11/2023 12:16

I’m in a professional role, haven’t been given a pay rise in 3 years

Asking for people’s opinion, do you ask for pay rises or do you wait to be given one?

I feel that a valued employee should be given a pay rise and shouldn’t have to ask, I also think that employers are banking on the fact that a lot of women compared to men do not ask for pay rises but maybe I’m wrong on that?

I hate having to ask, I feel like it’s akin to asking people to give you presents for your Birthday / Christmas etc

This has kind of made me resent my employers a bit even though I enjoy other aspects of working in the company.

What are your thoughts would you resent your employers for not giving you a pay rise or do you feel comfortable asking for one?

Have you gone many years without getting one?

OP posts:

user628468523532453 · 14/11/2023 12:26

If you don't ask because you're effectively sulking that they didn't offer first, you're just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

You should have asked.

Original poster

BlueGrey1 · 14/11/2023 12:46

I’m not sulking at all, it’s not something I do, I think in a professional role that takes years of study people should be given yearly pay rises without having to ask.

As I said before I think employers are banking on the fact that a lot of women don’t ask for pay rises compared to men and therefore they get out of giving them.

Once you are in a position where you have to ask sometimes negative feelings towards the company have already set in.

Just asking for opinions

OP posts:

HappyHolidai · 14/11/2023 12:53

There is an annual pay review where I work - but I absolutely wouldn't go 3 years with no pay rise and not even mention it!!

Whyever wouldn't you? Yes, your employer is mean in not doing this, but you are just allowing them to walk all over you.

CyberCritical · 14/11/2023 12:53

Yes I ask and yes I get them. I didn't used to and then my boss got a new job elsewhere and on leaving had an off record conversation where he let me know I was being paid £30k less than my male counterpart because I hadn't negotiated my salary going into the role and hadn't asked for yearly pay increases. He said had I asked I would have been given them.

Now I do a yearly review of similar roles/industries/pay scales and tell my manager what pay rise I'm expecting. I negotiated a 10% increase this year.

megletthesecond · 14/11/2023 12:57

Never. We all earn the same on our admin team. We do get annual payrises across the board.

Onceuponaheatache · 14/11/2023 13:01

I have previously as i was the lowest paid on our team and yet had the most responsibilities. I.e. expected to make decisions above my managers level but paid at least 1/3 less than the rest of the team. They refused so I left and were surprised when I told then why.

In other roles it was contracted to annual review so it naturally came up, some years I was able to negotiate higher rises and others just the statutory.

Don't ask you won't get seems to play a big role these days.

Aprilx · 14/11/2023 13:06

I have always worked in Financial Services in a professional capacity. There have been times over the last 30 years when the organisations I have worked for have not given anybody payrises. But there has always been a pay review meeting to discuss this. I have never had to bring the subject up myself.

Original poster

BlueGrey1 · 14/11/2023 13:13

Just to add, we also don’t get yearly reviews, haven’t had a review since I started in the company,
I think they don’t organise reviews as they know there is a possibility people will ask for pay rises so they leave it up to the employees to asks for reviews as well.

Does anyone else find that their employers do this?

OP posts:

C1N1C · 14/11/2023 13:41

This might come off as sexist, but I've noticed this is more common in women... Men 'tend' to be more brazen and pushy- a great example is dating where it is men who 95% of the time make the first move. As such, men often get raises and promotions over women simply because they ask for them.

Shyness, complacency, etc, get you nowhere. I've been trying to instill this in my wife who FAR surpasses her male colleagues, but is often passed up for promotion. Again, simply because they've asked for it, and asked for higher starting salaries etc.

Sexist workplace... or not capitalising? I wish it were different, as I know many useless men in high up positions where I'd much prefer their more competent female counterparts.

idontlikealdi · 14/11/2023 14:09

@C1N1C it is real, and in negotiation at start of employment. Men are more likely to ask.

Op are you paid market rate? The best way to increase salary is to move every few years. If your current company values you they will counter offer.

defnotadomesticgoddess · 14/11/2023 14:21

Yes I’ve asked for pay rises and got them. I tend to approach it from an angle of what I’m worth to them, all the extra responsibilities I’ve taken on since the last pay rise. Point out where I’ve saved them money (I work in finance). If they were recruiting someone else to do my role they would be paying them x. ( I didn’t ask for a pay rise during covid as we had a lot of redundancies, and I waited until everything was back on track with the company finances). Good luck with it.

ReadyForPumpkins · 14/11/2023 14:28

I get an annual pay review. I don't feel comfortable bringing up pay rises myself.

ReadyForPumpkins · 14/11/2023 14:30

I agree with @C1N1C. Not sure if your wife is able to act on your advice. I just can't make myself to do it. It felt so wrong and so against my nature. It's a life time of social conditioning I'm sure.

Jellycatspyjamas · 14/11/2023 14:45

I hate having to ask, I feel like it’s akin to asking people to give you presents for your Birthday / Christmas etc

It’s really not though, you exchange your labour for a fee it’s not a personal relationship or exchange when you’re employed. If your work increases, or the fee they pay you becomes less attractive over time it’s reasonable to renegotiate. I work in an area with a pay scale and annual increment but I’ve always negotiated my way up the scale on starting a new job based on what I bring to the role - it makes sense to do so.

After 3 years I’d have no hesitation in asking for a raise, your salary will be worth much less now than when you started, check industry rates and ask for what your worth. A rule of thumb, if you’re not a bit embarrassed by what you’re asking for you aren’t asking for enough. Doesn’t mean you’ll get what you ask for but it’s a good starting point to negotiate from.

LBOCS2 · 14/11/2023 14:48

Ultimately it benefits the company to pay you less. We'd all like to think that we're valuable to our employers and maybe we are, but unless you ask them to demonstrate your value to them, they're (in a lot of cases) not going to offer it.

I have asked for and received pay rises and/or increased starting salaries many times in my working life. Sometimes I don't get what I asked for but there is always some movement.

The information you need to go in armed with is:

What is the market rate for your role? If you left and they had to recruit, how much would they be paying them?
What value added do you bring? Are you doing anything over and above your original job spec?
Has the value of what you bring to the company increased? If you've negotiated (for example) RPI increases in fees, why isn't that extra income reflected in your salary with an inflationary uplift?

Honestly, the worst they can do is say no and then you're in a position where you can consider your options. Women are terrible at this - we're conditioned to be grateful, to put up and shut up. You need to put your social conditioning aside and ask.

TheFlis · 14/11/2023 19:11

You also need to remember that given current inflation, got salary is now worth considerably less than it was 3 years ago. I bet the company has increased their charges in the last 3 years to allow for that.

oldestmumaintheworld · 14/11/2023 19:23

I've always asked for pay rises. Why wouldn't I? I know my worth to the organisation and so do they. It's important to calculate what the organisation can afford, what the rate of inflation is and how much I earn for them. Then ask for 10% more to negotiate down from. It's business not personal.

DaftyLass · 15/11/2023 05:04

I used to work in places that had structured pay raises based off annual performance reviews. Small increases, used a formula, all pay was openly discussed.
Where I work now is different , I negotiate my pay as my role changes and I take in new projects and responsibilities.

MermaidMummy06 · 15/11/2023 05:45

My DH's bosses give pay rises at the annual review. But, they are a paltry % based rise (accountants, lol) based on length of service rather than performance.

A few years ago DH went in armed with data & job ads to show they were seriously underpaying him. They tried to poke holes in his data but did come back with what he asked for, knowing since he was aware what he could earn elsewhere, they had no choice. It was nerve racking though.

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