Help me ask for a raise

[pattimomma]

I have read a lot of online articles about how to ask for a raise and they all seem to fall short. I work for a small non-profit, only 14 employees. I know some about our budgets (federal projects). I also know what the salaries are of a lot of the people where I work so I am pretty sure that my employer can afford to give me a raise. When I was hired I was given a fair salary for my level of education and experience. Since then I now have almost 3 years experience under my belt and I completed my MS degree. I also have authored two published abstracts and am currently working on a paper for publication. There are no complaints about my work. I meet every deadline and I must do a good job because there are hardly ever any edits (technical reporting). Things tend to get accepted just the way I send them. Anyway my current salary is about $15,000 less than the average starting salary for someone with my education and no experience. I could just look for another job. The growth in my field is very good but I would like to stay at my current employer. We have no yearly reviews or anything formal like that. I did ask one girl who has been there for over 15 years about the best way to go about asking and she said that almost anyone who asks for a raise gets fired. I think it may just be a matter of them not realizing what the going rate is for someone with my qualifications. I also don't want to start feeling taken advantage of. I have wonderful flex time, I can work from home some and have a lot of PTO. Insurance benefits are so-so.

So advice please!

[Vaske]

Flex time, working from home, and PTO are very nice things to have--how much in dollars are they worth to you?

In my experience, starting salary estimates are not that accurate unless you are getting them from real people working locally in that occupation.  Even then, things can vary a lot between employers.  

It sounds like your job responsibilities haven't increased much since you started.  Your employer cares about that more than your increasing qualifications and experience.  So any raise you get might come with increased responsibilities; or, you could offer to take on additional responsibilities for an increase in pay.  But a $15,000 increase all at once sounds unlikely to me.

I also wonder if what you were told about "people who ask for raises almost always get fired" is really true or not.  "Trust, but verify," I guess.  Other people there must get raises sometimes--when?  Given present information, I wouldn't ask for a raise without a written job offer from another place in hand (and I would be prepared to take that job, if the raise negotiations didn't work out).

[Kaydove]

Great advice, I agree with everything pp said. Also, I've read that if a company doesn't have a review system, ask to have one with your manager and if manager's review of you is positive, take that time to ask for more responsibilities and mention a raise if taking on said responsibilities results in another good review in 3 months.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[grisandole]

I agree with the op. Not sure if the work from home/flex time/generous PTO are typical perks in your field. If they are, and your responsibilities have increased, then making a request for a modest increase in salary makes sense. Personally, flex time/work from home would be the equivalent of any kind of raise. Sometimes nonprofits do that because they can't afford a competitive salary, so they are generous where they can be.

If you feel taken advantage of, that's a different story!
 

[pattimomma]

Originally Posted by Vaske 

Flex time, working from home, and PTO are very nice things to have--how much in dollars are they worth to you?

In my experience, starting salary estimates are not that accurate unless you are getting them from real people working locally in that occupation.  Even then, things can vary a lot between employers.  

I have a lot of friends in the field so I am very sure about what to expect in which sector. Oil and Gas vs state and federal government vs consulting vs research.

It sounds like your job responsibilities haven't increased much since you started.  Your employer cares about that more than your increasing qualifications and experience.  So any raise you get might come with increased responsibilities; or, you could offer to take on additional responsibilities for an increase in pay.  But a $15,000 increase all at once sounds unlikely to me.

There really isn't a way to increase my job responsibilities. I work on federal projects that have a very specific scope. I report directly to the Dept of Energy even though I have a 'boss' at the non-profit, I do not report to him, at all, ever. He would have no idea what I was talking about anyway. I manage one of the projects completely on my own and co-manage two other projects (I am the lead on one of them and assistant on the other). I have been the lead on one other project that has closed out now.

They hired me knowing that I was in my MS program. I am the only geologist with a graduate degree at my organization. Every project we apply for requires a CV or resume from each person and my degree and accomplishments certainly help my organization get funding.

I also wonder if what you were told about "people who ask for raises almost always get fired" is really true or not.  "Trust, but verify," I guess.  Other people there must get raises sometimes--when?  Given present information, I wouldn't ask for a raise without a written job offer from another place in hand (and I would be prepared to take that job, if the raise negotiations didn't work out). Same girl also told me that she got a nice raise when she competed her BS degree.

Originally Posted by Kaydove 

Great advice, I agree with everything pp said. Also, I've read that if a company doesn't have a review system, ask to have one with your manager and if manager's review of you is positive, take that time to ask for more responsibilities and mention a raise if taking on said responsibilities results in another good review in 3 months.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2 I know one coworker who did ask for a review but they just told her that they didn't think it was necessary. She was trying this approach to go for a raise.

Originally Posted by grisandole 

I agree with the op. Not sure if the work from home/flex time/generous PTO are typical perks in your field. If they are, and your responsibilities have increased, then making a request for a modest increase in salary makes sense. Personally, flex time/work from home would be the equivalent of any kind of raise. Sometimes nonprofits do that because they can't afford a competitive salary, so they are generous where they can be.

Everyone at my office has similar flex time / work from home and PTO. These really vary per employer though.

If you feel taken advantage of, that's a different story!

Yeah, I kind of do so . . . a job search may be in order.
 

[goldfishkate]

Sine your boss at the nonprofit doesn't know what you do, maybe you could start the conversation with "I would like to discuss my job duties and further opportunities." Unfortunately many companies will not grant raises unless they feel it is due so asking for a raise doesn't always go well. I hope it goes well for you.

[LilyKay]

Hi, I managed to score a big raise last year (24% but I was underpaid) after a lot of nagging from my DP and a few friends. I don't know if this is within your budget to buy books but what helped me tremendously is prepping myself psychologically before. I read the book "Women Don't Ask", this was such an eye opener for me (I work in a mainly male-dominated field) and I always assumed I'd get a raise when my boss thought I deserved where as all the guys around me were assuming they deserve the raise and just marching in there and asking for it. 

The book that really helped with the actual asking though is "Bargaining for Advantage" by G. Richard Shell. Excellent book, I can't recommend it highly enough. It really navigates all the aspects of bargaining and negotiating. I studied that book like I used to do for finals and prepared so much before my meeting with the bosses. If it weren't for all the preparation btw I would've given up early on. It took 3 meeting and several emails with them. But I had built my case and I stuck with it: I had gathered all the data beforehand (typical pay, job market in my field, possible compromises and so on). I wrote down all the reservations they might have about giving me a raise and I thought long and hard about I will answer each one (and wrote it down). The book discusses the many different negotiation situations and how to approach each one (it mostly depends on the strength of your position). Then they present plans on how to prepare. Here's a quick summary:

1) write down your problem (who you must negotiate with to achieve what). 

2) Write down your goals: goal, expectation and bottom line. I found this extremely important because it made me think what my bottom line really is and aim for my high expectation.

3) Write down your needs vs. their needs (what's in common, what's conflicting)

4) Leverage, what's your leverage, what's theirs? Who has a better position?

5) Possible proposals? What else other than the raise or in addition to it you can get? My boss at first turned down the number I gave him (my high expectation) but after I pressed on that it is very realistic for someone in my position to get, we finally agreed on a "variable" yearly bonus that should the company be tight on money, they have the right to waiver. 

6) Think about your style of negotiation. My DP wanted me to be direct and forthcoming (works for him but not me). I worry too much and can't pull the tough straight-shooting thing off. So I stuck with my empathetic friendly way, more of a let's-work-on-this-together thing.

Most importantly, put yourself in your boss's shoes and see things from his point of view, then try to convince yourself why you deserve that raise.

Best of luck!