If you don’t ask, you don’t get. And it seems that women tend not to ask for pay rises compared to men.
According to the latest survey of 2085 people conducted by comparison site, Finder.com.au, women are less likely to put their hands up – with less than one in five (18.5 per cent) asking for a pay rise compared with nearly one in three men (32.2 per cent).
This is because women are reluctant to bring up the delicate topic of money based on fears that their requests will be turned down. Yet the survey has found that women are actually more likely than men to get a pay rise if they ask for it. Of those who asked for a salary rise, 62 per cent of women got all or part of the pay rise they requested compared to 56 per cent of men.
Perhaps, women tend to wait until they have a rock-solid case before they broach their bosses for a pay rise, while men just jump in and give it a go. Wages in Australia have remained low with pay rising just 2.1 per cent last year, marginally ahead of inflation at 1.9 per cent. Yet the cost of living expenses such as housing, electricity and childcare have been skyrocketing.
For a majority of the workforce, wages are purely something the individual negotiated for themselves. Perhaps, the prevailing mood of job insecurity has influenced many workers not to ask for a salary rise. Yet, nearly 60 per cent of people who recently asked for a wage increase got one, the survey found.
Now is the time for all workers to bite the bullet and ask the boss for a salary increase. Even the Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe has urged workers to do so.
Here are five tips how to get your boss to pay you more.
* Know what you are worth
This will help you decide how much of a raise to ask
* Practice your pitch
Rehearse what you are going to say to your boss so that you appear confident
* Present yourself well
Start by saying how much you are enjoying your job and what extra work you
have taken on, talk about your achievements and why you deserve a rise.
*Timing is everything
If your firm is over budget or just lost a major contract, the timing may not be
right to ask for a pay rise. Delay until the business has improved.
* Make an appointment
Avoid Mondays when there are lots to do at the start of the week. Avoid
Fridays because the boss may have the weekend in mind.