by Alex Brown on November 10, 2010
It’s no question that we all could use a higher salary, and I’m sure we all think we’re worth more than what we’re getting paid. But what do you do when the economy isn’t so hot like in recent times? Companies are obviously downsizing, many are in a hiring freeze—is this the right time to ask your manager for a raise? It may not seem like it, but in some situations, it actually might be.
When companies aren’t hiring and instead laying off the expendables, that can only mean one thing: more responsibility for you. Just take a look at the work you’ve done over the past few years; have you been taking on more duties, assigned to more projects, asked to work later? If so, then these are all excellent reasons to bring up when asking for that raise. Be sure to jot it down and make note that some of these are responsibilities assigned to seniors in your workplace. Emphasize your value and how you have become an increasingly important asset to the company.
In addition to your increased responsibilities, you also need to do your own research of comparable salaries in your profession and regional area. Make sure you have a realistic range when asking for an increase—the last thing you want is to look like a doofus and ask for something unreasonable. There are a number of internet sites out there that will help you with this—in addition to the normal job search sites such as monster.com and careerbuilder.com—among them: payscale.com, salary.com, and glassdoor.com.
Other things to keep in mind when you are contemplating asking for a raise: make sure your boss is in a good mood—if he or she has had a rough couple of days, wait till next week; be cognizant of how your company is doing financially—if they’re hurting, you might want to wait a little bit; and be prepared to mention some other ways of compensation if your boss doesn’t feel like a raise is warranted—maybe ask for an extra vacation day, or flexible hours such as leaving early on Friday’s or coming in later on Monday’s.
Now reality’s reality, asking for a raise now may not yield as high as you would like—and it may be nothing at all—but it’s worth a shot if you feel you’ve got an argument for your case. Even if you get a little increase, it’s still better than what you were getting before. And if you do get that increase, we’ll all be relying on you to help stimulate this economy!
Alex Brown
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by Alex Brown on October 19, 2010
Getting a Gold Star!
Great Job! Thanks! Excellent! Don’t hear those words enough at work, huh!? Well, you’re not alone. Too many work environments neglect recognizing their employees. Recognition—which can be simple—goes a long way for associates psyche. With companies hiring less people, those lucky ones with jobs are working longer hours, so recognizing their efforts can have a tremendous impact. Positive reinforcement creates a more fun, happy and satisfying work environment. It can also help lead to a corporate or office culture that will keep associates from wanting to go someplace else. Most importantly, less turnover should lead to happier employees and better job results.
When trying to come up with a good recognition program for your company/office, it’s important to take into account your employees, office culture, and desired outcome from the program.
Potential Desired Outcomes:
- Fun (working together is better than working alone)
- Motivation (to be recognized and work as hard as others)
- Unity (creating a synergy brining everyone together)
- Chemistry (positivity creates a closer bond)
- Commitment (for each other and for company goals)
Now how do you get the outcomes for the recognition you desire? There are three forms of recognition: verbal, tangible and written. Recognition can be between colleague to colleague and/or from managers/leadership to employees as well. Each has its own advantages/disadvantages. Do what makes most sense for your situation. Recognition programs can run for a week, a month, quarter or yearly. Having a program in place if there isn’t one already is a good move for all work places. Here are a few examples of programs to help the brain storming process:
Management to Employee:
Spotlight Cards: Managers give cards where they write down something they observed and what they liked about it, and then get one or two other management members to sign the card and present it to the employee. (Written)
Quarterly Emails: Managers send quarterly emails recognizing accomplishments for that quarter along with a sentence or two of significant accomplishment for some employees. (Electronic)
Employee to Employee:
Certificate/Award: “Pat on the Back” Award. Employee can give this award by simply writing in a person’s name who they feel has done an outstanding job and give it to them. (Tangible)
“Pay it Forward” Plaque: A plaque is given from employee to employee for exemplary work. So you get honored twice—once in receiving the award and also in selecting the next recipient. (Tangible)
Monthly Email: Allow employees to recognize each other through a monthly email. Ask employees to write a short statement about an accomplishment or effort they witnessed from a fellow coworker. (Electronic)
An apple a day keeps the doctor away…well a gold star a day or once in a while can keep your employees happier and more productive. So give it a go!
Alex Brown
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