Asking for more money can be a very awkward situation for the employee—and the boss.
Jessica Stillman, an Inc. writer, talked with Matt Wallaert, founder of GetRaised, a Website dedicated to helping women come up with the numbers to back their raise requests. Wallaert found that not only is the site a resource to employees, but to managers as well.
As a boss, here are a few ways to avoid an awkward situation and handle a raise request with care:
Validate. Make it clear that you understand the request and set the ground rules. Make sure they know this is a business discussion and all of the emotions should be kept in check.
Assign some homework. What do you need to know to make this decision? For example: What are the comparable industry salary numbers? Have their responsibilities increased?
They deserve it. If all the numbers lined up, they are in the money, but are you? Will you be able to support their increase in salary?
They don’t. It could be that they actually do not deserve a raise. Help them set up a strategy to making a raise a possibility for the future.
No Money. An acknowledgement of their success will be nice, but it is not proper compensation. Depending on the size of your company you could request more money from your supervisors. If you are in a smaller company where that is not possible you could try non-monetary compensation such as a day off.
Be Proactive? Get in front of the eight ball and let your employees know that their service is valued. Let them know the door is open and you are willing.
Read more at Inc.