WFH, a pay rise and flexible hours: How to ask for more
Pay rises, flexible hours, maybe even a four-day week. Could your boss be offering you more?
Everyone is feeling the squeeze just now. Inflation numbers out last week show that prices are rising at their fastest rate in 30 years.
And wages are rising too for a lot of people – but not by enough.
The latest numbers from the Office for National Statistics shows that regular wages rose by 3.6% between October and December last year.
Unfortunately, when you factor in how fast prices are rising, regular pay actually fell by 0.8%!
So that’s the bad news. The good news is that workers are in a really strong position just now because there are record numbers of job vacancies.
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That means that workers like you are in short supply, so your boss may be really incentivised to keep you happy and stop you leaving for a different employer.
And that can sometimes be used to your advantage. Here’s what you might be able to wangle out of your boss.
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A pay rise
You have lots of good reasons to ask for a pay rise just now, including that inflation is now at 5.4%. What’s more, the Bank of England expect it to rise to closer to 7% in April, meaning your salary is worth less and less.
Then of course there’s the other hikes coming down the track: energy bills are set to rise by far more than inflation, with a 50% jump in April. And National Insurance payments will rise in April too, taking another chunk out of your pay packet.
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Ideally, you’d want a pay rise that means you’re not hit too badly by all that. Unfortunately, those same pricing pressures are hitting employers too so they might simply not have the cash to offer you a bump.
So it’s worth asking but if it’s not possible then what about a different sort of perk?
Flexible hours
If your boss can’t bump your pay then maybe they could improve your working conditions by letting you work more flexibly.
You could even explain to them the ways that it might save you cash, for example by catching a cheaper train or avoiding the need for pricey after-school clubs if you’re a parent.
Four-day week
Okay, this might be a slightly tougher sell! But there is a growing campaign for employers to consider switching to a four-day week but to keep paying them the same amount as they used to for five.
And there’s evidence from experiments across the world that many workplaces still get the same amount of work done.
Tell your boss to take a look at the 4 Day Week Global campaign, which makes the case for why it’s good for companies as well as staff.
Working from home
Not everyone can work from home, obviously, but if you’re an office worker who managed it during the pandemic then now is the time to push for more.
If your boss is asking you to come back to the office full time then you could point to how much money you could save by scrapping the commute two days a week, potentially saving on childcare costs, freeing up spare time for hobbies and generally enjoying a better work/life balance.
Bigger pension payments
One cheaper way for your boss to give you a pay rise is by increasing your pension payments because that reduces the employers’ National Insurance contributions they have to pay.
So it’s a cheaper way for them to give you some extra money. Of course, that isn’t money in your pocket and they may want you to match it with extra contributions of your own, which could actually reduce the amount of money you have for your daily spending.
But if your boss agrees and if you can manage it, this is a way to get more money out of your boss now in a way that makes it less likely you’ll struggle in old age.
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Okay, fine, HOW?
This is all potentially easier said than done. Not every boss will be open to these conversations so you might end up looking for a new employer who is.
But if you’re ready to open negotiations then here are some tips for how to ask.
Make an appointment
These are not conversations to have in a hurry while the kettle boils, this is something to schedule for a meeting. Having a concrete date and time will also allow you to prepare your requests properly rather than doing it on the hoof.
Know what you want
Be really clear about what it is you’re asking for and what your fallback position might be. If you ask for a pay rise and they say no, would you also be happy compromising with flexible hours? Understand what you want, don’t wait and hope they offer something.
Don’t scream and shout
It is hard to talk about money and it’s easy to become defensive and even agitated if you’re faced with a flat ‘no’. But you don’t want to this to become something that leaves a bad taste in your boss’ mouth and risks affecting your future prospects there.
Be calm, be pleasant and don’t threaten to leave unless you genuinely have another job that you want to go to.
Talk about why you love what you do
If you like your employer and you are proud of what you do then share that as part of this conversation. Make sure they understand that you’re a motivated, enthusiastic and talented part of their team – not someone who’s looking to jump ship.
Prepare like it’s a job interview
What have you achieved lately? Do you have some hard numbers that show your successes? Sales figures, an impressive report, new responsibilities that you’ve taken on?
Make sure you have prepared some notes on your recent greatest hits, so they know you’re the kind of employee it’s worth fighting to keep.
Good luck!
