Many women wait for someone to notice their effort and reward it. That rarely happens on its own. A raise is a conversation you prepare for, not a favour you ask for once you have gathered the courage.
When is a good moment
- after successfully finishing a project or hitting a goal
- when you have taken on responsibilities that were not in your job description
- a few weeks before budget planning for next year, not after
- when the company is doing well
A bad moment is in the middle of a crisis, during layoffs or right after the team has failed at something.
Preparation: numbers, not feelings
List everything you achieved in the last year. Wherever you can, express it in numbers: how much time you saved, which clients you brought in, how much sales grew or errors dropped. Add the new tasks you handle and the skills you have gained.
Then research the market. Ask people in similar roles, look at job ads that list salaries and read salary reports for your industry. Settle on a specific figure and round it up slightly, because the conversation often ends below the first number.
The conversation
- Book a dedicated meeting. Do not raise it in the corridor or at the end of another meeting.
- Start with your contribution. Rent and loans are real, but they are not an argument for your employer.
- Say the number. “Based on all of this, I am asking for a salary increase to X.” Then pause and let the silence work for you.
- Do not apologise. Phrases like “I know this might be awkward” shrink your request before it lands.
If they say no
No does not always mean never. Ask what exactly you need to do for a raise to become possible, and by when. Ask for the agreement in writing and schedule a follow-up in three to six months. If money is not an option right now, ask about alternatives: extra days off, remote work, training or a new title.
And if nothing moves after the agreed deadline, that tells you a lot about how much the company really values you.
Your worth does not depend on their answer. But your salary depends on whether you ask.