Getting the Raise You Deserve

 "However, doing a good job is no longer enough in many organizations. The strategies in this article are designed to prepare you better, reduce your anxiety, and help you achieve your raise and salary goals."

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

There will come a point in your tenure with an employer when you realize that you deserve a raise. As with most salary negotiations, asking for a raise is often uncomfortable at the very least and intimidating at the very most. But getting the raise you deserve should not be such an anxiety-creating event, especially if you follow the strategies outlined in this article. In fact, to better help all workers, this article describes both short-term and long-term tips to ensuring that raise negotiations are professional -- and minimally stressful.
Before we get to the tips, one element is critical to your success: timing. Timing refers to the company's policies and procedures in terms of the amount of time between reviews and raises -- and when it's "acceptable" to ask for a raise. And timing refers to the company's current financial situation as well as the general economic climate. And, finally, timing refers to where you are in terms of your work and major projects. Obviously, it makes sense to ask for a raise:

• within the normal parameters of company policy;
• when the company is in sound financial standing, and
• when you have just had a major success.

One other thing to remember. Generally speaking, if you are doing your job well, then your boss expects you to ask for a raise -- and ideally is prepared to offer you one. However, doing a good job is no longer enough in many organizations. The strategies in this article are designed to prepare you better, reduce your anxiety, and help you achieve your raise and salary goals.
Short-Term Strategies for Getting that Raise
The following strategies are things you can do now if you have an upcoming review and/or want a raise sooner rather than later.
1. Develop a plan. The most important thing you can do is develop a plan for your raise meeting. Schedule an appointment rather than just walking in and asking for a raise. Have a strategy -- even develop a script you want to follow.
2. Know what you're worth. Examine all aspects of your job and then do a little research to determine your value - both inside and outside the company. Talk to someone in the human resources department and see if you can get pay scales for jobs that are similar to yours. Use a salary calculator or other salary sources and determine the salary range in your geographic area. See our Salary Resources section.
3. Be realistic. Even if you are a superstar, and even if you were hired at the very lowest starting salary, most employers will not give you a raise that pushes you to the top of the salary range in one shot. (And they'll never pay you a salary outside the range.) Most employers look at raises in terms of percentage increases.
4. Focus on what you deserve rather than what you need. Your employer doesn't care if you can't make ends meet because you just bought a new house or a new car -- that's a personal responsibility issue. Focus on why you deserve a raise -- how you've added value to the department and the organization -- rather than any personal needs for a raise.
5. Track contributions and accomplishments. Think of the raise meeting as a job interview. To get the raise you deserve, you need to demonstrate all the positive contributions you have made to the organization - not only for your boss (who should know but doesn't always), but also for whoever is the final decision-maker in deciding the size of your raise. Bring support material -- such as a spreadsheet with your accomplishments -- with you to the meeting. Consider using something like this accomplishments worksheet.
6. Demonstrate commitment to department and organization. Show how you have taken on new projects and assignments, acquired new skills, furthered your education or training, and added new certifications or degrees. Demonstrate how you add value to the department and the organization.
7. Be flexible and open to other options. Never go into a raise meeting with an ultimatum -- unless you're prepared to deal with the consequences -- and be prepared to compromise about the size of the raise. And if money is tight, consider other options/perks that you may able to negotiate for in the short-term to compensate for the lack of the raise. See sidebar (above) for some ideas. See also, Clever Ways to Get a Raise: Perks you Might Not Have Thought About.
8. Focus on the future. While you want to focus on your many accomplishments and contributions to date, you also want to show how you plan to continue contributing to helping your boss, your department, and your organization.
9. Understand the employer's position. There are many other factors besides worth that go into raises, so be sure you understand department and company politics. It's also a good idea to have an understanding of how your boss feels about raises and your standing within the department.
10. Have a strategy, but let boss take the lead. Just as with salary negotiations, you never want to state an actual amount that you want. Instead, let your boss make the first raise offer. Once an offer has been made, take a moment to consider it before you react to it. Review all negotiation strategies in our Salary and Job Offer Negotiation Tutorial.
11. Write a follow-up memo after the meeting. Once the meeting is over, write a follow-up memo summarizing the meeting, demonstrating your value, and highlighting your accomplishments -- and send the memo to your boss as documentation. If you get tongue-tied in these types of meetings, you might want to prepare the memo before the meeting and use it as a basis of negotiation in the meeting.
Long-Term Strategies for Getting that Raise
So, if you are not in a position currently to get the raise you want, what are some things you can do to prepare for a raise meeting down the road? The following strategies are things you can start doing now to build your negotiating power for that future raise.
1. Set the stage for a future review. If your boss tells you it's not a good time for a raise meeting or if you don't get everything you wanted in your last meeting, now is the time to set the stage for a future meeting. Ask your boss for suggestions on how you can improve and how you can make more contributions to the department and company so that you can get to where you want to be.
2. Raise your profile within the department/organization. We're raised as children to work hard and be modest, but you cannot assume that anyone outside yourself really knows all that you do for the organization. Begin building your brand -- your reputation -- within and beyond your department.
3. Find a mentor in the senior management of the company. Having a person higher up in the organization to mentor you is valuable for a number of reasons, but it's certainly helpful in terms of getting the raise you desire. To find a mentor, identify someone higher in the organization you admire, and test the waters by asking advice. If there seems to be rapport, begin to slowly build a mutual relationship.
4. Do a more thorough job of tracking accomplishments/achievements. If you are having trouble remembering all your accomplishments and contributions, now is the time to begin keeping a diary of all your successes. Keeping such good track will not only help you for your next raise meeting, but will have you better prepared for the job-search if the need or interest arises. Read our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
Final Thoughts
In many situations, getting the raise you deserve will indeed take a lot of planning and strategy on your part. From reading this article, you should now see that raise meetings often combine elements of job interviewing (tracking contributions and accomplishments) and salary/job offer negotiation. Take the time to be prepared -- and you'll have better success than if you don't. For a quick review of the strategies discussed in this article, read our Do's and Don'ts of Requesting a Raise. Finally, be sure and avail yourself of all the wonderful tools we have in the Salary Negotiation Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Other Possible Perks Besides a Salary Increase
Design your own incentive program. One-time bonuses are easier on companies, so consider developing a system for your boss where you challenge and push yourself with the commitment from the company to reward you for achieving various ambitious goals.

1. Consider non-cash perks, such as a compressed work week, flextime, telecommuting days, a reserved parking space, better workspace, or more vacation time.
2. Ask for career development perks, such as new work assignments, cross training, more education benefits, more professional development or conference travel money.
3. Request a change in career track or job title to better position yourself for promotions and raises in the future.

How to Stay Awake When You Need To

by: Laura Silva

"Awake Control is achieved by entering the Alpha brainwave state and using the five steps technique. The first step is acknowledging the situation by telling yourself...."

Have you ever wondered how to stay awake when you’re driving long distances, or you need to sit through a long lecture or presentation and absorb a great deal of information – but all you want to do is put your head the desk and take a nap? You know how it feels – one minute you’re wide awake and alert, and the next thing you know, you’re doing everything you can to keep your eyes open.

There is a method to staying awake anytime you need to, and it works! But first, it’s important to know the phases of sleep, why it’s sometimes easy to wake up in the morning and sometimes it feels impossible, and why certain activities actually put you to sleep no matter how awake and alert you felt when you started.

The Phases of Sleep

There are approximately four sleep phases during the night. Each one lasts about 90 minutes and takes you through the alpha, theta and delta brainwave patterns. Alpha is light sleep with active dreaming, Theta is deeper sleep, and Delta is very deep sleep. When you first go to bed at night, you spend much of the first sleep cycle in Delta (dreamless, heavy sleep). The remaining phases become progressively lighter and there is more brain activity (rapid eye movement, or REM sleep usually occurs near the end of each cycle, and is more prevalent as the night progresses). Each part of the sleep phase has distinct physiological functions. If we are awakened during the middle of a cycle, the cycle is interrupted and we experience a strong desire to go back to sleep. This is why, when we awaken in the morning, we feel refreshed and ready to wake up only if we’re finished with the current cycle!
The Silva Method teaches a wonderful technique called The Clock Exercise to wake up without alarms, and it’s a wonderful technique worth learning. It’s phase one of developing full control over your daily energy levels!

 Staying Awake When You Are Sleepy

But why is it so hard to stay awake during the day, sometimes? Why do we fall asleep during lectures and meetings? Why is it so hard to stay alert on long road trips? Developing the ability to keep yourself awake is very valuable; and you should know that it’s not “you” – it’s a normal and expected response to lack of stimulation. Falling asleep when we need to be awake isn’t because we’re necessarily bored; the subject matter may be fascinating, but it’s the presentation, and the environment, that triggers the urge to sleep. It’s the monotony that does us in!

The brain’s Reticular Activating System is the part of the brain that controls alertness and attention. When stimuli are few, the RAS signals the body to shut down; so a boring lecture, the monotony of highway driving, or any “mindless” repetitive tasks actually cause a physiological response of a strong desire to sleep. Isn’t it nice to know that you’re not alone and this is perfectly normal? Now you are aware of the power of the RAS to put you to sleep when there is a lack of stimulation. Of course every minute of the day can’t be filled with things that are stimulating, and you will experience the inevitable “down times” when the urge to sleep is irresistible. So how do you override the RAS?

How to Stay Awake When You Need To

The Silva Method teaches the Awake Control Exercise to remain awake longer – anytime! You can use the exercise when you become drowsy when driving or find yourself lulled to sleep by a repetitious task or when you need to be up late or even all night to study or finish an important project. Or, when the drone of a professor’s or presenter’s voice makes even fascinating subjects fade into the background as your eyelids start to droop. Just like the Clock Exercise, Awake Control is a form of mental training and another step toward mastery of the mind. Awake Control re-energizes you quickly and effectively for several hours.

Stay awake and get it all done!

Awake Control is achieved by entering the Alpha brainwave state and using the five steps technique. The first step is acknowledging the situation by telling yourself, “I am drowsy and sleepy.” You then set a goal, “I don’t want to be drowsy and sleepy; I want to be wide awake feeling fine and in perfect health.” You then program yourself by commanding yourself to become fully awake and alert as you count slowly from one to five – this is how you intend to solve the goal. Then, you take the action necessary to achieve the goal by slowly counting from one to five. At the conclusion of the countdown, you reinforce the command by saying, “I am wide awake, feeling fine and perfectly healthy, feeling better than before.” The last step in the five steps technique is to claim your reward – in this case, a state of alertness! You can also incorporate imagery to reinforce the command (by picturing yourself wide awake, alert and ready for action in any setting you’re having difficulty staying awake). This exercise teaches you to very effectively program your mind to work for you in achieving all of your goals!


Between the Clock Exercise, the Awake Control Exercise and the sleep-inducing Sleep Control Exercise, you have the tools to manage your sleep/wake rhythms for optimal energy, relaxation, attention, alertness and even healing, since the body does most of its repair/regeneration work during sleep. Give yourself the gift of a new superpower: the ability to sleep when you need to, and to stay awake when you need to. Imagine the possibilities – high energy when you want it, and peaceful sleep to recharge your batteries!

Learn more about how your mind works. Sign up and download a free Silva Method Starter Kit

The 7 Signs of BAD Training

 "The best advice for overcoming boring training presentations is to know your topic inside and out; create visual aids and handouts that are colorful, informative, and lively..."

by Theo Gilbert-Jamison
View Blog

Most people don’t look forward to attending training classes. Why? Because they are often facilitated by boring trainers. What many trainers fail to realize is that facilitating an interesting training session that is also memorable and lively takes lots of planning, practice, and preparation.

Whether you are facilitating a workshop for a large group or one person, you know your training session is lackluster when participants:

1. Uncontrollably yawn throughout your entire presentation. No matter how much they try, they have a hard time staying awake and energized during your presentation.

2. Keep looking at their watch. To them it seems like time is standing still, and no matter how much they try to keep track of time, your presentation feels to them like an eternity.

3. Start sidebar conversations during your presentation. Your topic is so uninteresting that they don’t hesitate to start a mini-conversation with the person sitting next to them, maybe even adding a joke or two about you.

4. Read through the entire training manual before you are finished. You belabor one point to the extent that they go ahead and just read the rest of the manual. While you are still focused on page 3, they have read all the way to page 15 just to make the time go by quicker.

5. Go to the bathroom and never come back. Once they get out of the training room, they feel a sigh of relief and feel sick at the thought of having to go back in and continue listening to you talk.

6. Doodle on your training materials. They feel that drawing is a way of escaping from your annoying, monotone voice and endless series of confusing information.

7. Have a blank stare, especially when you ask them a question. They have been daydreaming of being on some topical island throughout most of your presentation, and have no idea that you have called on them to answer a question.

The best advice for overcoming boring training presentations is to know your topic inside and out; create visual aids and handouts that are colorful, informative, and lively; animate your tone of voice so it is interesting and not monotone; don’t just stand in one section of the room, but walk around; add humor; and most of all get the audience involved by asking open-ended questions.

The Hidden Cost of an Untrained Workforce

   "Nothing ventured nothing gained is a timeless truism. Education takes investment, not just in dollars, but also in time, effort and planning..."

Jim Fitch, Noria Corporation 
Tags: industrial lubricants
 
Modern organizations call it raising the corporate IQ. Most of us have seen statistics on the lifetime financial returns of a college education. When it comes to education, a penny saved is not a penny earned, but rather green dollars forfeited - hundreds of them, all for the quest of a penny.

When it comes to lubrication and oil analysis, the unskilled and untrained workforce is deceivingly costly. These are the costs that go undiagnosed and unrecognized. What’s below the water’s surface and out of management’s view often has iceberg-like proportions. 
So why does an organization look to the maintenance payroll to make cuts in the name of survival and prosperity? For one, it’s conspicuous, like the iceberg’s tip. It is also indirect labor that is perceived as easier to sacrifice. Managers often take a Parkinson’s Law view of indirect labor, “the manpower it takes to do a job is directly proportional to the manpower available to do the job.”

We all know people who delay many projects until the last minute and then work feverishly to finish them. We also know those who start a project early enough but then subconsciously consume all the available time to complete it. 

So how does all of this relate to education? Many plants and mills across the country have gone through several cycles of downsizing. They have cut indirect labor to the bone. Parkinson’s Law no longer applies. In some cases these cuts were too deep and took their toll on morale and productivity. Instead of feeding the stars (value-generating programs like oil analysis) they starved them or terminated them entirely. The consequences of such desperate measures are usually a return to the past_increased repair cost and production losses to name a few.
 
But how does education tie in? Well, education enables management to have its cake and eat it too. It permits both cost cuts and productivity gains without the collateral damage. With labor already cut to the bone, education gives workers the figure-it-out skills to eliminate work orders proactively. Before a single man-hour is eliminated from the payroll in the name of “lean and mean,” the demand for that man-hour must be eliminated.
 
An educated workforce is an empowered workforce. Employees who are treated like company stakeholders know that waste and inefficiencies put their jobs at risk. Most of us have heard the terms precision maintenance and proactive maintenance. These are not merely abstract textbook concepts. Instead, for many organizations, especially those in mission-critical space, they are strategic imperatives. Realization occurs when human capital is transformed into intellectual capital. One company characterizes it as not just low-hanging fruit but rather gold bricks, on the ground, camouflaged from view. We need to pick up those bricks!

Nothing ventured nothing gained is a timeless truism. Education takes investment, not just in dollars, but also in time, effort and planning. So does formalized skill standards and certification. In some cases it might also take reinventing the maintenance persona. Many companies have replaced the word maintenance with reliability to punctuate a change from the practices of the past.

Management needs education too; otherwise they also won’t see the gold bricks on the ground. Very often, decision-makers who fail to embrace change and recognize potential, squash powerful new ideas. Indeed, it’s scary to invest in things we don’t understand. It’s time to understand! It’s time to start building charged-up teams of knowledge workers. Our jobs depend on it.

Jim Fitch