Recent ONS figures have revealed wage growth is slowing to its weakest pace since 2020. Alongside this, employers are holding back on hiring and expanding amid rising employment costs, meaning securing a substantial pay rise may be becoming increasingly difficult for UK workers.
To help employees negotiate a pay rise in an incredibly fragile jobs climate, Frances Li, Founder and Director of Biscuit Recruitment, has shared her expertise on how workers can put themselves in the best position to negotiate a pay rise.
She says, “Talking about salary can feel awkward, which often leads to people putting off the conversation or going into it unprepared. Asking for a pay rise is a normal part of working life, but it’s important to go in with a clear case for why your salary should be increased.”
Below, Frances shares five of the most common mistakes people make when asking for a pay rise, including benchmarking yourself against the wrong roles and accidentally negotiating against yourself.
- Benchmarking yourself against the wrong roles
“It’s important to remember that job titles are not always comparable. You need to research salaries properly, looking at responsibilities, seniority, location and sector. The title alone is not enough; two roles with the same title can look very different in practice. If you base your expectations on a role that isn’t genuinely comparable to yours, you risk going into the conversation with a figure that is difficult to justify.”
- Focusing on how hard you’ve worked rather than the value you’ve added
“It’s a given that you need to work hard at your job, but simply being busy or working long hours isn’t necessarily enough to justify a pay rise. Consider how your work has actually contributed to the team or wider business. For example, have you taken on more responsibility, improved a process, helped retain a client, or consistently delivered beyond expectations? The more clearly you can connect your contributions to something the business values, the easier it is to demonstrate why your salary should reflect that.”
- Waiting until the pay-rise meeting to start making your case
“Rather than waiting for the day of the conversation to suddenly make your case, your manager should already have some awareness of the contributions you’re making to the business. Unveiling twelve months’ worth of achievements at once can make it harder to demonstrate the impact you’ve had over time. Regularly communicating your progress means that when you do ask for a pay rise, your value to the business shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
- Softening your argument to be polite
“Although salary conversations can be uncomfortable, one of the easiest mistakes to make is softening your own ask before your manager has even responded. Saying things such as ‘I know budgets are tight’ or ‘I completely understand if this isn’t possible’ may feel polite, but you are effectively negotiating against yourself without even realising it. Once you have made a clear case and given a realistic figure, give your manager the opportunity to respond. You do not need to fill every silence or immediately offer a compromise. Being confident does not mean being demanding; it means being comfortable enough to stand behind what you are asking for.”
- Treating a ‘no’ as the end of the conversation
“Lastly, don’t assume that a ‘no’ means the conversation is over. It might simply mean ‘not now’ or ‘not yet’, so use it as an opportunity to understand what would need to change for your request to be reconsidered. Ask whether there are specific targets you need to hit, responsibilities you need to take on or areas where you need to develop. This gives you something concrete to work towards and puts you in a much stronger position when you raise the conversation again.”