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MANAGEMENT
Ref usin g a
rais e req ues t
by Susan C. Bakos
"I'd like to talk about a raise, boss ."
What employer doesn't swallow a
little harder when he hears that
request from an employee these days?
While everyone needs more and more
money simply to stay even at clothing
stores and checkout lanes , few
employers also hit by a financial
squeeze are able to grant pay increases
easily. How can you refuse a raise
without losing an employee or killing
his work incentive?
First, don 't allow yourself to be
pushed into answering the raise ques-
tion immediately . Set a conference
date as soon as possible so you don't
keep the employee dangling , but give
yourself time to prepare .
Why is the answer "no" this time?
A company freeze on wages may
be in effect, and explaining the refusal
won 't take much time . But don't send
a good employee away from the inter-
view feeling totally downcast. When
can he expect a raise? What indicators
do you have that the company's
financial picture might be brightening
in coming months? If you have positive
information, share it. Give the em-
ployee something to look forward to.
Maybe raises are being granted
from the company coffers , but not to
this particular worker. The explana-
tion is going to take a little more time
and much more care. Helping some-
one understand why he doesn't qualify
for a raise sometimes requires diplo-
matic skill.
If he hasn't been on the job long
enough or received all the necessary
PLAY METER, August 1.5, woo
Most employe es
have been faced
at least once with
the hot-sho t request:
"I've got another offer.
If you can't match it,
I'll have to leave."
training, be specific about the require-
ments not met. Tell him how much
longer he will need to work before he
can expect a raise or what skills he
needs to master. Avoid vague lan-
guage . "When you 've had a little more
experience" is a depressing response
from the employee's viewpoint.
Some employers have pay ceilings
established for workers with a certain
number of years on the job or who
have attained minimal education
levels. For example, John was making
the ceiling wage for his position; the
company was willing to pay him more
money only if he took some additional
supervisory courses on his own and
broadened his skills. Fred, his boss,
explains , "This is a small company. A
worker who earns a good salary here
is expected to cover a job and a half for
his money."
John would have been willing to do
this had anyone explained the situa-
tion to him. But Fred put off his
requests for salary in creses with
vague refusals. John didn 't know if the
company couldn't afford the raise or
didn 't feel he should have one . He
finally looked elsewhere for a job that
paid the money he felt he deserved .
Don't lose a good worker because
you haven't explained the reasons for
the raise refusal. Whenever possible ,
outline a goal plan for the individual.
Tell him what he needs to accomplish
and in what time . Remember: when he
does those things , he will expect a
raise. Don't make promises you can't
keep.
Sometimes the money is there for
a raise , and the employee has fulfilled
time on the job and other require-
ments , but his work simply doesn't
merit additional pay. While this may
sound difficult to explain, it really isn't .
The raise request is refused, but for
clear reasons which you can enumer-
ate . Bring the employee's work file to
the conference . Periodic reviews of his
performance should already have dis-
closed work problems.
Now is the time to discuss those
problems again , even if they were
treated during appraisal sessions . This
time you have a good chance of
getting the worker to make the
desired changes. He wants some-
thing- a raise- and he can't earn it
without making changes in his job
performance .
Again, be specific about what
improveme nts are necessary and
when you'll be willing to discuss the
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