How to boss that pay rise

Not being paid enough? Don’t settle for a ‘no’ – learn the secret to getting a salary increase and head to the negotiation table with confidence

- Natasha Fishwick

Recently, my boss, Olivia, resigned. My company didn’t find a replacement for her – instead, they left me to pick up the bulk of her work and responsibilities, which I could only manage by working longer hours. I’ve been doing that for four months and am enjoying aspects of it but, if I’m doing the job, I should be paid for it, right?

Yet, research shows that we don’t always get the pay rise we want, and that’s especially true for women. The Office for National Statistics reported that men’s full-time salaries grew faster than women’s between 2014 and 2015. Women are likely to earn £300,000 less than men over their working lives * and, when it comes to negotiating pay rises, here’s a piece of shocking news: women and men ask for increases as often as each other, but women are less likely to receive them when they do ask. ** The reason mooted for this is a lack of assertiveness in negotiations. Women are being paid less than men for the same work because we aren’t as forceful and selfassured when we ask for a rise. I decided to contact negotiation expert and author of We Have A Deal (Icon Books, £12.99), Natalie Reynolds, to give myself the best possible chance.

1 Capitalise on the ‘maybe’

‘When it comes to negotiations,’ says Reynolds, ‘the circumstances are always different – but the process is the same. Negotiation is about going from the “no” to the “yes”. There’s a “maybe” in between and, how you navigate that “maybe”, makes the difference to your outcome.’