Forget Karma, How to Ask For A Raise (Even As a Woman)

by Solange Lopes | Oct 14, 2014 | Career

How to ask for a raise – Photo credit: moneysaving tips.com

Last week, the trenches on the Gender Gap War trembled when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made one of the most criticized (and criticizable) gender gap gaffe. By telling women, at no less than a women’s press conference, that not asking for a raise is actually good karma, Mr. Nadella just turned karma into a pretty mad lady. Although he later disavowed the controversial comments, these remain in the media, and in women’s minds, still.

Other than the fact that Mrs. Karma, as alluring as she may be, does not exactly fill in the gender pay gap, and that Mr. Nadella, despite all the backlash against him, may just be a classic case of East-West misunderstanding, the fact remains, after all, that women are less likely to ask for a pay raise than men. So could it be after all that Microsoft’s CEO, despite all the media hoopla, was not that far from the truth?

Women effectively do tend to ask less for pay raises, if only for the simple fact that we were socialized to be more humble and avoid bragging on our accomplishments. So could it be that as professional women at work, this incident could actually serve to remind us that not only is it OK to ask for a raise, but it can actually be pretty good karma too (no pun intended here);

1. Research, research, research! As awkward as asking for a raise can be, coming prepared with accurate and compelling information certainly can make the whole process less awkward. Find out from reliable sources like Salary.com, Payscale, or Glassdoor, how much your peers in the same industry and location get paid. Also consider the entire package of pay and benefits, including health benefits, work from home options, etc.Take into account the cost of living as well as your own lifestyle budget to come up with an estimate that would make sense to you, but also to your manager and company.

2. Come prepared! As you research comparable and competitive salaries, keep in mind to also prepare a portfolio of your own achievements in this position and others. You have to be able to justify why you deserve a raise after all. From successful projects to positive statistics on the work you’ve done, gather your most important work laurels and get ready to give yourself a modest but compelling pat on the back!

3. Time it Right! Your manager’s ability to grant you a raise depends upon the availability of funds per the annual budget. As a result, you want to time your request appropriately, preferably three to four months before annual budgets are finalized and approved. If you also happen to be assigned an important project that stretches your current responsibilities, it may be time to ask for a raise.

4. Keep it diplomatic! This is probably the most important part of the raise negotiation. Keep it courteous and diplomatic at all times, whatever the direction or the outcome of the conversation. Keep in mind your potential raise is not at your manager’s sole discretion, so cut them some slack. Besides, burning bridges at work is never a good idea! Stay cool!

So yes, Mr. Nadella’s comments ignited some serious gender gap fire lately. Yet we owe it to ourselves to wonder if after all, he did not help in raising an important question for women at work. And while we may want to forget about karma when it comes to women proactively seeking raises and increases at work, we hope for Microsoft and its 30% female employees company-wide, karma turns out to be a smiling, forgiving lady…

Have you asked for raises at work? How did you go about it, and do you have any advice?

The Corporate Sis.