As a boss that has managed a large team for some time now, I’ve learned that people always want more money – but duh, of course, who can blame them? I’m always looking to increase my bag as well!

However, truth is, just because you go to work and simply do your job doesn’t mean you should get a raise – sis/bruh, no one is going to give you a raise just because you do what you were hired to do and call yourself a hardworker. Instead, you have to always be your greatest cheerleader and advocate. #sorryfortheuglytruth

So what should you do when you know you have been the model employee and have worked your ass off, but your boss doesn’t give you your raise at the end of the year?

You keep pushing, and don’t let that “no” get to you!

When you’re denied a raise, it can be easy to give up and let your company decide what’s best for you. However, it’s critical that you are persistent, and are not intimidated to approach the idea of a raise again with your manager. Remember – you are ultimately responsible for your career progression. When you’re denied a raise, here are tips on how you can revisit the topic again with your boss and secure the bag the next time around!

1. Don’t be afraid to ask why

Sometimes there are justified reasons why you were denied your raise. If you are denied, always ask “why.” If there is a valid reason why you were denied, it will benefit you to know why it has happened, and what you can do to fix it. If you know why, you can make the necessary adjustments to your work style or work ethic, and could have a better chance of getting the raise next time.

2. Keep a paper trail

You know those emails from your happy customers, or words of praise from your team or boss that you get from time to time? Keep them. Keep them all. Keeping and getting all of these documents of praise handy and easy to find will be valuable when it’s time to negotiate your raise again.

Furthermore, get in the habit of documenting your achievements on your own – if you know you’ve helped increase sales or have created a new process that has streamlined workflow, write it down and email it to yourself.

3. Be strategic with your timing

If you’ve been denied a raise, I recommend waiting at least 3 months before you revisit the topic with your boss. Doing so will give you enough time to collect your evidence so that your argument for the raise can be validated.

Furthermore, schedule the time to revisit the raise topic when it’s not a super busy week or month, but when your boss has downtime or after you’ve made a big achievement in the workplace.

Lastly, I recommend to schedule this convo with your boss an hour or two after they get in – if you do it closer to lunch, that won’t be ideal because they will be hungry and distracted; if you do it after lunch, 9 times out of 10 they’re already focused on getting to the end of the day.

 

4. Remember, practice makes perfect

Just like you would prepare for any other event or stressful time, be sure of yourself and have pratice before you walk into your boss’ office requesting a raise.

Practice with a friend, not just with yourself, and have them ensure that you don’t sound arrogant, needy, or defensive. It’s critical that you enter the convo sounding confident, professional, strategic, and deserving of what’s yours.