“Thank you” is a powerful phrase. “Thank you” is a powerful phrase.

Gratitude and grace go hand in hand, which doesn’t leave much room for push-back when you’ve been slighted, especially when it comes to money. Demanding a raise from an employer often feels a little like unwrapping a present and then telling the giver, thank you, but this really isn’t going to cut it for me.

But no matter how remarkably skilled or utterly irreplaceable you are, no employer wants to pay you what you deserve. Most folks will save money by any means necessary, even if it’s at your expense. It’s not personal, it’s business. This is why the etiquette around gratitude changes in a professional setting. There are no battles won by taking your first offer — you only get what you negotiate for.

So forget everything you know about settling, and focus instead on what’s next: how you’re going to ask for a raise.

According to the New York Times, when you ask for a raise can be just as important as how you ask. So before you begin scripting your speech and prepping your Powerpoint, be sure to talk dates. First, set aside a substantial brick of time. This is important — this is your livelihood. It’s not a case you want to make in passing, en route to another meeting.

Next, make a point to schedule your conversation in the aftermath of a personal success of yours — did you just win a big client? Publish a viral story? Ride that wave right into your boss’s office. “You want to enter a salary negotiation on a high note, with indisputable evidence of the value you’re contributing to the company,” says Devon Smiley, a negotiation consultant. No matter how strong and consistent your work is, you want to walk in with numbers.

If possible, consider the fiscal calendar of your company, and determine when is the best time to ask for a raise. As much as we’d like to believe that our higher ups have the power to make financial judgement calls when they believe in them, we’re all beholden to a devious, evil thing called budget cycles. “Even though discussions may not happen until April, for example, those budgets have been decided months earlier, and that is when you need to start laying the groundwork for your raise,” says Ms. Smiley. Once you make your case, someone else needs to make that case to the finance department. Making sure the company is in a good financial position when you ask for your raise, can make that conversation as seamless as possible.

Once you’ve decided on a good time to talk to your boss, start collecting your materials. While it’d be great if the merit of your testimony was enough, numbers speak louder than words. Arrive with documents. Know what you’re going to say. Treat this like a presentation you might have given in the 8th grade at a science fair. “One recommendation is building negotiation experience and training,” says Dr. Alice Stuhlmacher, department chair of DePaul University’s psychology department. “Practicing in low stakes situations can build confidence.”

I received my first raise (a whopping 5k), having presented a six-page proposal to three different managing editors. The first told me the decision was over his head. The second told me it didn’t make sense in the current context of our budget. The third made both cases before I told him I would have no choice but to look for positions elsewhere under these circumstances — an assertion that ran counter to everything my mother had taught me about decorum and gratitude. Not 24 hours later, I received a raise — and an apology.

string(4317) "
"Thank you" is a powerful phrase. "Thank you" is a powerful phrase.
Gratitude and grace go hand in hand, which doesn't leave much room for push-back when you've been slighted, especially when it comes to money. Demanding a raise from an employer often feels a little like unwrapping a present and then telling the giver, thank you, but this really isn't going to cut it for me.
But no matter how remarkably skilled or utterly irreplaceable you are, no employer wants to pay you what you deserve. Most folks will save money by any means necessary, even if it's at your expense. It's not personal, it's business. This is why the etiquette around gratitude changes in a professional setting. There are no battles won by taking your first offer — you only get what you negotiate for.
So forget everything you know about settling, and focus instead on what's next: how you're going to ask for a raise.
According to the New York Times, when you ask for a raise can be just as important as how you ask. So before you begin scripting your speech and prepping your Powerpoint, be sure to talk dates. First, set aside a substantial brick of time. This is important — this is your livelihood. It's not a case you want to make in passing, en route to another meeting.
Next, make a point to schedule your conversation in the aftermath of a personal success of yours — did you just win a big client? Publish a viral story? Ride that wave right into your boss's office. "You want to enter a salary negotiation on a high note, with indisputable evidence of the value you're contributing to the company," says Devon Smiley, a negotiation consultant. No matter how strong and consistent your work is, you want to walk in with numbers.
If possible, consider the fiscal calendar of your company, and determine when is the best time to ask for a raise. As much as we'd like to believe that our higher ups have the power to make financial judgement calls when they believe in them, we're all beholden to a devious, evil thing called budget cycles. "Even though discussions may not happen until April, for example, those budgets have been decided months earlier, and that is when you need to start laying the groundwork for your raise," says Ms. Smiley. Once you make your case, someone else needs to make that case to the finance department. Making sure the company is in a good financial position when you ask for your raise, can make that conversation as seamless as possible.
Once you've decided on a good time to talk to your boss, start collecting your materials. While it'd be great if the merit of your testimony was enough, numbers speak louder than words. Arrive with documents. Know what you're going to say. Treat this like a presentation you might have given in the 8th grade at a science fair. "One recommendation is building negotiation experience and training," says Dr. Alice Stuhlmacher, department chair of DePaul University's psychology department. "Practicing in low stakes situations can build confidence."
I received my first raise (a whopping 5k), having presented a six-page proposal to three different managing editors. The first told me the decision was over his head. The second told me it didn't make sense in the current context of our budget. The third made both cases before I told him I would have no choice but to look for positions elsewhere under these circumstances — an assertion that ran counter to everything my mother had taught me about decorum and gratitude. Not 24 hours later, I received a raise — and an apology.

"

You’re powering through your morning. You’re in the zone. Getting so much done. But then you get Slacked with an innocent question: “Gotta moment to discuss the Jefferson thing?” “💯!” you answer instantly and get pulled off-task for 15- 20 minutes. And just before you’ve solved the Jefferson issue, your manager’s supervisor’s EA emails you

If your business offers corporate credit cards or expense accounts to employees, there’s a good chance there is unethical spending going on. 33% of corporate credit card holders admit to blatantly defrauding the companies they work for, and twice that amount confess to making “risky purchases.” But a thread on AskReddit reveals some of the

Despite the fact that late-stage capitalism is an amoral hellhole driven by a borderline religious belief in the sanctity of brands, we would never, ever suggest that anyone should shoplift from big-box stores, or even imply that doing so is morally okay or a victimless crime. But hypothetically, if we were to give any tidbit

The workers who forgo the yoke of traditional employment to strike it out on their own form a vibrant sector of the American economy. From ambitious entrepreneurs to cunning freelancers and everyone in between, self-employed workers say “no” to a punch-the-clock world and enjoy a great deal of freedom in their work. However, that freedom

Though the wave of tech layoffs and the threat of a recession has overshadowed yesteryear’s news of the great recession, everywhere you look, employees are asking for more — and getting it. Though this time of uncertainty could have given employers back the power, it’s still in the hands of the workforce. From Gen-Z’s boundary

Looking for a job? In addition to encountering those annoying never-ending job interviews you may find yourself face-to-face with an artificial intelligence bot. Companies worldwide increasingly use artificial intelligence tools and analytics in employment decision-making – from parsing through resumes and screening candidates to automated assessments and digital interviews. But recent studies claim that AI

In the words of Ferris Bueller: “Life comes at ya fast.” I learned this when, after graduating college, I suddenly had to get my life together and financially support myself. The horror. But I’m also young and fun (I swear!). I want to go out with my friends, follow trends, and buy myself a little

A few years ago I was at Coachella, buying overpriced, under-seasoned food from a vendor who was particularly kind. Par for the course, all of these events are dominated by Square payments that provide the oh-so-convenient option to tip your gracious server. Oftentimes, the transaction is so quick, you’re wondering if you should even tip

We live in a world where most celebrities have multiple business endeavors going besides what made them famous. Well known socialites are no longer just party-goers in ballgowns, but have now taken on the term “influencer” and drape themselves in brand deals before being photographed. And maybe being a public spectacle becomes so uninspiring that

I’ve been thinking a lot about goal setting in the New Year…and not in the cliche resolution way. Not in the way that I get overzealous and aim to save $10,000 in one year, change my entire life around, and find the apartment of my dreams. Not in the way that sets me up for