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Gather evidence of your responsibilities and results, make a clear request and prepare to discuss the response and next steps.
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Asking for a Pay Rise: Prepare Your Conversation
Before discussing your salary, review what has changed in your work. Have your responsibilities expanded? What results have you contributed to? What adjustment would you like to discuss?
Preparation helps you present a clear request, while recognising that organisational policies and budgets also affect the decision.
- Check the Organisation’s Process
Acas recommends reviewing relevant policies before proposing changes to employment terms and asking your manager or HR for guidance when needed.
Find out when salaries are reviewed, who handles requests and what information is required. Arrange a dedicated conversation about your pay and responsibilities.
- Gather Evidence of Your Contribution
Harvard’s Program on Negotiation recommends grounding your request in accomplishments, expanded responsibilities and results connected to organisational goals.
As a practical exercise, prepare a short summary of:
• A responsibility added to your role.
• A task or project you helped complete.
• A result you can substantiate, using figures where available.
For example:
“I took on order tracking alongside my existing duties and created a template the team now uses to record orders consistently.”
Identify your contribution within the team and avoid claiming improvements you cannot demonstrate.
- Define Your Request
Prepare an amount or range to discuss. Clarify whether it concerns base salary or total compensation, and when you would like the adjustment to take effect.
When comparing salary information, consider the role, location and experience level. Treat the figures as a reference for discussion rather than a guaranteed entitlement.
- Practise a Direct Opening
Adapt this example to reflect your actual experience:
“I’d like to discuss a salary review in light of how my responsibilities have expanded. I have taken on (…) and contributed to (…). I would like to discuss adjusting my salary to (…). What options and processes are available?”
This is a practical example, not a prescribed script or a promise of an increase.
- Prepare for the Response
If an increase cannot be approved now, ask:
“What criteria would support reconsideration, and when could we review this again?”
If alternatives such as training or flexible working are offered, consider whether they meet your priorities. If an increase is agreed, request written confirmation of the amount and effective date through the organisation’s process.
Leave with a Clear Next Step
The outcome may be an increase, a request for further information or a review date. Clarify the decision and next action, and keep a summary of what was agreed.
Your Professional Life
Rana Elgogary ᥫ᭡
Expert Tip
«Prepare three documented examples of your work and practise explaining your contribution to each in two clear sentences.»
Conclusion
Check the organisation’s process, document your responsibilities and results, and define your request. Discuss it clearly and ask about criteria and a review date if an increase is not approved.
