Employees Asking For a Raise - How Much Pay is Enough?

First, let me be clear: the vast majority of non-sales employees, from receptionist to Senior Vice President, don’t necessarily work for the money alone.  

That’s not to say that money’s not important – Zig Ziglar is fond of saying that “Anyone that tells you ‘money doesn’t matter,’ well, they’ll lie about other things as well.”  Money always matters, it’s just not always the most significant motivator. 

So, now I’m going to mess with your head a bit, with a play on words: Money only matters, when it matters.  No, I’m not talking out of both sides of my mouth here.  Consider that, when hired, an employee is generally satisfied with their compensation.  Not to say they wouldn’t accept more (see above), but generally, it seems “ok.”

Further, it was still ok last year.  Or last month. Or yesterday.  But, all of a sudden, it’s not ok.  It matters now.  What happend?  

Three things can cause money to matter:

1. Thinking under the influence.  No, not driving under the influence, but thinking about money under the influence of an outside instigator.  Could be a spouse, a friend, or prior boss trying to lure him/her away.  Something externally, though, is influencing them to make money matter right now.

2. It ain’t fair.  Somehow, some way, the employee discovered that someone equal to or below them in their perceived food chain makes as much or more than them.  And they don’t like it.  My pay was fine, until I compared it to another’s.  Now, it isn’t.

We sometimes do this to ourselves, because sometimes we’re just stupid.  We believe – some of us really do – that special deals and higher-than-normal compensation arrangements can be “kept secret.”  And, in fact, they can. For about a nano-second.  

Always make “deals” with the understanding that others – particularly the one(s) you’re most concerned with – will discover the arrangements. Because they will.

3. Finally, you owe me.  Maybe you just got promoted, and I want my “cut.”  Maybe you were just rewarded because you single-handedly saved some portion of our corporate planet.  Only you used my “single-hands.”  Maybe the last three people that had this job were promoted at about this time.

Or maybe, I just feel the give/take equation has become out-of-balance.  

Regardless of the reason, I’m convinced that you personally, boss, now owe me.  I’m not talking a 3.5% cost-of-living increase (which you shouldn’t be doing anyway, but that’s another article), I’m talking about a debt that you personally must pay in the way of earned, extra compensation.

So remember two things:  (1)  Money is, generally, not a huge motivator for non-sales employees.  This must be tempered, however, with  (2)  Money doesn’t matter, until it matters.

And when it does matter, find out first what’s driving the issue.  Strangely enough, it’s usually not just the money.

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Don’t forget to be brazen, and that grace and accountability can coexist.