Emailing about a raise?

[jabumbo]

I am currently out of the office for what could be another year on a job, and I really would like to press my boss about getting a raise at some point sooner than later.

I have been working with this same company for a little over 2 years now and haven't received anything more than a $100 holiday bonus. I figure I am deserving of something, considering the wide breadth of projects i have worked on and the countless things I have handled because nobody else in the office could or would do so (including working 60 hour weeks at night).


I figure an email to my boss could get the ball rolling, but I don't really know how to phrase it. I don't want to be too blunt, but enough out there to get his attention.

I feel pretty safe about my current situation as well, because it would be a HUGE headache for them to find a replacement for me on this job....


Any thoughts?

[Dorothy Wood]

I thought I had something, but I really don't. It doesn't hurt to ask though. I'm surprised it's been so long without you getting a raise though.

I guess you could just ask about whether or not there's a policy or if/when you'd expect to get a pay increase. cost of living, etc. etc.

[MC Moot]

I've only done it in the context of requesting a "salary review" near the end of a contract year...

[nodanaonlyzuul]

I have inquired during performance reviews. They have always been sparkling hence I feel comfortable asking.

Unfortunately my current place of employment is broke that it's been almost two years with zero raises or bonuses. So I sought other employment that offers higher pay. And that worked out. I start in a few weeks and got a 40% raise on what I make right now.

If the current place is not responsive, it's not a bad idea to seek out another place that will be able to compensate you properly.

[jabumbo]

Yeah, only a couple guys here have gotten a raise since i've been here, and both of them only got something minimal because they had other jobs that could have paid them more in there back pocket.

Supposedly we are to have yearly performance reviews but I have never even had one mentioned to me by anyone. One guy asked about a raise about 6 months back and the boss said he would have to give him a review before anything was done, but I don't think that ever really happened.


oh, and about 3-4 months ago, when we got a new VP, he mentioned trying to get everyone a little bit of a raise but he couldn't authorize such things and the boss was out of town for a while. that probably fizzled over time, since i haven't heard anything since.

[nodanaonlyzuul]

I want to kick your employer in the nuts.

[pshabi]

I wouldn't email. This is something that should be discussed face to face or at the very least with a phone call.

Look, it's easy to give advice, but you need to sack up. Be open and honest and state what you want and why you feel you deserve it. It's your time that goes into the job and if you feel your aren't fairly compensated, you better have the guts to approach it.

JMO

[jabumbo]

^yeah, i understand what you're saying here. i don't really like communicating such things over email.


but my problem is that right now i'm on an out of office job that is going to last at least another 8-9 months. on top of that, my boss spends at least 3 months out of the year out of the country.

so my basic issue with doing a face to face is limited. and he is TERRIBLE to talk to on the phone, so i refuse to even try something like that.

[ms.peachy]

I would think you could email and ask when you could expect your performance review to be scheduled. That request alone would , I should think, put it into his mind that you are thinking about such a thing.

[Adam]

No real advice, but don't mention cost of living as I'm pretty sure that has gone down recently - they may start to take money off you playing that card

edit: so I checked (this is UK only) and it seems we had a few months of deflation as well as a few months of inflation which in the end has more or less kept it the same.