How to ask for a promotion, pay-rise or progression
We work with hundreds of engineers and sustainability consultants in the building services industry who typically approach us when they’re unhappy with pay or progression. What most don’t consider is that a business will always try and fix what’s wrong. The building services industry is the busiest it’s ever been and companies don’t want to lose exceptional talent to competitors.
Businesses would always rather hear what’s troubling someone than have their notice land on their desk out of the blue, and it’s time to normalise having these types of conversations.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to bring the truth to light in a conversation with your current business and give you the confidence to ask for that pay-rise or promotion.
1. Figure out what’s making you unhappy
9 times out of 10, the engineers that approach us do so because they’re unhappy with their pay or a lack of progression and these are really easy things to fix internally. Consider what your ideal situation looks like: what salary would make you happy, what benefits do you want, how would you like your working hours to change, what level of responsibility would you like etc…
Also ask yourself the question, if you get everything on this list, will you then be 100% happy in your current business? If the answer is yes, that’s great and it’s time to push forward with this conversation. If no, then consider whether there really is a future there for you or whether it’s time for a change.
2. Arm yourself with solutions
The best way to have a conversation where you’re asking for something is to arm yourself with reasons why you deserve it. If it’s a pay-rise, be sure to have looked at the going market rate and prepare the reasons why you feel deserving of a pay increase. The same applies for a promotion – why do you think it’s the right time, what have you done to show readiness for the increased responsibility?
Even if you’re raising issues outside of pay and progression, consider what solutions would make you happier at work and lay them out for your employer. If nothing else, you’ll have peace of mind that you’ve done everything you can to help lead the conversation.
3. Decide what type of conversation to have
Once you’ve assessed your situation, got a list of your discussion points together and considered what solutions will help you meet your goals, decide on what type of conversation to have. If you have a close, friendly relationship with your manager then it may be better to have a more informal, over a coffee, off-the-record chat initially. A more relaxed conversation can reveal many truths about a situation and you could get the answers you’re looking for more easily.
If you’re relationship is more formal however, it’s best to email or call your manager and ask to set up a meeting where you can spend some time having this discussion.
4. Ask, then ask again
If you’re not getting the answers you need to enable you to move forward, try asking the question in a different way. It’s good to challenge. It may be that you make some notes and loop back to it later in the discussion or even at a different time, but feel confident enough to keep asking the same question until you get an answer.
At the same time…
5. Don’t just listen for the answer, look for it
Sometimes, an answer is given, just not with words. Guage someone’s reaction to the points you’re raising by assessing a change in their mood, body language, facial expressions…if your manager looks a bit flustered or surprised, it’s likely that they’re going in to panic mode because they didn’t realise you were unhappy and don’t want to lose you.
In many cases, a person’s reaction can be a tell-tale sign of where the conversation is headed. Let their body language and tone of voice inform you of whether or not you can trust them to go away and see what they can do to provide a solution for you.
6. Seek clarification
You’ve already assessed the ideal outcome for you, so you need to understand how you can get to that outcome. Make sure the business knows the severity of the conversation and request that timescales are set. You need to know when you’ll have an answer. In many cases, a month is reasonable; but you may like to know quicker or be happy waiting a little longer.
Make sure you understand how your requests will be recorded, whose responsibility it is to record, agree an action plan/checklist and make sure there are no unanswered questions so that when the agreed time frame is up, you can say with conviction that you’ve done absolutely everything you could. Ask for clarification on any feedback that is provided and question the why’s of their comments or decisions in order to find out what is needed in order to meet their criteria.
7. Assess the outcome
If your business is unable to provide you with an answer after the agreed timescale and things are still hazy, it’s likely because that’s how the business wants it to be. If they’re not giving an answer, this is your answer.
Even if you don’t get what you want out of this conversation, having the conversation is the right thing to do. By going on this journey, you get peace of mind that either things will change and all is well, or it gives you clarity that there is no future there.
If the latter, at least you know that it’s the right time to move, you know what you’re looking for, you can fully invest in your future career in building services and know that Greystone will find the right solution for you, no question.
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