Credit: Adobe
2 min read
Welcome to Know Your Worth, a series in which we ask working women to anonymously share how they negotiated their way to better pay. Spotlighting the hurdles and motivations that come when challenging your salary, we’ll share stories from a variety of industries to empower women to know exactly what they’re worth (and make sure they get it).
Age: 23
Industry: Digital communications and PR
Your role then and now (before and after negotiating): Client assistant to client executive
Length of time in industry: At that point, seven months. Now I have been working for 1 year and nine months
Location: London
Salary jump: Offered £25,000 and received £27,000
Any additional benefits: n/a
It was like ripping off a plaster
How did you decide it was time to make a change?
With the cost of living, a salary increase from £24,000 to £25,000 seemed quite small.
Have you ever negotiated a pay rise before?
Yes, previously I had been working in a coffee shop. At the age of 18, they had given me the same level of responsibility as a manager would have for three shops. This was on the salary of a barista so. Knowing I was essential to these coffee shops and to three teams of staff, it was therefore quite apparent I was underpaid. So, I arranged a meeting with the area manager. Here, I laid out everything I was doing to go above and beyond and successfully negotiated a higher salary.
What preparation did you do beforehand?
Honestly, I spoke to my parents. My mum was hesitant, but my dad pointed out that women often don’t ask for raises, which can lead to men often getting higher salaries. That helped me to make up my mind. I also discussed the best ways to bring up the request with them.
What reasons did you give for a pay rise?
I shared that my expectations had been higher than a £1,000 pay rise, and I had been hoping for a £3,000 pay rise. I spoke with my manager, and we both agreed that with the cost of living, this was more reasonable.
Discussing money in the workplace is taboo
Did you have a contingency plan if your request wasn’t met?
I would have looked for other jobs.
What was the scariest part of the process?
Knowing it would be an uncomfortable conversation with my manager. Speaking about money in the workplace is a taboo subject, despite it being one of the reasons we are all there. It was like ripping off a plaster.
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Know Your Worth: “How I landed a £20,000 pay rise”
How long did the process take?
Not too long. Maybe a week.
Would you do anything differently next time?
Nope!
Images: Getty
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