Ask the Business Coach Joyce K. Reynolds is an expert Business Coach who works with CEOs, Sr. Execs, entrepreneurs and countless others providing knowledge, solutions, motivation and support that assist her clientele in successfully meeting workplace challenges. Find out more about Joyce's coaching practice. Getting a Raise and More Respect Question: I have been working at the same company for last 3 years. I am unhappy with my raises and would like to learn how to effectively ask for one. I am an Admin. Assist. to a Regional Vice President of the company with 4 Directors and 2 managers in the same office, all are men. Being a small office, I do EVERYTHING from airline reservations to off site meetings to packaging and shipping Fed x and UPS. I also play taxi to pick up many people from near by airport. I have learned that people that do not do all of the above and are basically clerical support at one of our offices makes $2.75 more an hour than me and they tell me that it is location. How do I make the things I do more important to the Directors I work for and stop them from taking me for granted? Debra Answer: In addition to wanting a raise, it sounds as if you are clearly concerned about being respected in your organization. The best way to go about addressing both issues is to establish - on paper - your indispensability, credibility and overall value to your company. In short, formally documenting your work and all the duties you perform. Start by taking a look at your job description and determining your accomplishments in keeping with your written description. List any tasks or services that you are completing that were not formally assignment and are not acknowledged in the scope of your originally stated job. These are the types of facts that not only help clarify your deserving a raise or promotion but that will also help you in reassessing which of your current duties you are willing to continue to do and under what circumstances. If you are saving your employer money through the services you perform - e.g. airport pickup or shipping duties - list their value to the organization with a dollar amount attached wherever possible. If you are responsible for such things as finding lower-cost vendors or establishing practices that result in greater productivity or efficiency, include them in your report. If you believe you are playing an important public relations or customer service role, point it out. Concentrate on highlighting accomplishments or services that your employer most values. Those he would most miss if they were eliminated from your list of responsibilities. Emphasize your skills, abilities, and good work habits and your willingness to go the extra mile. As you go through this process, take notice of your ability - or inability - to maintain good boundaries - professional or personal. Often times, we take on too many tasks and later develop resentments about being overworked and undervalued because we have not learned how and when to say 'no.' Understand that this is not your employer's fault. It is simply something that naturally happens when we are less than clear about our parameters. Once you have thoroughly prepared your case, practice your delivery with someone you trust and respect who can also give you good feedback. Be sure you are being assertive rather than aggressive in discussing your job and money issues. When the time comes, ask for a meeting and start by openly telling you employer that you enjoy your work and will continue to do a good job - which will also save them the worry of finding and training a replacement - but that there are changes that you'd like to have considered. Keep in mind that negotiating salary and self-worth issues is nerve-wracking for the best of us. It's important to be prepared, stay calm and light in your delivery. Use well-thought out questions that will work towards achieving your goals as you go through the process - e.g., I understand that my peers in another division earn $2.75 more an hour that I do. It seems to me that I should be earning equal pay, don't you agree? Finally, if you are not in a review period or your company is not able or willing to give you a raise immediately, stick with your plan. In your meeting, iron out what your reasonable duties will be going forward and get a concrete commitment for the earliest reconsideration of a pay hike. Ask for the agreement in writing and assure your supervisor that will definitely be returning to the 'bargaining table' at that time. Leave the meeting on a cordial and positive note. If your conversation has been productive and satisfactory, there's a good chance that you will return to your work more positively with or without a raise and that you will be better prepared for the next time negotiation. Also see: • Ask Joyce your workplace questions • More questions • One-on-one business coaching Disclaimer: The information in this column is intended to provide the reader with general ideas or concepts to be used as part of a broader base of knowledge they collect to determine their own best course of action and solutions most suitable for solving their workplace challenges. The information in this column is not guaranteed to be the appropriate solution for each individual.