Our family just recently watched “Bee Movie”. We liked it and found it had a good moral to the story behind it (I won’t give it away). The push behind the “Bee Movie” was the payment being stolen from the bees, thus putting their long hard labor to waste.

One of my first jobs was working for a fast food restaurant. I began there wondering if I was good enough for the job and would be able to handle everything asked of me. I quickly realized that, although the tasks were many, the job really wasn’t that difficult. I was working the closing shift finishing very late and then had to get up a few hours later to go to college.

After realizing how exhausted I was, overworked and underpaid, I decided to approach management and ask them for at least a shift change. Now the thing I still wonder is why I was willing to put up with their undervaluing attitude, but I felt stuck. The best thing I could do for myself was to make sure I was given the value for my efforts.

Maybe you have found yourself underpaid or undervalued for your efforts at your job and you’re not sure how to ask for the much-needed raise. Here are some links to make asking for a pay raise easier to do:

  1. How to ask for a pay raise, by Susan M. Heathfield
  2. How to ask for a pay raise, by Dawn Rosenberg McKay
  3. How to ask for a pay raise
  4. A video link, How to ask for a pay raise

Some warnings to take into consideration:

  • Stay positive. Do not use this time to gripe about management, coworkers, conditions, or anything else. If you must raise concern for some reason, present it politely and come equipped with remedies and suggestions.
  • Recognize that your boss has deadlines and budgets to contend with.
  • Keep the discussion focused on your work, and your value. DO NOT use personal issues, including financial shortfalls or other problems, as the reason for needing a raise. This is business — talk in terms of value for service.

Most of all, remember that you are worth it! If you don’t ask you won’t get it!