It’s nearly the tip of the month, and after placing in critical effort at work, you’ll be able to’t shake the sensation that your wage doesn’t replicate your dedication.
Let’s be sincere — the price of dwelling is rising quicker than a trotro in rush hour, and that “entry-level” wage you agreed to years in the past merely isn’t reducing it anymore.
In case you’re like many younger professionals in Ghana (and past), you are working onerous, delivering outcomes, and questioning, “Why am I nonetheless incomes peanuts?”
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Right here’s the excellent news: asking for a pay rise doesn’t need to really feel like gearing up for conflict along with your HR supervisor. With the appropriate technique, timing, and confidence, you can also make a compelling case for extra cash in your account. Right here’s how:
1. Doc your wins like a professional
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It’s not sufficient to say you’re employed onerous — present it. Construct a “brag file” of your achievements: profitable initiatives, KPIs exceeded, glowing shopper suggestions, or that point you saved the corporate 1000’s with one intelligent thought.
Professional tip: Use numbers. As an alternative of claiming, “I helped enhance gross sales,” say, “I elevated month-to-month gross sales by 25% in Q1.” Numbers converse louder than vibes.
2. Know your market worth
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Earlier than strolling right into a negotiation, do your analysis. Discover out what others in comparable roles — each in Ghana and overseas — are incomes. Use platforms like Glassdoor, PayScale, or Ghanaian job boards to gauge wage ranges.
Millennial hack: Distant work is international now. In case your skillset meets worldwide requirements, don’t draw back from requesting a wage that displays your true worth.
3. Select the appropriate time
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Timing is every thing. Don’t increase wage discussions throughout an organization disaster or simply earlier than your boss’s lunch break. Goal for efficiency evaluations or simply after you’ve accomplished a giant win.
Good transfer: Guide a gathering upfront and say you’d wish to “talk about your efficiency and progress alternatives”.
4. Body it as a win-win
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Right here’s the fact: your boss doesn’t owe you a increase simply since you need one. You will need to present the way it advantages the corporate. Current it as a option to retain high expertise (you), enhance morale, and preserve efficiency consistency.
Say this: “Primarily based on my current efficiency and the elevated worth I deliver, I’d wish to revisit my compensation so I can proceed contributing at a good increased degree.”
5. Be able to stroll the discuss
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Generally, getting that increase means taking up extra duty — and that’s okay if it results in progress. In case your boss says, “Let’s evaluate this in three months in case you can deal with XYZ,” deal with it as a stepping stone, not a useless finish.
Energy transfer: Get the phrases in writing, set a follow-up date, after which overdeliver.
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Ultimate ideas
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Speaking about cash might be intimidating, particularly in environments the place it’s frowned upon. However you’re not being grasping — you’re standing up in your price.
Whether or not you’re employed in Accra, Kumasi, Nairobi, London, or New York, the rules are common: know your worth, show your impression, and ask with confidence.
So, the following time you are feeling underpaid, don’t simply vibe and endure — converse up, well.