Asking for a raise now may seem like career suicide, but you might have more leverage than you think, said Eilene Zimmerman in Moneywatch.com. Salary increases at many firms may be nonexistent, but variable payments—such as bonuses and profit sharing—have never been more common. Managers seem to recognize the need to get creative when they want to hold on to top talent. If you’ve picked up work from laid-off employees, you’re now worth more to the company. “And if there’s a hiring freeze in place, so much the better.”
When a raise is out of the question, some employees are asking for more vacation time instead, said Chip Cutter in the Associated Press. Be strategic about such a request. Prepare an explanation of why you’ve earned the extra time—longer hours, say, or extra travel—and how the company will benefit from your paid time off. You’ll increase the odds of success by asking for time during slow periods or requesting “small chunks of time,” such as Friday afternoons. Just be careful what you wish for. Taking those extra vacation days could make you more vulnerable to layoffs.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
