Are You Getting The Salary You Deserve?

In our workplaces, we are entitled to be paid fairly. Working takes up most of our working week, so it’s our right to be paid fairly for the services we provide to businesses around the world.

It can be hard to know your exact worth, and it can be harder still to get the people who pay you to agree with that. It can be even more difficult to ask for the right salary if you have not researched well the market hiring trends. As always though, it will be the facts that win and if you can prove your worth, you’ll have a better case on your hands. A fair pay is a respect to the employee and shows how valued you are to your company and employer.

Something to realize, though, is that most people are wrong about pay. We usually think we should be earning more and our thoughts don’t often portray the reality. The Harvard Business Review found that two-thirds of workers actually earning the correct working rate believe they are underpaid. This is a big gap and it means that if you think you’re underpaid, you probably aren’t. However, you could still be the one third that isn’t paid fairly and of course, that’s your right – to be paid fairly.

 

Fair Pay Begins During the Interview

Share your expectations and also probe around to find how employees are paid and what is the salary range the position is offering. As said earlier, it’s all about the facts. You need to find out and establish the market rate for your role. There are plenty of websites out there that exist to tell you salary info in specific careers, for example if you’re employed in a medical practice, you might look to get salary info from Medical Assistant EDU before you arrange a meeting with your boss to discuss a salary.

Always begin with a salary in mind but don’t share a number, it’s always good to have a range and then negotiate accordingly. All this needs to be done before the the offer is made, because usually when an offer is made the employer had already made up their mind.

 

Salary Raise Based on Performance

Now, how do you ensure you are being paid fairly if you have been in the job long enough but not getting what you deserve? Well – you have to start earning your pay rise. It might seem a bit unfair that you have to ‘earn’ what you should be getting paid, but a salary isn’t a participation prize. If you show up for work, that’s good, but if you want to have a discussion with your boss about how much you are earning, then you need to start performing to your full capabilities. Businesses have a lot of money, but they can’t spare the cash to pay employees more to do the same thing. Become an asset to your business so your employer can spend more on you.

It might be a good idea to identify areas in which you can go above and beyond in your performance. Your day-to-day activities need to be fulfilled so that you can justify your base worth to the company. However if you can find areas where you can excel, you could make a very convincing case to be paid more.

 

Most people are paid what they deserve, but that shouldn’t put you off seeking to earn more. Time is valuable and if you are spending a lot of time at work, make sure it is worth your while!