How to Ask for a Raise Without Getting Fired

You want a raise because you feel that you deserve more than you make and you haven't gotten a raise in over a year or so. You want to ask the boss politely but you don't want the boss to fire you for it. There are ways that you can ask for a raise without causing a big scene or creating a large problem. You should never do this by letter or by email because the boss might never respond or he or she might treat you differently for it because you don't have the courage to ask the boss directly.

Do not ask your boss when there are other people around. Your boss will pretend like you are joking and probably take it as you are just making a smart comment stating that you don't make enough money. When you ask your boss dont use the phrase, "I don't make enough money." Perhaps just ask the boss what the job tops out at or when you will get some type of performance bonus. Usually towards the end of the year you will get some sort of performance bonus and earn a little bit more each year. If you have recently gotten a raise, now is not the time to ask for one.

Always ask the boss for a raise when you are along with the boss. Never ask the boss when he or she is in a bad mood because this will only create problems. You might want to wait for Friday to roll around, when most people are in a good mood because they will be off for the weekend. If you know your boss has been really stressed out lately you probably don't want to increase the stress.

You will want to figure out how much other people are making that you work with. Perhaps asking a good friend how much they make will help you out. Sometimes this information will not be given to you. Don't ask random people how much they make because they will become offended. Perhaps you can ask a close friend and start out by saying, "I only make about 10.00 an hour." Then see how the person reacts. Perhaps they will say, "Well, I only make 9.00 an hour." Then you will know that you shouldn't ask for a raise because you are already making more than other people who have worked there as long as you have. The longer you stay at a business the more raises you will get.