How to handle salary disgruntlement at work

Salary negotiations in any workplace can be frustrating for any employee especially if the company’s criteria for salary increments are not clearly defined.

There are a number of things that employers consider during salary negotiations ranging from performance, professionalism, discipline, dressing and character.

Most employers silently take notes on all their employees which are then used as a guide of the employee’s indispensability during the salary negotiations.

However the procedure of expressing one’s desire for a salary increment to the Human Resource (HR) manager is what troubles most people.

If not handled properly, salary negotiations can lead to disgruntlement and in the worst case scenario, implosion.

Most companies have their own way of dealing with salaries/wages but the recommended channel for employees to start negotiations is through their immediate supervisor.

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Veronica Nyokabi, a professional Human Resource (HR) practitioner working with Acumen Equities Limited says that employees should avoid usurping their immediate supervisors’ authority because the HR will at some point circle back with the supervisor to gauge their output.

“The best procedure is to speak to the supervisor first to make sure that targets have been met and all duties done well. Once the supervisor is okay with that, then discussions about the pay rise should be done with HR,” Ms Nyokabi told Business Today in an interview.

Supervisors also take offence when they are bypassed in negotiations which might lead to an employee being sacked.

Conversely, before approaching your supervisor over your pay. You must have to make sure that they do not harbor any doubts whatsoever about your productivity.

See also: Sleeping on the job could boost your productivity

As mentioned earlier in this article, how important your work is to the organisation, how you dress at work, how you relate with other employees, your time keeping and your desire to succeed are some of the attributes you should strive to ensure cannot be questioned.