500,000 Walmart Workers Are Getting a Raise. Here's How You Can Get One, Too
Two corporate giants have made headlines recently for perking up their workers' paychecks.
Last month, health insurance provider Aetna announced it would be raising the lowest wage it pays to $16 an hour, effectively giving raises to 5,700 of the company's workers. On Thursday, Walmart followed Aetna's lead, revealing it would be giving 500,000 associates a salary bump of at least $1.75 above the federal minimum wage.
While across-the-board wage increases such as these are unusual, other corporations are also expected to be more generous with pay this year. Among mid- and large-sized employers, the average increase in base pay is expected to be 3.0% in 2015, up from 2.9% in 2014 and 2.8% in 2013, according to HR consulting firm Mercer.
You can help your chances of boosting your pay with these five tips:
1. Ask at the Right Time
Choosing the optimal time to approach your boss about a raise will significantly increase your chances of success. Stay on top of your own industry's salary trends and consider whether your company and division are doing well enough to afford what you're asking for. It's also a good idea to ask for a raise a few months before performance reviews so that salaries aren't already set.
Read more: How to Tell if Now Is a Good Time to Ask for a Raise
2. Know What Others are Getting
Before you ask for a raise, you're going to need to know what kind of raise is reasonable. Check sites like PayScale.com and GlassDoor.com to get an idea of the industry standard for your position, then consult your colleagues to see what the story is internally. For women, that means making sure to check with your male mentors as well. As Money's Margaret Magnarelli writes, female employees tend to be underpaid relative to their male counterparts, and often remain unfairly compensated because they compare salaries with female colleagues who are also underpaid. Gathering a broad cross section of salary data can help break through the ceiling.
Read more: The Foolproof Way to Make Sure You Land a Big Raise This Year
3. Be Able to Prove You're Better than Average
The 3% average bump that Mercer projects isn't bad, but being better than the norm can be very lucrative. In 2014, Mercer said the highest-performing employees received a 4.8% raise—more than 2 percentage points higher than the average for that year. How do you show you're the best of the best? Gather a portfolio of past endorsements and ask satisfied clients to write testimonials. Then do your best to quantify your accomplishments so that your boss has the hard numbers as well.
Read more: 5 Ways to Get a Big Raise Now
4. Identify Your Added Value
Think about what you do that no one else at the office can do—either where you've particularly excelled or what highly marketable skill you bring to the table—and then frame your ask around this added value. Jim Hopkinson of SalaryTutor.com suggests framing your requests as follows: “Not only do I have [all the standard requirements that everyone else has] + but I also possess [the following unique traits that make me worth more money].”
Read more: The Secret Formula that Will Set You Apart in a Salary Negotiation
5. Just Ask!
As Wayne Gretzky said, you miss you 100% of the shots you don't take. According to CareerBuilder, 56% of workers have never asked for a raise, which is a shame because 44% of those who did ask got the amount they asked for, and 31% still got some kind of salary boost. It might seem daunting to ask for more money with the economy still in recovery mode, but job openings are the highest they've been in a decade, almost three-quarters of employers say they're worried about losing talented workers, and raises are gradually getting larger. Being assertive can be scary, but don't let fear stand in the way of a bigger salary.
Read more: New Study Reveals the Odds You’ll Actually Get the Raise You Ask For
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