Workers who can ask for a pay rise amid COVID-19 pandemic

Workers have been laid off and others stood down amid the coronavirus pandemic, but for some, a pay rise may not be out of reach.

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Pay rises may not be off the table this year for workers who believe they deserve more money for the effort they have been putting into their job.

Employment experts agree it is a bad year for many workers to ask their boss for a salary increase, as many businesses’ revenues have steeply declined in 2020.

However, not all industries and businesses have been negatively affected by measures to overcome COVID-19, and many employees’ workloads have increased.

Recruitment expert Andrew Banks, co-founder of firms Morgan & Banks and Talent2, and investor on TV show Shark Tank, said some workers qualified for a raise.

“While companies are strapped for cash, there is definitely a movement towards having a smaller number of highly competent employees paid well rather than a higher number of employees,” he said.

“I am a great believer that the glass is always half full and there are a lot of companies doing well.”

Recruitment expert Andrew Banks believes some workers may qualify for a pay rise this year.

Past accomplishments were not the only way to get a raise, though.

“If I was looking for a promotion I would say, ‘I think I have my current job handled and I think I can take on more – is there a way I can have increased responsibility and add to the productivity of the company but at the same time earn a bit more?’,” Mr Banks said.

“Very few people would say their current job is 110 per cent of their time and they couldn’t take on one new thing.

“(Tell the boss,) ‘I want to contribute more, I’ve got spare capacity. If you pay me more and give me a bigger job, I can give you a bigger return in the company.”

HR specialist Karen Gately says whether a worker should get a pay rise this year comes down to their individual circumstances.

HR specialist Karen Gately, founder of Corporate Dojo, said workers should understand their employer’s circumstances and availability of funds as well as their own.

“There might be fewer clients, there might have been an accumulation of debt during this period that makes (paying staff more) super difficult,” she said.

“If you’re being paid relatively well in the market … and your employer is struggling, then the fair and reasonable decision to make is that you don’t necessarily need to be putting your hand up.

“But if it’s a big gap in what you do relative to market, there’s some reasonableness around your employer’s affordability – it doesn’t mean they need to be rolling around in additional funds, but clearly still there’s that capacity to pay – then absolutely it’s necessary and makes sense to step forward and ask for what you are worth and what you deserve.”

Robert Walters Queensland managing director Sinead Hourigan suggest workers consider alternative rewards.

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Recruitment firm Robert Walters Queensland managing director Sinead Hourigan said money was not the only reward for a job well done.

“It would be delusional to be asking for a pay rise in the current climate but if people genuinely feel it is worth a conversation, they need to be proactive about alternatives – if that is a compressed work week or more flexibility it’s worth presenting as an option,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be attempting to secure additional reward from organisations – it is a challenging time for everyone.”

Originally published as Workers who can ask for a pay rise amid COVID-19 pandemic