Evaluating a Salary Increase After Expanded Responsibilities: A Professional Perspective

In today’s dynamic work environment, it’s common for employees to assume additional responsibilities without immediate compensation adjustments. If you find yourself in such a situation, knowing how to approach a salary review strategically is essential. This article explores key considerations and best practices when seeking a substantial raise after taking on increased duties.

Case Context

Imagine a professional who accepted a Marketing Director role approximately 1.5 years ago at a starting salary of $60,000. Although the compensation was below market rate, the candidate prioritized job security during a transitional period and accepted the position without negotiations, influenced by previous unsuccessful attempts at salary discussions.

Over time, the individual’s role has evolved significantly:

• The company eliminated support staff, such as a social media manager and a photographer, placing additional workload on the employee.
• Responsibilities now encompass managing all social media, photography, and marketing initiatives.
• The employee has also proactively contributed to other departments, including development, operations, and communications.
• Contributions include enhancing branding materials and leading storytelling projects that align with the organization’s strategic goals.
• The organization is preparing for a major office move, where the employee’s marketing expertise positions them to orchestrate a key branding moment.

Given these developments, the professional is contemplating requesting a 25% salary increase, elevating their compensation to $75,000. While their supervisor supports this idea, some may scrutinize smaller responsibilities like analytics or inventory management as reasons to delay or deny the request. Nonetheless, the employee perceives their role as significantly larger than initially defined and deserves appropriate compensation.

Key Considerations for Requesting a Raise

1. Assessing the Reasonableness of a 25% Increase

2. A substantial increase such as 25% is justified when an employee’s responsibilities have expanded considerably beyond their original scope.

3. Market research should support the claim that such a raise aligns with industry standards for comparable roles, especially considering heightened duties.

4. Framing the Request: Market Value vs. Increased Responsibilities

5. Emphasize that the raise reflects current market rates for the role, considering the expanded scope.

6. Alternatively, framing it around increased responsibilities underscores the tangible growth in duties and contributions.

7. Communicating the Request: Written or In-Person?

8. Initiating the conversation via a formal email provides a documented trail of your request.

9. However, delivering such a request in person or through a virtual meeting allows for nuanced discussion and immediate feedback.
10. A common best practice