Key Ways To Prepare Before Asking For A Raise

Equal work. Equal sweat. Equal pay.

The gender wage gap is still present in the workforce today. While many companies are making progressive strides to close the gap, it will take a number of years for female employees to receive equal pay that reflects the amount of work they put in compared to their male counterparts.

Secret has been uplifting and empowering women for over 60 years and wants to continue to support them in the workplace too!

Here are just a few things you can do to prep:

Give your planner a little extra zhush on the big day. Whether you’re all about perfectly online synced calendars or enjoy penciling in your events the old-fashioned way, make the big day stand out by either setting positive reminders with links to pump up jams a few days before or using some bright highlighters to really make it pop! Keeping the day constantly on your horizon will remind you to plan ahead and make you less likely to forget when the time for negotiation comes.

Look at how the meeting could pan out from a variety of angles. Imagine yourself as your manager, your manager’s manager, and even other coworkers bringing their own experiences to the table. What sort of in-depth questions would you ask them? While pay raise negotiations seem like a linear back-and-forth, there are an array of outside factors for everyone to consider. Approaching these conversations in an empathetic way can start a productive discourse between you and your manager.

There’s a time and place for improv, and the day you’re taking the reins of your career path probably isn’t it. Treat this meeting with the same prep work that you did for the interview when you first started out. Organize and outline your past, present, and future contributions so you have the knowledge and leverage to showcase to your manager that you have been, currently are, and will continue to be an important asset to the team, and that your pay should reflect that.

The more the merrier! Create a network of peers (both people you support as well as managers and leaders who support you) from whom to seek advice during this process. Some think the salary chat with coworkers is an office taboo, but open dialogues on these topics ultimately spark change and allow women to further equalize the playing and paying field. It’s also just nice to know that you’re not going into this process completely alone!

Do some digging around online and research what you’re really worth to your team. Find a similar or equivalent position to yours at another company and see if your job values your work and compensates you as well as others. This could also be a chance to put your feelers out for new job prospects, whether to forge a new career path or bring some leverage in your back pocket during salary negotiations. It might be second nature to be unsure of your position and quality of work, but know you are an asset and worth the pay raise you’re asking for.

If you’re uncomfortable being overtly aggressive and demanding of a raise, it might be best to consider an approach from a new angle. In a short and concise manner, weave your presence through key moments in your department’s history and future, pointing out how your contributions have positively affected the company. As you talk about the overall team’s progression and wins, you can also praise yourself without looking too self-interested and solidify your indispensable place in the company’s future.

Pay women what they're worth. Secret: Supporting women since 1956.

Illustrations by Victoria Reyes © BuzzFeed