If you’ve hustled this year and brought in lots of new business for your employer, you may be considering making a bonus request. Although it can feel a little awkward to ask for money, you deserve to be recognized and compensated for your excellent performance.
Here’s the best way to frame a bonus request so it doesn’t come off the wrong way to your boss.
Pick a Good Time to Talk
Bonus requests usually go over best when you make them in person. Schedule a time to sit down and talk to your boss face-to-face.
Try to pick a time when you think your boss will be in a good mood. If they’re not a morning person, don’t ask for a meeting at 9 a.m. on Monday.
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Go the Extra Mile
In the weeks leading up to the meeting, make sure you’re giving your all at work. Show up early and stay late. Meet all of your deadlines and go above and beyond the call of duty.
If your boss notices how hard you’re working, they may be more receptive to your bonus request when you make it.
Don’t Say You Need The Money
If you’re trying to pay off debt or max out your Roth IRA, getting a bonus can get you a lot closer to your goals. But don’t tell your boss that you want a bonus because you could use the money. It usually isn’t appropriate to bring up your personal finances at work.
Highlight Your Performance Instead
Your boss won’t give you a bonus just because you have credit card debt. But they may be open to granting your bonus request if you highlight all of the ways that you’ve improved the company’s bottom line this year.
Prepare for your meeting with your boss by making a list of your recent work achievements. Try to include statistics to show how your hard work has directly benefited the company.
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Don’t Push It
Many businesses have struggled because of the pandemic. So if your boss says that the company just doesn’t have enough money to give you a bonus, don’t be pushy or act disappointed.
If there isn’t enough wiggle room in the books to give employees more money, your boss may still be able to make other concessions. Ask about things like vacation days and stock options. If you want more flexible hours or work from home privileges, now may be a good time to bring it up.
However, if your performance is the reason your boss isn’t granting your bonus request, you’ll make things worse by requesting flextime or extra vacation days. Instead, follow up by asking your boss how you can improve in the coming year and get the bonus you want next time.
It can feel awkward to ask your boss for more money, especially during a pandemic when many businesses are struggling. But if you’ve delivered results that have kept your company afloat during this difficult time, you deserve to be compensated for your hard work.
Keep these tips in mind when you make your bonus request and you just might get that extra check you want.
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Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.
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