Pay rise by email

VM asks: "Could you please advise if I can ask my boss for a promotion and a pay rise using email?" The answer is no and yes. It would be better to have a meeting in person to raise the issue of a promotion but say you want to outline the reasons in an email to give your boss time to think over your request. You would then do just that.

Use an email to outline a well reasoned case for promotion and end with a request for a face-to-face meeting to discuss it. "Well reasoned" would include the fact you haven't had a pay rise in x years or the fact you are doing more responsible or highly skilled work. Another reason could be that you took on a colleague's duties when he or she left or moved to another role. Or that you have researched salaries for your role and that your current rate is below the benchmark for your sector/industry. Those reasons could also apply to a promotion.

Basically, you want to give your bosses reasons to say 'yes' to your request. An email out of the blue with a single question on it requesting a promotion and pay rise will not do the job. However, if you are shy or too scared to raise the issue in person then OK, put it in an email but say you have done so to give your boss a chance to think over your request and suggest you meet in person at a later date to discuss his or her response.

By Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au

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