如何在经济低迷期争取加薪

随着企业纷纷裁员和冻薪，即使是那些未失业的人，其未来似乎也黯淡起来。日常支出毕竟无法减少，而许多人的投资又蒙受了巨大亏损。这时如果能加点工资就好了。

Andy Rash别以为加薪是不可能的事。虽然目前的经济形势不利于增加工资，但专家们说，对于那些有突出价值和富于谈判技巧的员工而言，还是有加薪机会的。

在经济低迷时期，要求加薪时把握好时机尤其关键。洛杉矶职业和商业策略师辛希娅•夏皮罗(Cynthia Shapiro)说，多数员工都会等到作业绩评估时才会要求加薪，但要求加薪的最佳时机是你刚刚做了件真正了不起的工作后，或是在你刚获得某项荣誉后。

在她看来，如果企业刚刚进行了一次大规模裁员，或是丢失了某个大客户，则不是员工要求加薪的恰当时机。

要想在当前经济形势下有机会加薪，你需要做到以下五点：

1.了解你的上司

明尼苏达州圣保罗的圣托马斯大学(University of St. Thomas)薪酬和福利主管彼得•龙扎(Peter Ronza)说，在要求加薪之前，要尽可能多地了解你公司的经营状况以及你上司可能面临的种种限制。

龙扎说，你千万不能径直去跟上司说，我家的电费支出增加了，我需要更多的钱。他说，你需要知道你的顾主、主管或经理目前的处境。无论是在预算方面还是经营上，他们都有可能面临不利状况。

他说，如果你想以个人原因要求加薪，那么你与上司有密切的关系是至关重要的。如果你们的关系不密切，那么你的加薪要求更有可能被拒绝。

2.充分利用你对公司的重要性

龙扎说，即使是在经营困难的时候，企业也必须留住那些起重要作用的优秀员工，如果你属于这类员工，那么这将对你要求加薪有利。

他说，顾主们知道，当经营状况开始好转时，公司各个重要岗位上必须要有胜任的员工才行。因为雇主需要你，所以他必须在你身上投资。而这正是你的着力点，如果你把握得当，就会有所收获。

伊利诺伊州威尔米特的薪资谈判顾问杰克•查普曼(Jack Chapman)说，公司裁员能为那些被留用的员工创造加薪机会。

他说，如果你仍被留用，那你就是仍被企业看重的员工之一。被裁员工的工作要分配给留用人员去做，你会被要求做更多工作。

3.显示你的价值

专家们说，要让上司清楚你的成就。

查普曼说，在经营困难的时候，企业想要奖励的是那些正在给公司创造价值的人。如果某种价值是你能给公司创造而其他人却不能的，那么你将更有资格获得加薪。要努力使自己变为公司不可或缺的人物。

夏皮罗建议，不妨将你取得的成就列个单子，以客观显示你的身价应该更高。如果其他人被公司解雇，你肩上的担子可能就更重了。

夏皮罗说，你需要证明你对公司有更大的价值。她说，去跟上司讲：我真的很珍惜这里的工作，不知道你是否了解，这些事一直是我干的。

4.关心你的公司

专家说，即使在你要求加薪的时候，你需要向雇主表明，你关心公司的利润。

夏皮罗说，获得加薪的方式是表明你就像关心自己的企业一样关心公司，无论你多么想要加薪，你也不能太贪心。你必须像关心自家企业的利润一样关心公司的利润。

她说，不要表现出敌对情绪，不要让人觉得你与公司离心离德。

夏皮罗还说，你不了解自己的饭碗是多么容易丢掉，你必须充分体谅公司在财务上的困难。她说，你不想成为公司的财务负担吧？如果你真成了负担，你也就该被裁掉了。

5.保持正确的态度

夏皮罗说，即使是在经济形势严峻的时候，也要努力在办公室内保持积极乐观的态度，尽管这可能并不容易做到。

她说，这主要也就是脸上始终保持微笑，当市况不佳的时候，企业可不想要那些不停抱怨的员工。在这种时候你必须有积极的态度，否则公司就会将你本身视为问题的一部分，而不是能解决问题的之一。

她还说，企业希望员工是因为热爱自己的工作才留在公司的，所以如果你想让事情按自己希望的方向发展，你就不能在那里混时间，或仅仅为了钱才在那里。

Ruth Mantell  As companies cut employees and freeze wages, the future may seem bleak even to those workers who still have a job. After all, bills keep rolling in and many have lost significant dollars on their investments. A salary increase could come in mighty handy.

Don't assume it's out of the question. While economic circumstances have stacked the deck against you, there is room for raises for those workers with outstanding value and a fair amount of finesse when it comes to negotiating, experts say.

Especially in this anemic economy, timing is key in asking for a raise. 'Most employees wait for a review period. But the best time to do it is right after you do something really great, or right after you get kudos,' says Cynthia Shapiro, a career and business strategist based in Los Angeles.

In contrast, if the company 'just had big layoffs or lost a major client, that is not the right time,' she adds.

Here are five things you'll need to do in order to have a chance at scoring a salary increase in this economy:

1. Know your boss
Before asking for a raise, educate yourself as much as possible about the health of your company and any limitations your boss may face, says Peter Ronza, director of compensation and benefits at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

'You really can't go in there and just say 'my light bill went up and I need more money,' ' Mr. Ronza says. 'You need to know what your employer is going through, and your supervisor or manager. They have constraints, whether budgetary or operational.'

If you are making a case that you need a raise for personal reasons, it's critical that you have a close relationship with your boss, he says. If it's not close, he says, you are more likely to get turned down.

2. Leverage your talent
Even during tough times, companies have to retain key talent -- which could work in your favor when it comes to a raise, Mr. Ronza says.

'They know that when the recovery starts they have to have the right people in the right places. They are going to invest in you because they need you. That is a point of leverage -- if you play it right, you could get something,' he says.

The layoffs of other workers can create an opportunity for a raise for those who are still employed, says Jack Chapman, a salary-negotiation coach based in Wilmette, Ill.

'If you are still there, you are one of the people they still value,' he says. 'The work does get spread around and you are asked to do more with less.'

3. Show your worth
Make your accomplishments clear to your boss, experts say.

'In tough times, the people that [companies] want to reward are the people who are producing value for them,' Mr. Chapman says. 'If there is some value you can produce and other people can't, that makes you more eligible for a raise. Focus on making yourself indispensable.'

Ms. Shapiro recommends keeping a list of accomplishments to make an objective case that you are worth more. If others have been laid off, you may have picked up new tasks to highlight.

'You need to prove that you are worth more to the company,' Ms. Shapiro says. 'Go in and say: 'I really value working here. I've been doing these things I don't know if you're aware of.' '

4. Care about the company
You need to demonstrate to your employer that you are concerned about the company's bottom line, even as you ask for more money, experts say.

'The way to get a raise is to show that you care for the company like it's your own,' Ms. Shapiro says. 'No matter how badly you want a raise, you can't demand anything. You have to treat the company's bottom line as your own.'

Don't be belligerent or appear to be working at cross purposes with the company, she says.

'You don't know how tenuous your job is,' Ms. Shapiro adds. 'You have to have a lot of respect and understanding for what the company is dealing with financially. You don't want to become one of their financial stresses. If you do become one of them, you'll be out.'

5. Keep the right attitude
Though it may be tough, try to stay upbeat in the office even in this rough economy, Ms. Shapiro says.

'A big part of this whole process is keeping that smile on your face,' she says. 'When times are tough, companies do not want complaining employees. You have to have a positive approach during this time or the company will see you as part of the problem instead of part of the solution.'

Firms want to believe that workers are there because they love it, she adds. 'So if you want to grease the wheels in your favor, you can't be a clock watcher or just be in it for the money.'

Ruth Mantell