4 Easy Steps To Request A Payrise in Dubai

According to research by GulfTalent.com,(‘Employment and Salary Trends in The Gulf‘), salaries in the UAE are expected to rise by an average of 5.1% in 2012, which begs the question, “have you received a pay rise this year and was it this high? If not, it may be that salaries at your business may be falling behind market rate and you are being under-paid.

If you are in the HR, healthcare or retail sector in Dubai, then you certainly should have expected to have received a good pay rise as these sectors have seen some of the highest pay rises this year. Unfortunately, marketing and real estate roles are experiencing the lowest pay rises this year.

However, even though there is all this pay-rise activity going on, there is no guarantee you will receive a rise in line with market rate. Why? Because these are just averages and within each sector grouping, some employers will give rises that are on or above market rate, and some will give pay rises below market rate or won’t give pay rises at all. And, if you are in the unfortunate latter grouping, who have not received a pay rise, then what can you do? Well, career wise you have three options; the first is that you can do nothing, the second is you can look for a higher paying job and the third option, which we will discuss further in this article,  is that you can ask your employer for a pay rise.

So how do you ask for a pay rise? It is important that when you ask for a pay rise that you do so in a professional and respectful way to ensure you maintain good relations with your employer both during and after your pay negotiation. You must also make sure to enter the negotiation trying your best to get a ‘yes’, but being prepared to accept a ‘no’ as this is a possible outcome.

4 Steps To Ask For a Pay rise

1. Believe in yourself; lack of self belief can be one of the biggest barriers to asking for a pay rise. Therefore, take stock of your own skills, experience and knowledge and truly believe that you deserve to be paid in line with the market. Once you have self-belief you have will the confidence and conviction to start and conduct a negotiation for a higher salary.
2. Understand your market value; look at one of the many salaries surveys in the middle east and find out what the market rate is for your current role. Bayt.com has a good salary survey but there are many more. Just do a google search for ‘salary survey UAE’ and you will find what you need. Use more than one survey for greater credibility.
3. Know your bargaining power; research the market and be sure to know whether there is a talent shortage in your sector. If demand for your services is high, then there is a greater upward pressure on salaries meaning your employer may be more open to pay rises in order to keep you.
4. Arrange a meeting with your manager; arrange a meeting with your manager and make your case for a pay rise. As part of your case for your pay rise, you should present the following information

• Your evidence from salary surveys to show you are below market rate
• Talk about your key achievements over the last 12 months that have benefited the business
• Talk about any additional responsibilities you have taken on or would be prepared to take on in the future.

Final words; of course you can’t make an employer give you a pay-rise but as long as you follow a professional process and are prepared to accept a no, you are perfectly entitled to ask – and you never know, you just might get that pay rise you deserve!

About the author

Kazim Ladimeji is the Director of thecareercafe.co.uk—a resource for start-ups, small business and job seekers. It includes a blog with career and small business advice articles. Kazim is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has been a practising HR professional for 14 years.

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