Your raise was denied? What to do in the 90 days after

You asked for a raise and the answer was no.

But the conversation doesn't necessarily have to end there. In fact, if the company tells you that today there are no conditions for a salary review, the next step should be to understand what conditions would need to exist for the decision to change.

Because from here, a very concrete plan for the next 90 days can start.

Define the reopening criteria before you leave the room

First of all, before leaving the conversation, define the reopening criteria. Avoid settling for vague phrases like “Let's see how it goes.” Instead, ask “What results or behaviors would need to be different for the review to be approved?” and dig into your interlocutors' answers until you reach observable elements.

Then, already schedule the next conversation as a checkpoint to evaluate these points.

Collect evidence, not promises

Over the next 90 days, work on it and collect evidence, results, responsibilities, managed projects, feedback received. Don't rely on memory, but keep track of what happens.

If one of the agreed criteria was “more responsibility”, you need to reach the next conversation able to show where and how that responsibility was exercised.

Beware the “do even more” trap

Be careful not to fall into the “do even more” trap, because this only leads you to work more, accept everything and take on extra responsibilities in the hope that someone will finally notice. But if you haven't defined what really needs to change, you might simply end up doing more work under the same conditions.

The 90-day plan is not there to generically prove your worth, but to build precise elements aligned with the decision criteria.

After 90 days, come back with a precise story

And after 90 days? Go back to the conversation, revisit what you had defined, show what happened and move your request forward.

If you're in this situation and want to figure out how to build your next negotiation, or whether it makes sense to keep negotiating, you can book an Evaluation Call with me.