How to talk about your pay rise with friends – politely - Women's Agenda

How to talk about your pay rise with friends – politely

You’ve got a pay rise, you may even be earning more than your male colleagues for the first time and you’re proud of it. So, do you tell your friends?

Boasting is so unbecoming to a lady, don’t you know? Some consider boasting about money even worse. So how do we, as women, celebrate our successes with our friends in a world where women still earn eighty cents to the male dollar if we can’t talk about it?

What you earn is your own business. You don’t have to put your bank account details on Facebook but it does help other women in the workplace to know what you and they are financially worth in the eyes of a company. Not that we’re suggesting you send a memo round the office.

Revealing your salary to your work colleagues may not be a good thing but celebrating with your friends outside of your place of work is. If you don’t want to disclose the figure to your competitive friends then simply refer to it in percentages. A ten percent pay rise is impressive in itself.

Speaking of competitive women, it takes two to compete. Remaining silent with female friends can breed resentment as much as over boasting.

Crying poor while purchasing big ticket items isn’t going to win you any friends, better to be transparent and cry ‘saving for big ticket item’ so it doesn’t come as a surprise when you drive up in your European wheels or claim the keys to your second house.

Not telling them about your pay rise when they can clearly see the benefits in the cut of your couture doesn’t help either of you. One woman’s success can be inspiring to another and help them break out of their own career salary cap. But it is how you present your pay rise that determines inspiration or the rise of the green eyed monster.

Sharing how you did it, what steps you had to take, what figures you had to prove or simply having to ask your boss at the right time may encourage other women to step forward and ask for what they are really worth.

Theoretically we should be able to share each other’s successes in the hope we will as a whole group of women benefit too. Thinking there is only one slice of the financial pie to go around and if you have it another woman can’t have it too does none of us any favours.

Stand loud, proud and transparent about your rise to the top so others can do the same.

×

Stay Smart! Get Savvy!

Get Women’s Agenda in your inbox