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June 22, 2011 How to Handle a Raise Request

What to do when a report asks for more money, but your employer lacks a good compensation policy
By Dick Grote
"Can I have a raise?"
MISSION STATEMENT Five little words cause a lot of stress and frustration. In many smaller organizations &d dash; and even some
Recognizing that economic development and larger ones—there's no formal compensation policy. There may not even be an HR professional available to
community cohesiveness is an ongoing process. consult on merit increases and other pay issues. In these companies, you are likely to encounter direct requests
The mission of the Selah Chamber of Commerce from your staff members for a raise. Absent a policy, people assume that if they want a raise the only way they
is to promote business development, community
awareness and activities. Our goal is develop the can get one is to ask for it.
business core of Selah as a valuable commodity
in Yakima County.
Of course, the best solution to this problem is to set some kind of compensation policy so these decisions don't
have to be handled in a one-off, spur-of-the-moment fashion. But as a manager, you may not be in a position to
GENERAL MEETING determine what your company's policy will be, particularly if your company is a small owner-operated firm and
you aren't the owner. To have to say, "You'll have to talk to Mr. Jones about that," lets everyone know that you
Tuesday, June 28 have no power or authority in the really important areas.
Selah Civic Center
11:30 - 1:00 Raise-requesters usually offer up a combination of reasons why they deserve a pay increase: They've done an
outstanding job and therefore deserve an increase. (Regardless of the truth of the assertion, this reason is al-
Speaker most always offered.) The scope of the job has significantly widened. The person is underpaid compared with
Charlie Brown peers in the office or what the going rate for the job is at other organizations. The cost of living has gone way up
Discover Selah Fall Festival since the last salary adjustment. And there's always the universal "I just need more money" motive.

Bill Preston If you are the decision-maker, the best approach is to thank the person for bringing the matter to your attention
WSDOT Project Engineer along with a promise to get back with an answer by a specific date. From there, talk to other people in leadership
positions in your company about the whole issue of compensation. Is this raise request a unique event, or is it
Selah Bypass Construction Update
the tip of an iceberg of compensation grumbles?

Then, fairly assess the situation. Keep in mind the difference between the value of the role that employees per-
Spotlight Business
form and their value as individuals. They're not the same. Every job is worth a certain amount. That amount is
determined by the market, not by the quality of the individual's performance or their need for a greater income. It
may be that the limit of the value that can be placed on a particular role has simply been reached. The refusal to
grant a salary increase here is not a reflection on the person's value as an individual but the worth of the job to
Lunch $5.00 the company, no matter how well it's performed.
Hot Dogs, Chips, Potato Salad,
But let's say a review of the individual's salary-change request tells you that a pay increase is appropriate — the
Cookie, Beverage person is, in fact, underpaid compared with others in the company who are doing similar work, or it would be
difficult to replace the individual if she left at anywhere near the salary the raise-requester is currently getting.
Don't immediately grant the increase. If a salary increase is granted directly following a request, word may
50/50 Drawing spread that all individuals in the organization are underpaid. The unfortunate precedent will be set that the way to
get a salary increase is simply to ask for it. You will then be held hostage to all the other raise requests that will
$1 Each or 6 tickets /$5.00
immediately follow.

SEE YOU THERE! Instead, initiate a second conversation. Explain how the amount of money paid an individual is a function of two
things: the value of the job itself and the quality of performance of the person doing the job. Ask the individual to
examine both how she might enhance her performance and how her job can be made more valuable to the or-
ganization. What additional duties might she assume? How much extra responsibility is she willing to take on?
BOARD RETREAT How much extra effort is she willing to put forth?
Wednesday, August 10
Yakima Valley Credit Union When these issues have been successfully settled, the pay increase can be granted with both you and your
subordinate can leave the table satisfied. With a few extra steps and strategic thinking, answering difficult com-
12:00 - 1:00 pensation questions can be a breeze—and not a headache.
 Page 2 www.selahchamber.org

Chamber Presidents Message

Summer is here, the sun is out, the wind is blowing, and construction is well underway!
Selah is such a great place to live and work and the Chamber never forgets that. We strive each month to
make a difference in the business community on behalf of our members. We always appreciate your input
and ideas on how to improve and provide you more services that bring you business and keep our town
energized. Our new board will convene in August to establish our goals for the year, assure that those
goals provide a benefit to our members and that we budget prudently for the events and activities that we
organize. We have three committees that we would love to have your participation on this year, Member
Relations, Community Events, and Government Relations. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to
call me or stop in the Civic Center and chat with Shirley Wasilewski, our Chamber Office Coordinator. She
is the foundation of the Chamber, providing support and coordination of our daily activities and events and
can answer, or find the answer, to almost any question! I believe this is going to be a great summer and a
wonderful new year for the Chamber.

Jean Brown
President, Selah Chamber of Commerce
WorkSource Yakima

2011 –2012
Board of Directors

President
Board Members
Jean Brown
Work Source Yakima Eric Skoien – Les Schwab
Launee Wolverton – Yakima National Bank
1st Vice President
Gay Parker Lisa Bertelsen – Selah’s Wednesday Market
Capitol Theatre
Mike Reese – Sentinel Computers
nd
2 Vice President Chris Scacco – Selah School District
Brooke Geiger
Edward Jones Jeff Hagler – Selah Tourism

Treasurer LTC Mike Daniels – Yakima Training Center

Janet Engle Shawnee Olson – Yakima Business Journal
US Bank
Stacy Dwarshius – City of Selah
Secretary
Chelsea Thorne Tracy Jewett – Beltone Hearing
Banner Bank

• Member Relations - Shawnee Olson (chair), Janet Engle, Gay Parker, Eric Skoien and Shirley Wasilewski.
• Community Events - Brooke Geiger (co-chair), Lisa Bertelsen (co-chair), Tracy Jewett, Stacy Dwarshius,
Launee Wolverton, Shawnee Olson and Shirley Wasilewski.
• Government Relations - LTC Mike Daniels (chair), Chelsea Thorne, Mike Reese, Jeff Hagler, Jean Brown,
Chris Scacco.
 www.selahchamber.org Page 3

Community Events
Mark you Calendars Chamber Events Board Meetings
General Meetings Yakima Valley Credit Union
Woman to Woman
Tuesday, August 23 Friday, October 21
Wednesday, August 10
Tuesday, September 27 Wednesday, September 14
Tuesday, October 25 Business Trick or Treat
Wednesday, October 12
Tuesday, November 29 Monday, October 31
Wednesday, September 14
December No Meeting Wednesday, October 12
Tuesday, January 24 Christmas Lighting
Wednesday, November 9
Tuesday, February 28 “Selah-bration”
Wednesday, December 14
Tuesday, March 27 December
Wednesday, January 11
Tuesday, April 24 Wednesday, February 8
Tuesday, May 22 Community Days
Wednesday, March 14
Tuesday, June 26 Potato Feed
Wednesday, April 11
Friday, May 18
Wednesday, May 9
Wednesday, June 13

CHAMBER BUSINESS TIP

When an Employee Asks for Motivation

The other day I had an employee tell me that he needed me to motivate him. As I stared, dumb-
founded, and started to address his concern, it reminded me of some critical characteristics that I
look for in employees.

Are they passionate about what they're doing? People who have passion will be motivated to
succeed simply because they love what they're doing.

How do they handle adversity or criticism? Nobody's perfect. At one point or another, everybody
faces adversity or criticism. I'm always curious to see how people react to that. A motivated per-
son will take the criticism, learn from it, and become better as a result. An unmotivated employee
will sulk and pout about it and let it get in the way of accomplishing goals.

Do they need an incentive such as a bonus to be motivated? I've worked with people who do not
lag, but do not excel either, until a bonus is offered. Once they know there is a bonus to be
earned, they turn into completely different people and achieve miraculous accomplishments.

I want employees who share these characteristics. In basketball, coaches often say that great
shooters keep shooting and always believe the next shot is going in, regardless of how many
consecutive shots they've missed. I look for employees with enough motivation to keep trying, no
matter how many prospects or sales leads have told them "no." Such employees never give up
and remain optimistic that the next call is going to be the big sale.

Brad Walters,
Founder, President & Chief Executive
Monnitt Corporation
 June 22,
2011

PO Box 415
216 S 1st Street
Selah, WA 98942

www..selahchamber.org
Facebook: Selah Chamber of Commerce
Email: selahchamber@fairpoint.net

Welcome New Member IMPORTANT

Pingrey Ford CHANGE IN MEETING LOCATION
Bobbi Goin
Due to a scheduling conflict we will
102 W Naches Ave meet at the Selah Civic Center for our
Selah, WA 98942 General meeting this month.

Selah’s Wednesday Market

NOW OPEN
June 15 - September 28
210 S 1st Street
(Behind Kings Row)
Fresh Locally Grown Fruits & Vegetables, Fresh
Baked Goods, Plants & Flowers, Artisans &
Crafters, Kids Corner and much more…..
WORD OF THE MONTH
FRIENDLINESS
Friendliness is taking an interest in other
people, being warm and courteous.
When you are friendly, you happily share
the things you have.