Workplace Wellbeing: When is the right time to ask for a pay rise?

A survey of 1,000 Irish workers found that only a quarter reported having money left over after paying bills

When asking for a pay rise, be strategic and get clear about what your leverage is. Are you providing something unique in terms of skill or experience?

Based on a true story, the film Erin Brockovich is packed with inspiring moments. But perhaps one of the most rousing moments is when the law clerk, played by Julia Roberts, is handed an envelope containing a cheque by her boss, who mutters that the amount is “not exactly what we discussed”.

Assuming that she is being underpaid, Brockovich immediately launches into a staunch defence of her worth. “It’s not about the number,” she declares passionately. “It’s about the way my worth is valued in this firm.”

In the next scene, she opens the envelope and discovers her boss has increased her bonus. The amount she was paid for gathering the medical and corporate records that uncovered a cover-up of toxic water contamination was $2 million, many multiples of what a law clerk could expect to be paid, yet an accurate reflection of the work she had done to help win this landmark legal case.

When negotiating her fee to play Brockovich, Julia Roberts showed she understood her own financial worth. At a time when film studios claimed that female actors couldn’t command the same payouts as males, Roberts leveraged her star power and became the first woman to get a $20m fee for a single movie.

If only we could all be so outspoken about our finances. Susan Walsh, a certified financial planner with Metis Ireland, says that greater financial transparency would be useful for everyone.

Susan Walsh, a certified financial planner with Metis Ireland.

“Money has long been a private, almost taboo, subject in Ireland,” she says. “ But younger people are more open and compare salaries. I think this increased openness helps us to be more confident about how we negotiate our remuneration packages and better address issues like the gender pay gap, where women typically earn less than men.”

Financial openness

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis makes financial openness all the more pertinent. PricewaterhouseCoopers surveyed 1,000 Irish workers in 2026 and only a quarter reported having money left over after paying bills at the end of the month. Two-thirds said that financial concerns had impacted their work in the past 12 months, and one-third said they were likely to ask for a pay rise this year.

Initiating conversations about money can be difficult. Walsh warns anyone who tries to compare their salary with someone else’s to be sure they are “comparing like with like”. You should be in a similar role with similar responsibilities and offer similar value in terms of experience and qualifications.”

She also advises being selective about the people you speak with. “Only talk to colleagues you trust to provide you with factually correct information,” she says. “And treat what they tell you with discretion. People regard their salary as private information.”

In some cases, it may be easier to do your research externally. Walsh recommends career advisors, employment websites and recruiters as ways of gaining an insight into what people are earning in comparable roles within your industry.

Terry O’Brien, a career consultant and lecturer in career development at Dublin City University, urges anyone who is assessing their remuneration package to think beyond money.

Terry O’Brien: a career consultant and lecturer in career development at DCU

“The size of our salary is only one aspect of job satisfaction,” he says. “We might have a great boss who is easy to work for, great colleagues or a great culture, with access to training and learning opportunities. It’s hard to put a price on being able to walk into work on a Monday morning with a smile on your face.”

Walsh adds that employees should also consider benefits such as pension contributions, health insurance cover, or the ability to work from home or with flexi hours. “Your remuneration package is more than your take-home salary,” she says. “There are other aspects that should be factored into any value comparison.”

Pay rise

If, after weighing up everything you get from your work, you still think you’re justified in asking for a pay rise, O’Brien’s advice is to “be strategic and get clear about what your leverage is. Are you providing something unique in terms of skill or experience? Or if you left in the morning, would it make little difference to the operation of your organisation? If you’re still in the learning phase of your career, it may be the latter. Be realistic as you ask yourself these questions, as the answers determine how strong your hand will be at the negotiating table.”

The next step is to make your case, and one of the best times to do this, according to O’Brien, is during scheduled performance appraisals.

“Most managers sit down with employees once or twice a year to discuss issues related to the employee’s role, responsibilities and performance,” he says. “Conversations about compensation can happen more naturally as part of these appraisals.”

However, don’t just play it by ear and hope for the best. Prepare in advance. “Practice what you’re going to say in terms of specific examples of the value you’ve brought to the organisation,” says Walsh, adding that you can do this with a career coach, a friend or even by yourself in front of the mirror.

Walsh acknowledges that it can be difficult to remain calm and collected because “many of us conflate our salary with our worth, and talking about it can stir up feelings of self-esteem, anxiety and upset. Try to sidestep those emotions by focusing on the facts, which is what you think you deserve and why.”

Anticipate what you’re going to do if the worst-case scenario unfolds and your request is refused. Your instinct might be to retreat to recover from rejection, but Walsh sees such a retreat as a missed opportunity.

“Ask why you’re not getting a pay rise at this time and if there are steps you can take to get to where you want to be financially,” says Walsh. “Or maybe there are other benefits your employer could offer. From increased pension contributions to a car allowance, gym membership and even tax-free gift cards, there are all sorts of ways employers can improve their employees’ finances other than a pay rise.”

O’Brien adds that another way might be investing in further training and education. “If they would pay for you to get a degree, a master’s or a shorter micro credential in something like project management or leadership, you’d gain more skills and become more valuable to the company, improving your leverage for the future,” he says. “You would also expand your network and open yourself up to potential external opportunities.”

What we all need to bear in mind, says Walsh, is that being open, ready and able to discuss and negotiate money leads to increased fairness in the workplace.

A 2006 American study supports this view. It found that by the age of 60, people who hadn’t negotiated their first salary had earned $500,000 less than those who had and that women were four times less likely than men to negotiate their first salary.

In the long run, Walsh believes that everyone benefits from greater openness. “While I don’t think we all need to know exactly how much everyone else is earning, it is beneficial if organisations are clear about the salary range for different roles and if employees are encouraged to approach their managers if and when they want to find out about how they can earn more,” says Walsh.

“That approach is in the employer’s best interest too, as staff who feel undervalued tend to lack motivation, underperform, and ultimately look for work elsewhere.”