Sapa is around. The cost of living is higher than ever. Your salary is still the same, and your employer hasn’t done the needful.
It’s time to realise that you might have to do something about it. Take the wisdom below as inspiration.
Let us show you how to turn the situation around.
1. You have to put in the work, so make sure you’re the first person they see every day
To do this, you have to get to the office as early as possible. Wait by the entrance or wherever they can easily find you. If you can help it, have a cup of coffee or whatever they drink ready for them. Many people will say you’re sucking up to them, but you shouldn’t care. Do this for some time and if luck is on your side, they will start to get uncomfortable and be forced to ask you what you want. You win!
2. Leave them anonymous love notes on their desk
If we’re being real, employers and employees are in a love affair. Words of affirmation are the trick here. Write things you think they will love on a note and stick it to their desk.
However if you do this for a few weeks and it doesn’t work, switch things up and resort to veiled threats. Is it ideal? Probably not. But all is fair in love and war.
3. Find out where they live and pay them a visit
If the office is not giving you what you want, you might want to take it home. Now, don’t, for any reason, go into their house. That will be crossing a very clear line. Just wait outside until they emerge. When they do, don’t engage them. Just smile and wave. Then calmly leave.
4. Mention that you’re being headhunted in a conversation
This is the oldest trick in the book. You should know something about this: it reeks of desperation. But if you’re smart about it, you might get what you want. Cook up a tale about how an imaginary employer is on your case, and how much they’re willing to pay you if you jump ship. Don’t say an exact figure— it’s a little on the nose. Just give them a range, so they know what your expectations are.
If your lie doesn’t sound believable, kiss your raise goodbye, and possibly your job too. But if you pull it off, it’s worth all the risk.
5. Don’t go to work for a few days
If you try everything and it doesn’t work, turn it into an all-out war. God will understand. Skip work for a few days and let them see what they will miss if you leave the team. Boom! Problem solved.
P.S: I’m obligated to tell you that if you give in to this violence, you will probably lose. But at least, posterity will have evidence that you tried to take what you thought was yours.
