RAISE
They gave you a 2% raise. Here is what to do next.
The review is over. You said thank you. The number was not enough. Here is exactly how to reopen the conversation — and what to say when you do.
You are back at your desk.
The review went well. Your manager said good things. And then came the number — 2%, maybe 3% — and something in you deflated. You smiled. You said thank you. The meeting ended.
Now you are sitting with the quiet version of a question you did not ask out loud: *Is that it?*
It is almost certainly not it. The conversation you just had is the opening position, not the final offer — even though it was presented as neither of those things. Raises, like job offer salaries, are almost never the maximum the organisation is willing to pay. They are the number offered to people who are expected to accept without pushing back.
The difference is that with a job offer, most people know they can negotiate. With a raise, most people think the conversation is over once the number has been given. It is not. But the window for reopening it is shorter than you think, and how you do it matters enormously.
This article is for the hours and days after the meeting. Not how to prepare for a review — that article exists. This one starts where the review ended.
Is it too late?
Almost never. Here is why.
A raise announcement is not a signed contract. It is a decision made within a budget process that has some degree of flexibility, communicated by a manager who almost certainly has more authority to adjust it than they implied. The announcement closes the internal conversation on their side. It does not close yours.
The one thing that does close it is time. The longer you wait after the review, the harder it becomes to reopen the conversation without it feeling like a complaint rather than a negotiation. The 48-hour window after the review — while the conversation is still fresh and before the raise has been processed into payroll — is when you have the most room to act.
If the review was today, this article is for right now.
If it was last week, you still have room — but you need to move today.
If it was more than two or three weeks ago and you have not raised it, the conversation shifts from reopening a negotiation to requesting a formal review. That is harder but not impossible. The script for that version is in the FAQ at the bottom of this article.
The "I already said thank you" problem
The specific difficulty of this situation for women is the sequence of events. You received news. You responded graciously. You left.
Now going back feels like it contradicts what you communicated in the room. Like you are reversing a position. Like you are proving you were only performing gratitude, not feeling it.
You were not. Both things can be true: you were genuinely grateful to be recognised, and the number is not enough. Those are not contradictory positions. They are the entirely normal response of someone who values the relationship and also knows what the market pays for their work.
The language that bridges this is important. The reopening conversation should not walk back your warmth in the room. It should carry that warmth forward and add information — specifically, the information that you would like to continue the conversation about the number before it is finalised.
The raise was the opening position. You have not yet responded to it. The conversation that matters happens now, in the 48 hours after the meeting — not in the meeting itself.
Step 1 — The email that reopens it
Send this within 24 to 48 hours of the review. Do not call. Do not ambush your manager in the corridor. A brief, warm email creates space for the conversation without putting anyone on the spot in real time.
“Subject: Following up — our conversation yesterday Hi [Name], Thank you again for the review — I genuinely appreciated the feedback and the recognition of the work this year. I'd love to find a few minutes to continue the conversation about the salary adjustment before it's finalised. I've been doing some thinking and I'd like to share a couple of things I didn't raise in the room. Would later this week work for you? [Your name]”
Three things this email does. It restates warmth — you are not reversing your position from the review. It frames the follow-up as a continuation rather than a challenge. And it asks for a short, contained meeting rather than opening the entire conversation in writing, which gives both of you room to have a real exchange.
The phrase "before it's finalised" is deliberate. It implies a degree of flexibility in the process — which, in most organisations, genuinely exists at this stage — without claiming certainty about that flexibility.
Do not explain the reason for the meeting in the email. The email's job is to get the meeting, not to make the case. Your case belongs in the conversation, not in a subject line.
Step 2 — The meeting: what to say
When you sit down, the structure is simple: one opening sentence, your case in two minutes, one direct ask, then wait.
Opening:
"Thank you for making time. I wanted to come back to the salary adjustment before it's processed, because I didn't raise something in the review that I think is relevant to where we land."
This sentence does not apologise for being there. It does not hedge. It names a reason you are back — there is something relevant you did not raise — which is almost always true and gives the conversation immediate substance.
Your case in two minutes:
“"I've spent some time looking at the market rate for my role at this level — specifically [Glassdoor / LinkedIn Salary / industry data for our sector]. For this title, in [city/region], the current range is [market figure]. Based on what I've delivered this year — specifically [one concrete result: project, revenue, outcome, team] — I think I sit toward the top of that range. The [2%] adjustment brings me to [new salary], which is below where the market puts someone with my track record. I was hoping we could discuss getting closer to [your target number]."”
Three elements, all necessary. Market data — your number is grounded externally, not in personal desire. One concrete result — you are not making a character argument, you are making an evidence argument. A direct target — one specific number, not a range.
The ask:
"Is there any room to revisit the number before it goes through?"
Direct. One question. Then stop talking.
The silence that follows belongs to your manager, not to you. Resist the instinct to fill it with qualifications, retreats, or alternative suggestions before they have responded. Wait.
The four most common responses — and what to say
"The raise has already been submitted / processed."
This happens sometimes, particularly in large organisations where payroll timelines are tight. It is not the end of the conversation.
“"I understand — I should have raised this sooner. Given that it's been processed, could we schedule a specific conversation about my salary for [a concrete near-term date]? I'd like to make sure we have a dedicated conversation about it, separate from the next annual cycle."”
You are not fighting the timeline. You are using it to create a formal milestone — a dedicated salary conversation outside the standard review cycle. That is often easier to get than a retroactive change, and it sets the stage for the adjustment to happen sooner.
"The budget for this cycle is set — there's no flexibility."
“"I hear you, and I appreciate you being direct. If the base can't move in this cycle, could we look at what else might be possible — a one-time bonus, a committed timeline for a mid-year review, or any other adjustment? I want to make sure we find a way to close some of the gap."”
You are not disputing the budget. You are redirecting to the package — the same move that works in a job offer negotiation works here. A one-time bonus comes from a different budget line than recurring salary. A committed mid-year review date is not money now, but it is a formal mechanism to get there.
If they say nothing else is available:
"Would you be able to commit to a specific review date — say [three months from now] — with a clear intention to revisit the number at that point? I'd like to have something documented."
Get the date in writing. "We'll revisit it" without a date is not a commitment. A date, noted in an email, is.
"I'll need to take this back to [HR / the leadership team / finance]."
"Of course — I completely understand. Is there anything I can provide to help make the case? A summary of my contributions, market data, anything that would be useful to share. I'm happy to put something together."
You are offering to write your own business case — which managers who want to advocate for you but face approval processes often find genuinely useful. It also signals that you are not going away.
Ask for a timeline: "When do you think you'll have a response?" Then make a note to follow up if you have not heard by that date.
"Your performance was excellent — I just don't have the authority to offer more."
“"I appreciate you saying that, and I believe you on the constraints. Could you help me understand who does have that authority and whether there's a route to get this in front of them? I'd rather work through the right process than push somewhere it can't go."”
This question does two things. It takes the manager's word at face value — which is respectful and strategically correct — while asking for the path to the person who can actually move the number. It is not confrontational. It is organised.
The follow-up email — same day, every time
After the conversation, whatever was discussed, send a brief confirming email before the end of the day.
“Subject: Following up on our conversation Hi [Name], Thank you for making time to talk through this. As I mentioned, my target is [your number] based on the market data for this role and what I've delivered this year. [If a timeline was agreed]: As discussed, I'm noting that we'll revisit the salary at [date], with the intention to get to [your number] at that point. [If it's going upstairs]: I appreciate you taking it forward — please let me know if there's anything I can provide to support the conversation. I genuinely appreciate working here and I want to make sure we land in the right place on this. [Your name]”
This email creates a written record of the target number, any commitments made, and the warmth of the relationship. It is not adversarial. It is professional documentation — which matters most when the commitment to revisit is vague and memory gets convenient.
What to ask for beyond the salary
If the base salary genuinely cannot move — and sometimes it cannot — the following are available in many organisations and worth asking for explicitly:
A one-time performance bonus. Comes from a different budget than recurring salary. Often approved where a base increase is not. Amounts to real money now, even without changing the long-term number.
An accelerated review date. A committed salary review at three or six months, with a documented intention to get to your number. This compresses the timeline to your next raise without requiring the current process to be reversed.
A title adjustment. In some cases, the right title makes the salary case next time far easier — both internally and in your next external negotiation. A title that reflects your actual scope is not compensation today, but it is leverage tomorrow.
A professional development budget. Direct financial value that compounds into future earning. Worth asking for specifically if nothing else will move.
The goal of this conversation is not to leave empty-handed. Even a small movement — a formal review date, a one-time payment, a committed timeline — is better than accepting the original number in silence and starting from zero at next year's review.
When the raise is a signal worth acting on
Sometimes the conversation above goes as well as it can, and the number still does not move. No flexibility, no timeline, no alternative. The organisation has communicated something clearly.
That communication is information.
A company that cannot or will not close a gap between your raise and the market rate — particularly when your performance has been strong — is telling you how it values your compensation relative to other priorities. That is not a judgement on your worth. It is a data point about whether this organisation will ever pay you what your work is worth on the open market.
The most expensive response to a too-low raise is accepting it and waiting. Raises compound on each other. A base salary that is consistently below market rate is not just a short-term loss — it is a compounding gap that widens with every subsequent percentage increase applied to a lower number. Three years of 3% raises on a base that should have been 15% higher is a very different outcome from where you started.
If the conversation does not move the number and produces no concrete path forward, the most useful thing you can do is update your knowledge of the market — which you have probably done in preparation for this conversation — and make an informed decision about what to do with it.
That decision is yours. The article does not tell you to leave. It tells you that the information the conversation produced is real, and that choosing to ignore it is a choice with a cost.
What to do before the conversation ends
- Send the reopening email within 48 hours of the review — before the raise is processed.
- In the meeting: market data, one concrete result, one target number.
- Ask once, clearly, then wait.
- Respond to whichever of the four pushbacks you receive — they are all workable.
- Send the confirming email the same day, whatever was discussed.
- If a timeline was agreed, note it, and follow up when it arrives.
You said thank you in the room. That was right. What you say next is the negotiation.
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