If you know that you are already working at a higher level than the title you were hired for, instead of asking your manager for a raise, you can approach them about a salary adjustment.

Similarly to approaching your manager for a raise, you need to do a little research before asking for a salary adjustment too. Here are the steps to take to prepare yourself to approach your manager. 

Is it time to ask for a salary adjustment? 

If you recently took on more job responsibilities and you feel like you are now working in a role that is a higher level than you were hired for, it may be time to talk to your manager! 

For example, you maybe got hired on as an entry-level housekeeper where your main job duties were keeping the guest rooms and public spaces clean but recently you also took on helping to lead the housekeeper team, create the schedule and help order more inventory. This aligns more with an executive housekeeper or equivalent role. 

It’s important to always be a team player and help when needed, but it’s also important to be financially recognized if new responsibilities become a permanent part of your job. 

How to prepare

Take some time to write down all of your job responsibilities, focusing on the ones that you do repeatedly. If you only took on additional responsibilities for a certain amount of time, or your manager already told you they are planning to hire a new team member, then you likely can’t ask for a salary adjustment. 

Once you have all of your responsibilities written out, research what positions you think they more closely align with based on job descriptions. You may even be able to find it on your own company’s website or employer page.

After you’ve found the right job title, research what a typical salary is for this role, you can even research it for your specific area by typing in “Executive housekeeper salary, Miami.” Create a range you are comfortable in around that salary, for example, if the average salary is $50,000, then your range could be $50,000 – $60,000.  

How to approach your manager 

One important thing to remember is that you want to have been successfully managing these added responsibilities for a little bit of time. Don’t approach your manager if you’ve only taken these on for the past month. You want to show that you’ve been managing them well and you are successfully balancing everything. 

Ask your manager to schedule some time to talk about this. Let them know ahead of time what the meeting will be about so they can prepare if they need to and you don’t catch them off guard. 

During the meeting

At the meeting, let your manager know that you are not asking for a raise but a salary adjustment, present all of your research, starting by laying out the responsibilities you have been successfully managing that align with the new salary you are asking for. 

If your manager doesn’t think they can make a salary adjustment at that time, ask them if you can create a timeline for making a salary adjustment or a raise in the near future. Ask your manager if there are any additional things you can do to accelerate the timeline or solidify the adjustment for the next meeting. 

If you never ask, the answer will always be ’no’, but make sure that you have the research done and that you have been putting in the work to show the salary adjustment is appropriate and well deserved.