Being nice to your boss won't get you a pay rise, according to a new study showing that only aggressive negotiators get what they want.
Researchers found the most effective strategies for securing a bigger salary were to be assertive and “not take no for an answer”. Workers who initiated pay negotiations and pursued a raise aggressively had the most success, the study found.
Employees who had “done their homework” in advance of negotiations also earned themselves more holidays and perks such as mobile phones and company cars.
But more risk-averse employees who compromised in the hope of not souring relationships fared the worst as they eventually caved to management wishes.
Researchers from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, Philadelphia and George Mason University, near Washington DC, discovered that workers who avoided salary discussions at appraisals or in interviews, almost never got a raise.
Their study, published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, found those who actively sought out a rise earned an average $5000 (£3,200) more every year than those who didn’t.
More “assertive” workers then ended up earning up to $600,000 (£385,000) more over a 40-year career.
This was based on the assumption that workers were given annual pay rises of up to five per cent although the research did not explore career earnings.
They also found almost no difference between methods in male and female workers, suggesting that career-driven women were just as “competitive” during salary negotiations.
Prof Crystal Harold, from Temple University, said the study wanted to open up the “black box" of the negotiating process.
“Our results suggest (workers) who were more prepared for the negotiation process were able to use more assertive strategies,” said Prof Harold, the study’s co-author.
“By prepared, I mean those who learned more about the market value of their position, did their homework on the organisation and perhaps inquired about previous offers made about the organisation.
“These individuals were empowered and were generally more assertive.”
She added: “Furthermore (workers) who use a more competitive strategy, such as not taking no for an answer, threatening to withdraw from the process if the offer was unacceptable, were most successful in raising their salary.”
The researchers interviewed 149 newly hired workers from different industries, who were asked to fill out questionnaires asking them what they did to earn a pay rise.
一项新调查显示，讨好你的上司并不会为你赢得加薪，强势的谈判者才能得到他们想要的东西。
研究人员发现赢得更高薪水很有效的策略是要坚定，“不接受否定的答复”。该研究认为，发起工资谈判并力争加薪的员工一般都会成功。
那些在工资谈判之前做了“功课”的员工也能为自己赢得更多的假期，以及诸如手机和公车等福利。
但是很多员工并不愿意冒险，他们唯恐因为谈工资而和上司闹僵，因此这些人在协商中往往表现最差，不得不屈从于主管的意愿。
天普大学福克斯商学院和乔治•梅森大学的研究人员发现，那些在考核和面谈中避开薪酬讨论的员工几乎从来不会获得加薪。天普大学位于美国费城，而乔治•梅森大学位于华盛顿特区附近。
研究认为，那些积极争取加薪的人会比其他人平均每年多赚至少5000美元（合3200英镑）。以上研究成果发表在《组织行为学杂志》上。
更“强势”的员工在40年的职业生涯中能多挣60万美元（合38.5万英镑）。
这项研究是基于以下假设进行的：员工每年会有不超过5%的加薪。该研究并没有深入调查各种职业的收入。
研究还发现，男性和女性员工在要求加薪的时候使用的方法基本相同，这说明了事业型女性在谈工资的时候和男性一样“强势”。
该研究的作者之一、天普大学的克里斯托•哈罗德教授说该研究旨在揭开薪酬谈判的奥秘。
哈罗德教授说：“我们的研究结果显示，对工资谈判准备越充分的员工越会使用一些更强势的策略。”
“在对薪酬谈判的准备上，我指的是这些人对自身职位的市场价值了解得更多，他们做足了‘功课’，说不定还打听过该公司之前开出的薪酬。
“这些人能控制局势，所以往往也更强势。”
她接着说：“还有，那些态度更强硬的员工往往能成功获得加薪，他们采取的策略包括不接受否定答复以及威胁说如果不同意加薪就会终止谈判。”
研究人员采访了149个不同行业的新入职员工，他们在问卷中填写了他们为获得加薪所采取的行动。

新航道国际教育集团提供专业的雅思培训、托福培训、GRE培训、SAT培训、剑桥青少英语培训等英语培训，帮助广大学子“用英语点亮人生”。