A recent study conducted by jobs.lu, based on Luxembourg employees and their salary-related issues, found that almost one in two employees (40%) have never dared to ask for a pay rise, and only 25% of employees do so every year.
It is mainly psychological barriers that make it difficult for employees to ask for a pay rise. 43% of those surveyed feared that taking such a step would negatively impact their good working relationship with their employer, while 24% alluded to a lack of self-confidence.
Luxembourg, 5th April 2022 – Last February, jobs.lu conducted a survey involving a representative sample of Luxembourg employees. The survey aimed not only to find out about the employees’ level of satisfaction with their salary, but also their perception of salary matters. One of the main survey findings, published in a previous report, hinted at a high level of dissatisfaction among employees with their salaries. Going beyond that, the study also revealed that a vast majority of employees do not feel comfortable asking for a pay rise.
One in four employees ask for a pay rise every year
Out of the 1,241 workers who participated in this survey, 62.09% admitted that they do not feel comfortable asking for a pay rise. In fact, many simply do not dare to do it.
- 4 out of 10 employees (37.8%) say they have never asked for a pay rise.
- 1 in 4 employees ask for a pay rise every year.
- 15% of the survey participants leverage outstanding work performance or achievement to ask for a pay rise.
- 1 in 10 employees ask for a pay rise once every two years.
- 4% of employees ask for a pay rise twice a year.
Predominantly psychological barriers
“It always seems to be difficult for employees to bring up the topic of salary with their manager,” explains Arthur Meulman, CEO of jobs.lu. “We wanted to find out more about what was holding employees back from asking for a pay rise. We found that 43% of employees surveyed as a part of our study feared that taking such a step would negatively impact their good working relationship with their employer. While 28% stated that they did not like asking for a pay rise, 30% said they found it hard to assess their own worth and 24% alluded to a lack of self-confidence.”
29% got a pay rise because they asked for one
Regularly negotiating salaries works in the employees’ favour. While focusing on the 40% of employees who stated they had received a pay rise in the last 12 months, the study found that 29% of them said that it was a direct result of asking their manager, while nearly one out of three said that their pay rise was a result of good work performance.
Furthermore, 42% of the respondents who asked for a pay rise did so following good work performance. 12% asked for a pay rise after a significant achievement, and 31% asked for it either after realising that their colleagues in the same position as them were earning more, or because they simply believed that they were not being paid enough.
“The study clearly highlights the major difficulties that both employees and their managers face in broaching salary matters,” explained Arthur Meulman. “In a tight labour market, managers should also be more open to this topic. A fair wage, determined by a well-defined pay policy, is always key in ensuring employee satisfaction.”
Methodology
As a part of its survey, jobs.lu sent a questionnaire to a representative sample of Luxembourg-based employees, focusing on the employees’ level of satisfaction with their salary and their perception of salary-related matters.
The questionnaire, available in English and French, was completed by 1,241 participants between the last week of February and the first week of March. The survey data shows the employees’ level of satisfaction with their salary, as well as their perception of salary-related matters within their company or in terms of the labour market.
Our analysts examined the study’s findings carefully to ensure that the survey participants’ responses were accurately represented and validated.