However, many employees shy away from talking to their line manager when it comes to a salary increase. The authors of the Stepstone study therefore give employees five pieces of advice for the next or first negotiation.

Advice 1: Organize your salary expectations

Salary is still a taboo subject in Germany. One in three professionals do not know how much their colleagues in similar positions earn, and a further 48% only have a rough idea. Knowing the usual salaries in your own professional field and industry is essential for salary negotiations. The StepStone salary report provides valuable orientation: with average salaries broken down by professional experience, industry, professional group, region, company size and qualification.

Advice 2: Choose the right contact person

As a rule, your direct superior is the right person to talk to about salary negotiations. They are best placed to assess their own performance. The HR department usually only acts in the background here, for example by giving the line manager a budget within which the increase can take place.

Advice 3: Determine a suitable time

One in three professionals who actively ask for a pay rise do so once a year, just under one in five every two years. Choosing the right time can determine the outcome of your own negotiation attempt. Phases in which the company or industry is in a poor economic position are unfavorable. Company parties are an absolute taboo. Also unprofessional: engaging the boss in a salary discussion in the elevator or in the office corridor.

Advice 4: Prepare the appointment specifically

Good performance is the best argument for a salary increase. It is therefore important to prepare the salary discussion in a targeted manner. Ask your boss for a feedback meeting well in advance of the actual salary negotiation in which you can talk about your contribution to the company's success.

Advice 5: Pay attention to wording

In the next step, arrange the date for the actual salary negotiation with a little distance. Here it is better not to call a spade a spade at first. Ask for a discussion about a specific project or a conversation about the strategic direction of your position. You can start the negotiation with the results of the feedback meeting, for example: "In our last conversation, you emphasized that you are very satisfied with my performance in project XY. That's why I would like to talk to you today about my further development. This certainly includes my salary."