• More than half (54%) of UK employees plan to ask for a salary increase in 2016
  • A quarter (24%) will look for a new job if they request a raise but are turned down
  • Just over a third (36%) would wait for the next performance review for a salary increase

London, 7 January 2016 -- UK office workers are the most likely in Europe to look for a new job if they request a payrise but are turned down, according to new research by specialist recruitment firm Robert Half.  While a quarter (24%) of employees in the UK would seek alternative employment if their boss said no to a higher salary, only 11% of employees in Germany and Belgium, 10% of employees in the Netherlands and 5% of employees in France would find another job.

Just over a third (36%) of UK employees would wait for the next performance review for a salary increase, compared to their more patient equivalents in France, where 62% of employees would sit it out till the next review, Germany (52%), Netherlands (43%) and Belgium (40%).

One strategy that employees can use to secure a result even when a higher salary is refused is to request something else, such as a different role, more company perks or share options.  Yet UK workers are only slightly more likely to ask for alternative rewards (27%) than they are to look for another role (24%).

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director, Robert Half UK said: “There can be many factors behind an employer’s decision not to award a payrise, including the economic cycle of the business or the need to do a complete performance review of all employees rather than one individual. It is worth considering the other aspects of your remuneration package, whether that’s more flexible hours, additional annual leave days or a sideways move into a role that will gain you more experience as these options could be just as rewarding.

“From an employer’s point of view, it’s important to keep a regular eye on salary and other remuneration trends to ensure that your top performers are being rewarded in line with industry benchmarks. Reviewing your employee’s remuneration package alongside their career development and potential progression within the business will support retention efforts."

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Notes to Editor

17,500 employees in UK, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US were surveyed in October, 2015 by an independent market research firm.

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialised recruitment consultancy and member of the S&P 500. We have once again been named to FORTUNE’s “World’s Most Admired Companies®” list and remains the top-ranked staffing firm (2022). Founded in 1948, the company has over 300 offices worldwide providing temporary, interim and permanent recruitment solutions for accounting and finance, financial services, technology, legal and administrative professionals. Robert Half offers workplace and jobseeker resources at roberthalf.co.uk and twitter.com/roberthalfuk.