10 things HR people won’t tell you about salaries and raises

From handling staffing needs, administering benefits and determining salaries, human resources holds a ton of power in the workplace. Money can be an uncomfortable topic to speak about openly and many people make mistakes when trying to have these awkward conversations. Human resource employees have seen it all, but it’s important to remember that despite their best intentions, they are working to do what’s best for the company, not for you. Here’s what human resource experts had to say about talking money with the people who pay you.

“There’s one website that drives all HR people crazy: salary.com. It supposedly lists average salaries for different industries, but if you look up any job, the salary it gives you always seems to be $10,000 to $20,000 higher than it actually is. That just makes people mad.”  – HR director at a public relations agency

“On salary, some companies try to lock you in early. At the first interview, they’ll tell me to say, ‘The budget for this position is 40K to 45K. Is that acceptable to you?’ If the candidate accepts, they’ll know they’ve got him or her stuck in that little area.”  – Ben Eubanks, HR professional

Here are 11 things you should never say at work. 

“This includes your salary and raise. Far too often is that potential candidates are presented with a job offer and salary that they aren’t satisfied with but are too afraid to ask for more. This also applies for raises at performance review time.”  – Nikita Lawrence, HR business partner and professional

“You think you’re all wonderful and deserve a higher salary, but here in HR, we know the truth. And the truth is, a lot of you aren’t very good at your jobs, and you’re definitely not as good as you think you are.” – HR professional at a midsize firm

Use these 11 phrases to be more successful at work. 

“Be careful if a headhunter is negotiating for you. You may want extra time off and be willing to sacrifice salary, but he is negotiating hardest for what hits his commission.”  – HR professional

Here are 15 must-follow rules to get more done when working from home. 

“It is significantly harder to negotiate perks after you’ve been hired than it is during the interview process. Know the industry standards – and specifically, standards for your region before you make requests for more holiday time, travel expenses, professional development training, flex time, working from home or moving costs.”  – Sarah Johnston, former corporate recruiter and job search strategist

“I once hired someone, and her mother didn’t think the salary we were offering was high enough, so she called me to negotiate. There are two problems with that: 1) I can’t negotiate with someone who’s not you. 2) It’s your mother. Seriously, I was like, ‘Did that woman’s mother just call me, or was that my imagination?’ I immediately withdrew the offer.”  – HR professional

“I always recommend at the ‘hiring event’ that the new hire asks, ‘When will I have my first performance review?’” The majority of responses is annually, next year. I suggest that the individual ask, ‘Is it possible to have my review six months from now?’ Over 50 percent of the time the HR individual or hiring manager will say yes thus shortening that first raise by six months.”  – Elliott Jaffa, behavioural and marketing psychologist

Be aware of these 18 jobs that might disappear in the next 25 years. 

“Negotiations involve some back-and-forth, not simply a yes or no. Leave yourself some wiggle room to ‘concede’ to what you really want. Collect enough information ahead of time to know you aren’t selling yourself short.”  – Alexander Lowry, a former hiring manager

You’ll be surprised by the one word you should never say in a job interview.