Declining a Raise Request
The script
“[Name], thanks for raising this directly. I know it’s not an easy thing to bring up, and I want to give you a straight answer, not a runaround.
Right now I’m not able to move your salary to [the number / at all], and here’s the honest reason: [we’re mid-cycle and the budget’s set / you’re near the top of the band for this level / the case isn’t quite there yet on X]. I’m not going to dress that up.
What I can do is this: [lay out the real path — ‘here’s specifically what would make the case at the next cycle in [month], and I’ll advocate for it’]. And I want to be clear I’d rather keep you than lose you over this.
Where does that leave you?”
That last question is not a formality. It tells you whether this is a person you’ve reassured or a person you’re about to lose — and you want to know which tonight, not in two weeks via a resignation.
If they push back
“So this is basically a no with extra steps.” → “It’s a no on the number today and a real yes on the path, with a date attached. Those aren’t the same thing, and I don’t want you to hear them as the same thing.” It separates the disappointment from the commitment.
The full script also gives you warm / neutral / firm versions, more pushback lines, what not to say, and a fill-in template — for all 23 scripts.