Less than one quarter (24 percent) of people have asked their boss for a pay rise. More men (28 percent) than women (18 percent) have asked for a salary increase. 18-34 year olds are the most willing when finding ways of earning extra money.

Brits’ salaries are not up for discussion, especially with our employers, according to new findings from Scottish Widows’ Dare Not Ask survey. Almost half of Brits (49 percent) are not prepared to discuss their salary with the people they work with, followed by friends (27 percent) and family (15 percent). People’s reluctance to talk about this sensitive topic extends to asking employers for a salary increase. Even though only 43 percent are happy with their salary, less than one quarter (24 percent) of people indicated they had ever asked for a pay rise.

Men prove to be more confident than women when asking for more money, with over one quarter (28 percent) having approached their employer for a salary increase compared to just 18 percent of females. Men are also more comfortable when it comes to asking for a larger percentage increase (4.6 percentof their salary compared to 4.1 percent for female counterparts). 

Further to this, over one quarter (27 percent) of those that haven’t asked for a pay rise say they have never needed to as they have always been given fair salary increases, with far more men saying their worth has been recognised compared to women (32 percent vs. 24 percent).  Over one in ten (11 percent) people who haven’t had the courage to ask for a salary increase admit they felt too embarrassed to ask for an increase, and less than one in ten (eight percent) were worried that their employer would say no.

Catherine Stewart, savings expert at Scottish Widows said: “The nation is split when it comes to talking about their salary, as it’s a sensitive topic. If people don’t feel comfortable talking to their nearest and dearest about their salary it makes it even more important to seek expert advice to keep on top of their finances.” However, people are looking for alternative ways to make money, and it turns out that young people (those aged 18 – 34 years old) are the most open to asking advice on how to earn more, and are twice as likely as the national average to ask friends, family and work colleagues for help in this area.