Lifestyle

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Q MY employer is dealing with a severe reduction in business. As a result, I didn’t get a bonus last year, and it looks like I won’t this year, either. It’s putting a strain on my finances, and I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to ask for a raise to compensate.

A This is a tough one. Every day there are employers cutting staff, reducing bonuses and freezing salaries. It’s safe to say it’s rare for companies experiencing hardship to hand out salary increases. And in any event, one has to make a rational business case for a raise, and needing more money isn’t sufficient. (After all, how many employees wouldn’t say they need more money?)

Employers have many things to consider: budgets, internal equity, individual performance, tenure, etc. To say whether you can make a strong case for a raise with respect to these factors, I’d need more information. But generally speaking, variable pay such as annual bonuses is variable for a reason — it’s based on individual and company performance. And increasing base pay in lieu of bonuses isn’t typically considered good business strategy, so I wouldn’t recommend that approach.

The first thing to consider is whether you’re viewed as a strong performer — a talent they don’t want to lose. If so — and you can show how you’ve added value or how your salary is below market or inequitable relative to your colleagues — then you can make a case for an adjustment. But timing is everything, and I’m not sure this is the right time to ask. Better to help pull them through this period and wait until the horizon brightens.

One last point: I don’t want to sound unsympa-thetic, but it’s risky to create a budget dependent on income that’s variable by definition. (Although I do love that boat I bought three years ago!)

Q How easily can one recover from an embarrassing mishap at work? Am I doomed to be a punch line?

A What exactly are we talking about here? There are mishaps, and then there are moves that quickly put you on a short list for a new career. There was the time many years ago that a new hire sent a lengthy e-mail to the entire firm about how she’d been driving through the mountains over the weekend and enjoying the fall foliage, and was changing her name to one of the fall colors, and wanted everyone to refer to her by that name going forward.

Most office “moments” are easier to recover from, though — and many of us have had them. The best advice is to maintain your professionalism and move on quickly. If you’re good at your job and are liked and respected, there’s a good chance this too shall pass. Of course, you might have to endure a little good-natured needling in the interim, so it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor as well.