Dear HR, I was promised a pay review ‘in the new year’, but I’ve still heard nothing since. How do I bring this up without sounding pushy?  
   
Hmm… Depends what you consider ‘pushy’ – so long as you’re polite about it (i.e. not banging on your manager’s office door first thing on a Monday morning, demanding an explanation!), you’re probably ok.

One tried and tested method that rarely fails is using what I like to describe as the ‘three Cs of business email success’: conciseness, clarity, and courtesy.   

Here’s an example:  

Dear <insert name here>,  
   
 Subject:  Follow-up on pay review discussion   

I understand how busy the New Year period and Q1 can be, and appreciate this may not have been a priority. I wanted to follow up on the pay review we discussed at the end of last year, where we agreed it would be addressed at the start of the year.  

Please let me know if you need anything further from me or if there’s a good time to discuss this. I appreciate your time and consideration.  

Yours sincerely,  

<Your name>  

Effective emails get straight to the point, without unnecessary of overly lengthy explanations… and, remember, however frustrated you are about the delay, manners go a long way. Good luck!  

Got a question for HR Helen?

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