The art of the ask

If you’re like a lot of women, you might find it hard to ask for what you want at work.

Women face gendered expectations that make it more difficult to request a promotion, pay rise or professional development. But for some women, simply finding the right words is the biggest hurdle. They have career goals and they know how to achieve them but aren’t sure how to frame ‘the ask’.

That’s why we’ve put together a simple template you can send to your team leader. It covers the basics of how to persuade your workplace to spend time and money investing in you.

We’ve framed it in line with our Platinum+ program which covers all aspects of career development – leadership and skills training, networking and mentoring. Take the bits that work best for you and tweak it to suit your own personal style.

Dear <manager’s name>

I’m a subscriber to FW, a ground-breaking professional development platform, working towards gender equity in Australian workplaces.

You probably already know but it’s a big year for reform in this space. For the first time, private sector companies have had to reveal their gender pay gaps – with all sectors showing the need for improvement. Next year, the public service will face the same scrutiny when its pay gap data is published.

One way of advancing gender equity is investing in women’s leadership. Today, I am emailing to see if you’d be willing to invest in mine. I love working here and see a future for myself at <organisation>. I want to build my skills, connections and confidence so that I can make the biggest possible impact here.

FW delivers a program called Platinum+ Emerging Leaders. It’s a comprehensive 12-month program that includes various masterclasses on leadership, along with high-level mentoring and networking opportunities. It’s delivered flexibly and entirely online so that it can fit seamlessly into busy work schedules.

Platinum+ has received incredible feedback from its participants who overwhelmingly report capability uplifts in key leadership areas. You can read more about the program and its impact here.

I’d like to undertake this program so that I can pursue the goals I have for my career and those I have for the team here at <organisation>.

There are direct benefits to <organisation> too. Training such as that delivered within the Platinum+ program has been shown to increase productivity, and bottom lines are also boosted when more women are in leadership roles. It’s also an opportunity for <organisation> to show its commitment to gender equality within the wider workplace culture.

Thank you in advance for considering my request to take part in this program.

I will eagerly await your reply.

<Name>

There you go! Mix it up, add bits, remove bits – it’s your journey from here.