2013年3月剑桥BEC商务英语考试口语讲义（17）

Asking for a Raise

Mr. White: So, tell me: what makes you think we should give you a raise?

Miss Small: I’ve got several good reasons. I’ve been here several years, my work has proven to be good, and I’ve noticed that people in comparable jobs get paid more than I do.

Mr. White: Salaries are confidential; how do you know how much money these “other people” make?

Miss Small: Well, I’ve noticed all the new cars around here, for one thing.

Mr. White: Those are company cars provided to the sales staff for their business trips. Also, some employees receive sales commissions. So good salesmen will naturally earn more.来自www.telnote.cn

Miss Small: That’s understandable. Well, rather than comparing my salary with someone else’s, perhaps we could talk about my job performance. Surely you’ve noticed the extra hours I’ve put in recently? If I were being paid an hourly wage, with the standard time – and – a – half for overtime, I’d be earning much more.

Mr. White: I see you point. However, it might be hard to get a raise approved. Profits were down last quarter, and the whole company is tightening its belt, so anything that affects the annual budget is hard to get approved. But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you a one – time bonus for your recent hard work. And I’ll try to arrange some sort of compensation for any future overtime.

Miss Small: That would be very good of you, Mr. White.