Being nice to your boss won't get you a pay rise, according to a new study showing that only aggressive negotiators get what they want.

一项新调查显示，讨好你的上司并不会为你赢得加薪，强势的谈判者才能得到他们想要的东西。

Researchers found the most effective strategies for securing a bigger salary were to be assertive¹（肯定的，独断的） and “not take no for an answer”. Workers who initiated² pay negotiations³ and pursued a raise aggressively had the most success, the study found.

Employees who had “done their homework” in advance of negotiations also earned themselves more holidays and perks⁵（享受特权） such as mobile phones and company cars.

But more risk-averse employees who compromised（妥协） in the hope of not souring relationships fared the worst as they eventually caved to management wishes.

Researchers from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, Philadelphia and George Mason University, near Washington DC, discovered that workers who avoided salary discussions at appraisals⁶（估价） or in interviews, almost never got a raise.

Their study, published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, found those who actively⁷ sought out a rise earned an average $5000 (£3,200) more every year than those who didn’t.

More “assertive” workers then ended up earning up to $600,000 (£385,000) more over a 40-year career.

This was based on the assumption that workers were given annual pay rises of up to five per cent although the research did not explore career earnings⁸.

They also found almost no difference between methods in male and female workers, suggesting that career-driven women were just as “competitive” during salary negotiations.

Prof Crystal Harold, from Temple University, said the study wanted to open up the “black box" of the negotiating process.

“Our results suggest (workers) who were more prepared for the negotiation⁴ process were able to use more assertive strategies,” said Prof Harold, the study’s co-author.

“By prepared, I mean those who learned more about the market value of their position, did their homework on the organisation⁹ and perhaps inquired about previous offers made about the organisation.

“These individuals were empowered and were generally more assertive.”

She added: “Furthermore (workers) who use a more competitive strategy, such as not taking no for an answer, threatening to withdraw from the process if the offer was unacceptable, were most successful in raising their salary.”

The researchers interviewed 149 newly hired workers from different industries, who were asked to fill out questionnaires（问卷，调查表） asking them what they did to earn a pay rise.