Beware basing a raise request on the boss's good mood
The seemingly simple logic of waiting until your boss is in a good mood to ask for a raise is far more complicated than it may appear on the surface, according to recent research, which suggests that if the boss knows the employee knows that he or she is in a good mood, the raise request perhaps should be put off. The research revealed that an employee is more likely to ask for a smaller raise if he or she knows the boss is cognizant of the employee's awareness of the boss's good mood. Forbes (10/03)