September is a great time for a reset and a refresh. For all of our corporate girls looking for a new approach to their money and careers, we’ve created a Financielle corporate girlie checklist to help you reach your goals.
1. Get cosy with your payslip
Do you ever look at your payslip properly? Not just the net earnings? We want you to get into the habit of reviewing your payslip each month, in detail.
- Do you understand every deduction? Tax, National Insurance, pension, any student loan repayments?
- Is your tax code correct? An outdated tax code is one of the most common (and most fixable) payroll errors, and it could be costing you money every single month.
- If you’re paid hourly, are your hours and your pay actually matching up? Check out the WAC app to help you manage your income.
- Tell payroll about any personal changes (address, bank details, tax circumstances)
Here’s a link to MoneyHelper’s payslip checker.
Time required: 5 minutes
2. Does your salary match your role?
Yes, you may want more money (don’t we all?) but it’s worth thinking about whether your salary actually reflects what you’re doing every day.
Job descriptions have a funny way of quietly expanding. A project here, a few extra reports there, suddenly you’re managing people or work that was never part of your original remit.
If you want to have a conversation about being paid fairly for the work you’re doing, here’s what we want you to do:
- Go back to your original contract or job specification. Does it still match your day-to-day?
- If you’ve picked up extra responsibility, that’s a legitimate reason for a conversation.
- Benchmark yourself. Look at internal pay bands if you can, and external roles with similar responsibilities. That way you’re going off facts, not feelings.
- Tread carefully with how you frame it: this is “can we look at whether my role and my pay are aligned”, not “I deserve more.”
Time required: 2 hours
3. Think about progression, not just pay
If you want to move up, don’t just wait for it to be offered to you.
- Find out who actually makes the budget and resourcing decisions for your team, and ask them directly whether there are upcoming projects, clients, or responsibilities on the horizon you could put your hand up for?
- Understanding what’s in the work pipeline means you’re not just hoping for opportunities, you’re positioning yourself for them before they’re common knowledge.
- Explore this well in advance of any year-end or new year performance conversations, so you’re not scrambling around to make your case on the spot.
Time required: 20 minute conversation
Get a dose of corporate girlie inspo from @corporateagonyaunt
4. Could a qualification boost your earning power?
Before the year ends is a good moment to ask: is there a course, certification, or piece of training (internal or external) that would make you more valuable in your role, or open the door to the next one?
- Check whether your company offers any learning budget, study leave, or qualification funding.
- Even a short, focused course can be a strong talking point in a pay or promotion conversation, because it shows initiative as well as skill.
Time required: 1 hour
5. Audit your workplace benefits (not just your salary)
Most people can tell you their salary to the pound but have no idea what else they’re entitled to.
- When it comes to pension contributions. Are you paying in enough to get the full employer match? If not, you’re leaving free money on the table.
- Is there a salary sacrifice scheme (pension, cycle to work, EV, workplace nursery) that could reduce your tax bill?
- Death in service / life insurance, private medical, income protection. Check what’s actually included, especially if your circumstances changed this year (new house, new baby, etc).
Time required: 2 hours
Want to give your CV a refresh? Check out Lo from Good Copy UK.
The content produced by Financielle is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
