some friend asked me today:
is it ok to lie to boss and say that I had a new job offer.. just to negotiate on the salary?

Me: post question on devrant

Of course it's OK, but what will he do if boss declines?

@Fast-Nop yup good point..

@Fast-Nop clean the desk and place personal belongings in a box 😂

You can do that. Though it's a high risk move. It's better to have an actual offer as a safety net that you just need to sign. (Or just ask for a raise without bluffing.)

Depending on a boss, they might just let you go for asking for a raise as they may think you'd be leaving on the next best offer anyway. (Or if you poker for too much they are not willing to meet the fictional salary.)

It might work if phrased as "I'm happy here and see a future for myself in this company, yet the offer makes me want to switch for financial reasons alone. Could we come to an agreement?" Yet still very risky.

Thing is that a raise within a company often amounts to 5 to 10% of your current salary. (The biggest gain I negotiated was 20%.)

Switching a job gives the opportunity to ask for something much higher at the new place. Though you have the risk of starting in an unknown place.

It all depends on what you actually want.

Nope. Have a meeting and put your case as to why you deserve a raise. Prepare a goad argument. If they refuse, start looking for a new job. Don’t use blackmail. If anyone used blackmail against me as an employer I would show them the door, no matter how good they were.

It's called bluffing. It requires little effort vut the risks are high. Better get that offer and then walk over to your boss. Now you have a strong position at your salary negotiation.

If it's discovered that you're not only willing to blackmail your employer to get your way, but also willing to lie, then any good employer or manager would see that you are not a reliable asset, and are no longer of any use to them.

But even if the lies and deceit remain a secret indefinitely, it's still highly doubtful that a good employer would play ball, as threats are a terrible way to do business.

According to research, people who change jobs in every 2 years are more successful and after 10 years they end up with 100% more salary than their friend who worked for same company for 10 years.

If you keep in the same company too long, the technologies and tools will become your comfort zone. Establishing a comfort zone is very dangerous especially in IT field.

If I was a potential employer or a recruiter involved in the offer in question, I would be pretty soured on dealing with the candidate anymore, knowing that my time was wasted so some guy could get leverage in a salary negotiation.

@helloworld in this scenario, though, how would you know it's blackmail? Or do you consider it blackmail anyway even if it is a real offer?

It isn't blackmailing because boss has always the possibility to say "no" - which he will do if he thinks the raise is too much.

On the other hand, if he agrees, this shows that he has been paying less than what he thinks the employee should get.

‘Some friend’

@wateringdisease could you please link research?