When an employee asks for a pay rise and sets their own deadline, it can feel confrontational — especially when the business is mid-review and the full picture isn't clear yet. The good news is that how you communicate matters far more than how quickly you respond.

This question was answered by Quan Payne, industry leader and experienced business owner, who spoke from the perspective of someone actively navigating pay reviews and team restructures, and Andy Wright, host of Asking For A Friend on Never Not Creative, who helped unpack the tension on both sides of the conversation. Mental health expert Sharon Draper also joined the session to bring her perspective on the human dynamics at play.

There is no magic timeline — but honesty goes a long way

Quan was clear that no fixed timeframe fits every situation. The complexity of a full studio review, with interlocking roles and shifting responsibilities, means a rushed answer is rarely a good one. What matters is being upfront about where the business is in that process and giving the employee a genuine sense of when clarity will be possible. Telling someone "we're meeting the accountant next week and I'll have a much better picture then" is more useful than a vague commitment to "look into it."

The tension on both sides is real

Andy pointed out that employees and employers are often working from completely different financial realities. An employee sees a busy studio and assumes the numbers are healthy. A business owner sees the same busyness but knows clients are squeezing budgets and payroll is a constant responsibility. Naming that tension openly, rather than letting it sit between the lines, takes a lot of the pressure out of the conversation.

Sometimes letting someone go is the right call

One of Quan's more honest reflections was his philosophy around salary matching. If he cannot meet what someone has been offered elsewhere, he would rather wish them well than stretch to match a number that creates ongoing tension. He described businesses as being like a river, where people flow in, contribute, and move on, and the river keeps running. It is a grounding way to think about staff movement without making it feel like failure.

What to do this week

If you are in this situation right now, the most valuable thing you can do is have the conversation. Set context, be honest about the review timeline, and give a realistic date for when you will have an answer. That is worth far more than a rushed decision made under pressure.