Many workers are itching to ask their boss for a raise. After all, 47 per cent of employees in the UAE have indicated a low level of satisfaction with their salaries, mostly because earnings haven't kept pace with the rising cost of living, according to research from the job-searching site Bayt.com and polling firm YouGovSiraj. But even as the region's economy continues to recover, there are certain points to keep in mind before meeting a manager. "The strongest point for the employee is to know one's value in the market place," says Roman Weidlich, senior consultant for Towers Watson, a human resource consultancy based in New York City. "Those individuals who belong to a category of relatively underpaid but well-performing employees should have the strongest chances to negotiate better than average pay increases in 2011 and beyond," he adds. For additional tips for employees in the UAE, check out The Life section in The National.