The rough economy has become a common reason as to why many people who deserve a raise do not get one. According to a recent poll by the National Small Business Association, forty-eight percent of small business owners did not give their employees a raise in the last 12 months. Don't be upset if all signs point to a raise but your boss ends up saying he can't give you one at the time.

There's another route you can take to take advantage of other perks the company may be able to grant you in exchange for your hard work. However, many of these things aren't given to you if you don't ask, so try asking for these alternatives:

1. Working from home some days

This doesn't affect the company in any way and actually costs them nothing financially, so the likelihood of receiving this perk is high. A good way to go about asking for this is to create a schedule that better fits your own and explaining to employers how it will cost the company nothing. Suggesting telecommuting tools such as video conferencing over the computer, virtual group chats, and using smartphones to be accessible at all times can help you convince employers that this is in a fact a good idea.

2. Training

Asking your employer for more training in the field you work in is beneficial for both you and the company. It makes you a more competitive candidate and will make you even more of an asset to the company. Also, just showing your employer that you are motivated and willing to learn more can be really impressive.

3. More Vacation Days

Negotiating more vacation days may require a little more work. Make sure that you approach your employer with good reasons as to why you have earned these extra days, such as exceeding at tasks even while under a lot of pressure. Also mention spreading out your vacation time, so that your absence is not so noticeable.

Similar to the way in which you would negotiate a raise, overshoot the amount of vacation days you want so your employer won't try to give you much less than you really want.

4. A higher-ranked title

Employers are typically much more willing to promote employees by giving them a higher-ranked title than giving them a raise. A promotion without pay can be a step towards actually getting that raise you want because it places you in a position where you will have more responsibility. Perhaps once your employer sees how much more responsibility you have taken on, he may be more apt to squeeze in a bit of a raise for you once it becomes feasible.