How can someone convince her boss she deserves more money, without revealing that she knows she’s being underpaid? Three steps:

The 2012 Salary Guide from Robert Half International shows that over­­all starting salaries for administrative professionals are expected to rise 3.4% this year. Among the biggest gains: Senior executive assistants can expect a starting salary between $44,250 and $60,000—a gain of 4.5%.

One admin wrote: “Our company just reorganized and changed our job titles from administrative assistant to ‘office assistant.’ None of the job functions changed. I feel demoted. Should we go to our manager and speak to him about our displeasure or just be quiet and not say a thing?”

Before you go to court with a claim that you’ve been shortchanged on payment for overtime hours, you’ll first have to prove how many hours you actually worked. Proving it just got easier, though, thanks to a powerful new Timesheet app for smartphones from the DOL.

While many people gripe about their jobs from time to time, few are converting words into action. When it comes to hunting for a better position elsewhere, most of us don’t bother, according to a survey by Accenture.