Yeah i got news for ya nothing else is gonna keep her motivated if you turn down that raise chief. I can tell you where she will get the raise she wants......a new job

Does this mean you have clear targets in mind for her that would justify a raise if she meets them? And are these targets she already knows to work toward or have you never shared them before? And could you perhaps indicate how long it's been since she was hired / received a substantial raise?

"What should be the best approach for that?" - have you been discussing her work with her all along (such as in 1-on-1 meetings), so that the "various reasons" aren't a surprise?

If an employee is asking for a raise (most employees never do), then it's far past the point where you should give her a raise, or explain why not. When you explain why not, you may end up looking for a new employee; not giving a raise may result in the same issue.

Is she being paid about market rate currently? More? Less?

Why are there so many questions on this site asking how management can screw over their employees, or complaining about employees' reactions to being screwed over??

I would love it if some one could come up with a good answer to this one. I would be so rich.

I approached my previous employer asking for a raise after accepting many additional responsibilities outside of my original role. My employer applauded my motivation and excellent work, but would not offer a raise. I started looking at job ads that night, and gave notice within the week.

Wow, an opportunity to make an employee very happy and dedicated to her job and your company, and your sentiment is "meh, I don't feel like it". YOu say she is motivated, but she about to lose all motivation. Why are managers response always "how can I harm this person" instead of "How can I build this person into a better employee".

You say she could get a raise in 6 months but can't think of what feedback to give her so that she can work towards guaranteeing that outcome. Sounds like you're just trying to find an excuse you can live with to hold off on a deserved raise that actually should have happened sooner.

@Issel I'm sure every employee will be happy to get a $1 million dollar raise. Any employer that refuses is despicable.

It always depends on circumstances. Generally giving a raise would educate employees to ask for it every month.

Are you giving at least inflationary pay rises anyway? If not, why not?

Sometimes people just ask for a raise because why not? Worst case you won't get it, best case you get more money. If the work is great otherwise it would be silly to quit just because you didn't get a raise.

So we are talking 6 months before you are ready to give her a raise. How much difference would that be out of your pocket to do it now, and keep her?

@Graham companies still do that? Haven't even had that much of a raise in a decade...

Can you afford the risk of her quitting her job and find another employer? You could also send her to software related conferences..... or pay her some training to new technologies / software....

You are really offering zero raise? This means an actual reduction due to inflation. Or is this some other process, that automatically adjusts wages company-wide?

"I see a potential raise about half a year from now. " What makes you think the employee will be worth the higher pay in 6 months, if she isn't right now?