Whether you are headed into a new role or thinking about renegotiating an existing contract, you need to know what you can and can’t negotiate when opening discussions with your employers. Remember, they should be happy to listen to you, and you should always feel comfortable approaching your employers with some points you wish to discuss.
Salary
One of the most important parts of your job that you should always feel comfortable discussing is your salary. After all, this is the money that you need to live off! If your salary is not enough to support yourself and any potential dependents that you might have, you should consider learning how to negotiate salary otherwise you may have to consider the very real possibility of having to get a second job.
Learning how to negotiate salary can seem difficult, but it is important to know your worth. When applying for new positions, many job adverts will offer a range for the salary to fall under. This is to help compensate for some of the big range in experience they might receive in applications.
After all, there could be someone who they decide to interview who is not as qualified on paper as the other candidates. If the company decides to hire them, they might not receive the maximum advertised. Knowing how to successfully negotiate a bump in salary could help you to get the perfect position.
Of course, you should also know how to negotiate your salary if you have been in your position for a while but have not received any pay rise. If you have been with the company for some time, negotiating a pay rise should be something that you consider. You have worked hard and shown your loyalty, and so the company should be happy to give you what you deserve.
Flexitime
Not everyone can work the 9 to 5. Unfortunately, many of us have other commitments that we need to make sure we attend to. They could be a family, they could be another job. Whatever it might be, you might not be able to devote all of your energy to your job at the hours that they dictated when you first took the role.
For this reason, you need to consider flexitime. After a certain amount of time, you should be able to request flexitime from your employer. You will then be able to make many of the commitments that you might have already agreed to.
Flexitime can take many forms, s it is important that you work out what is best for you. For example, you might want to reduce the number of hours that you work so that they best fit with your children’s school hours. This means that you won’t have to leave them with a childminder or some other professional, and you can spend more time with them.
Another example of flexitime might see you working from home several times a week. There is no right or wrong when it comes to flexitime – so speak to your employer and find out what they are willing to offer you. It might be easier than you imagine to create an agreement that works for you both.
Holidays
The number of holidays that you have will be part of your contract, and thus you won’t be able to change them. However, that does not mean that you won’t be able to negotiate them in some way. There could be something within your holiday limit that you want to change, and being prepared to negotiate with your employers over it will be incredibly important.
For example, you might have a set number of holidays that you can take off at once. Many companies will allow someone to take around 10 days off at a given time. However, this might not be enough for you. If you have the holiday allowance, you might want to negotiate the chance to take those 10 days off, work remotely for a while, and then take some more time off.
It is not the best of conditions, but if it gives you the chance for an extended holiday in the sun and extra time to recharge, this could be worth bringing up with your employer. You never know what they might be amenable to – all you need to do is ask and see what can come of it!
Working Conditions
Even if your employer offers very good working conditions, they might not meet the standards that most expect or there might be something that they are overlooking. For example, if you have a disability, they might have gone above and beyond to accommodate you but still failed to address one key area.
For this reason, you have to be comfortable challenging your employer in some way when it comes to working conditions. It can be more reassuring to do this in a group of colleagues, especially if it is an issue that affects all of you. However, this might not always be an option – such as if it is something that affects you and you alone.
However, you should still be able to bring it up with your employers. Depending on the nature of the request, you might find that they are reluctant to meet your requests exactly. In this scenario, you need to be prepared to negotiate and work with them to meet a compromise that suits both of you.
How to Negotiate with Your Employers
Approaching your employers in any capacity can be difficult, but you need to have the confidence to be able to do. A good employer will always be happy to hear what you have to say as you might have a valuable contribution to the business that will help overall. It could be something that has just slipped through the net thus far – but if you were to bring attention to it then it could better the lives of everyone, even your employers!
The two key things that you need are preparation and confidence. If you are not prepared for the conversation, you can end up losing something in between. Make notes, have arguments prepared, and also try to come up with compromises that you can use if necessary. The more prepared you can be, the more likely you are to be successful in your pitch.
However, you also need to make sure that you go into your pitch with confidence. There are so many techniques out there that are designed to boost your confidence and help you approach any meeting with ease. By projecting confidence and speaking with passion, you might be able to sway your employer in your favour.
Don’t think that the fact that they are your employer means that they have complete control over your working life. There are many things that you could negotiate to help make your working everyday easier to manage. Never be afraid to reach out and set up a meeting if there is something that you feel needs addressing. With your efforts, you could make a lasting improvement to your workplace that will truly carry benefits for all. If you have an idea or something you would like to negotiate, it is time to reach out and try to work it in your favour.