Although monetary compensation is important, there are a lot of other perks you should be considering before a negotiation. Perhaps you have child care responsibilities and need to leave by 4pm everyday. Maybe you’re on duty to assist an elderly relative on Wednesdays and need the ability to work remotely. If you have special considerations, beyond salary, prepare to negotiate for those as well.
Not everyone works for a company that will be open to negotiating for these perks. If this is your case, you can still brainstorm your priorities for your next job. This will be helpful in making sure you are clear on what you need from your next employer.
Steps for preparing to negotiate for non-monetary perks or special accommodations:
1. Take inventory of your needs. Consider the following.
- Paid time off package (If the company’s salary is lower than your expectations, perhaps they can throw in an extra week of paid vacation?)
- Hourly time commitment (Specifically, for hourly employees or freelancers, if the company’s rate is lower than what you need, could you work for them part time, leaving your schedule open for higher paying companies?)
- Work from home (If you have many responsibilities at or near your home, or your commute is exceptionally long, is it possible to do the job from home for 1 day a week? Would this help you maintain your sanity and household obligations?)
- Child care arrangement (What are the time commitments you have for your children? Can the company accommodate you working an 8-4 schedule instead of a 9-5?)
- School tuition reimbursement (Are you considering going back to school? Would the company contribute to your tuition or books?)
2. Decide on your deal breakers. For each perk, evaluate whether it is something you need in order to accept the job, or something that would be nice, but not necessary. For instance, is leaving early twice a week to pick up your kids a non-negotiable? Is getting extra paid time off days nice but not necessary? Make sure you are clear on the deal breakers when you go into the negotiation. If you are not going to accept a job if they can’t accommodate your child care responsibilities, be explicit about that.
3. Prepare your arguments for each of these perks including why you need them to be accommodated, and how getting these accommodations will not negatively impact your work. If you need to work from home on Wednesdays in order to drive your aunt to her medical appointments, be ready to explain how this responsibility will not take away from your work, or the time you should be working. If you have a regularly scheduled conflict, like your aunt has a weekly appointment on Wednesdays at 9am, perhaps you request to work a 10-6 schedule on Wednesdays.
I’m not promising that your company will be accommodating on any of these perks. Further, if they are explicit about what is not up for negotiation, don’t push it. Just as you want them to be respectful of your boundaries, you should respect their limits. However, if they are open to the discussion and are willing to hear how these perks are important for you or your family, you may have the ability to create a very comfortable agreement.
Have you had success negotiating for non-monetary perks? Tell us about it!