Negotiating for job perks; ask and you might receive
By Emily Brandon
Posted 6/14/06
Everyone wants to make more money, right? Well, not necessarily. Slightly less than half of Americans (42 percent) would like to make more money, according to staffing and consulting firm Hudson Highland Group. Its March 2006 survey of 10,000 U.S. workers found that many other workers would prefer better healthcare benefits (20 percent), better retirement benefits (12 percent), and a better work-life balance (10 percent).
Health and retirement benefits are in most cases not negotiable, but other perks may be, provided that you know how to ask.
A few pointers:
- Wait for the offer. Don't negotiate benefits or salary until you've actually been offered the job. But you don't necessarily have to wait for the offer to be put in writing. "Try to coax out a verbal offer," advises Fred Crandall, a senior consultant for Watson Wyatt Worldwide who teaches a negotiations class at Northwestern University. This way you can get the things that you want put down on paper, or at least ask before everything is in black and white.
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It's not all about the money. "The mistake that most people make is negotiating just for salary," Crandall says. But more money won't necessarily make you happier on the job.
"Many individuals find elements such as flex schedules, telecommuting, on-site daycare, or more personal time to have greater importance than cash," says Peg Buchenroth, a managing director at Hudson. "In fact, employees may forgo additional cash in order to have an improved work-life balance or better opportunities for career advancement."
When you take money out of the equation and give workers a choice among benefits, they tend to pick lifestyle-oriented benefits, the Hudson study found. Employees prefer a more flexible work schedule (33 percent) and increased family benefits (22 percent), such as personal days and parental leaves, over supplemental insurance coverage (16 percent) or increased job training (13 percent). -
Know what to ask for. You should negotiate not just salary but the entire employment package, including extra vacation days, telecommuting, allowances for expenses like gas cards or public transportation reimbursement, flexible scheduling, or even delaying your start date so you can take time off between jobs.
"You negotiate for as many items as you can possibly think of, even things you don't necessarily want," says Crandall. "The key is to use these other elements to trade off for what you know you're not getting in terms of salary." - Don't demand. No company is required to give you extra paid days off or let you work from home, even if your last job did. Steven Gross, a senior human resources consultant at Mercer, recommends that you ask up front how adjustable your work days and hours are. "Most companies today are accommodating to their employees," Gross says. He should know. When Gross broke his foot four years ago, his company allowed him to work from home four days a week. He liked it so much that he still works from home one day a week.
- Research the company. Talk to people who already work for the company to see what they negotiated for and ask for their advice. You may also want to consult its human resources handbook so you can spot where the flexibility on benefits might be. The largest companies have very little flexibility, says Crandall. But other companies may have room for bargaining.