How to Get a Raise When Negotiating Part-time
Work
Work fewer hours and get paid more? With a keen strategy and skillful
negotiation, it can be a reality.
For this purpose, the term ‘raise’ reflects a boost in relative
dollars, not absolute dollars.
In other words, your new, pro-rated salary, though lower to correspond with
fewer hours worked, translates into a substantially higher hourly rate.
Here’s an example from my own experience. Years ago, while working
full-time in a salaried position, I proposed a four-day workweek without a cut
in my compensation.
It was stridently opposed. (The executive director was a strident guy
all-around, so that’s how his answer was!)
But within the same hour of negotiations, I instead suggested a 5% reduction in
pay to go along with my request for a 20% reduction in hours (i.e., a 32-hour
workweek).
He agreed! Employee benefits intact besides. (I think saving money, even a
relatively small amount, is what appealed. There was also some room for me to
better align with the market value for the position.)
I was ecstatic. When figured on an hourly basis, this was essentially a
double-digit raise. That, along with one weekday off each week, really
kicked my job satisfaction up several notches.
Could You Do It?
It sounds gutsy. And it is. But consider whether you could pull it off.
How well it goes may depend on:
Timing — Can you time your negotiation with your regularly scheduled
performance review and merit raise? Or after successfully completing a major
project with which your manager is well-pleased? Or before the start of an
important project where your role is crucial to success?
Your perceived value — Is there a shortage of candidates in your job
category or do you offer a unique combination of skills and experience that
strengthens your negotiating leverage? I had both these factors going for me
in my negotiations.
Which work responsibilities you will retain — A four day workweek allows
for better retention of your key responsibilities over a three day workweek, and
will likely allow you to ask for more of what you want.
The quality of your relationship with your manager — A supportive and
appreciative manager is a key factor. In my case, my immediate supervisor was
supportive, but the real decision-maker with whom I had to cut the deal had a
combative management style. Yet, I was able to swing the deal. So remember,
anything is possible!
Here’s a good scenario: You’ve been at your job for more than three years
with the same manager with whom there is a high degree of mutual respect and
good communication. There’s been formal (performance reviews, raises) and
informal acknowledgment of your high-level responsibilities and achievements.
That’s a favorable environment for proposing a four day workweek with less
than a 20% salary cut.
Especially if you are the only one in your job category and if you restructure
your job to continue to maintain key responsibilities.
While I recognize the limitations imposed on civil service workers and union
members in striking such a deal, for others, the opportunity is ripe for
creative salary negotiations.
As the diet ads say, “Individual results may vary.” A less risky
approach is to go for the time off / pay raise trade that's tied to a job
performance review, described in Fridays Off,
Option #1.
“Thanks to your Part-time Proposal Package, I was successful in
getting my schedule changed from full-time to Monday-Thursday, 8-5:30,
with Fridays off [34 hours], yet keeping my current salary and full benefits.
My proposal was well-accepted by the decision-makers. They liked that it was
detailed and had a plan for the times I'd be out of the office. Many thanks...”
Rosalie Seiler, Sales Associate/Office
Manager, Hotel & Meeting Planning Industry, Parker, CO
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