Compensation negotiation: think of the benefits!

There’s more than just salary to compensation negotiation. If your future employer cannot make a purely financial effort, you may be able to obtain benefits that are just as interesting. 

Why would benefits work when salary won’t budge?

Companies, especially major corporations, sometimes have salary scales that they cannot escape from without the risk of discrimination. These scales provide for pay based on the job, experience, seniority, degree, etc., and limit the recruiter’s room for manoeuvre. But benefits don’t fall into this framework, and the employer can allow itself to make efforts.

Bonuses

This is a huge payday benefit, but not part of a fixed salary, and can therefore be more easily negotiated. You can try to obtain a financial reward if you reach or exceed a predefined goal. A bonus is more easy to obtain in professions where the results are quantified and measurable – a number of contracts to sign for commercial profiles, for example, in addition to the generally expected variable.

Training

Employees don’t think about it enough, while training can let them gain employability if they one day decide to look for another job elsewhere, or to rise in rank in the company when a position becomes available at the management level, for example. And who says climbing the ladder means better pay, since you go to another level on the pay scale. It’s better then to focus on the long term. Find out about the company’s training policy, including how accessible it is for new employees.

Benefits in kind

Company car, mobile phone, computer, cheques or gift cards… There are many of them and they depend both on what you prefer and your position – there’s no point asking for a company car if your profession doesn’t require any travel! Stay reasonable.

Flex-time

The possibility of arranging your work schedule or working remotely one or more days of the week costs the employer nothing in terms of money, which is why it could be open to the proposal. The benefit is obvious for everyone – it satisfies one of your requests and thereby ensures your loyalty, and on your side, you avoid long commutes and schedules that don’t suit you.

How to negotiate?

Before doing anything, do your research. If you are asked about your requirements, you don’t want to answer stupidly, “I don’t know, what are you offering me?”! Prepare a list in order of priority, so that you can move to the next item if you get a firm no on the first point. And wait a bit before broaching the subject – if you announce at the beginning that you want to work from home three days a week before you are even sure about what the job entails and the company’s culture, you will be very quickly passed over for another more motivated candidate.

 

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