Some jobs simply require a lot of hours, but just as often a boss will ask you to stay on for more hours than you’re willing to work. For those moments, a post by the Wall Street Journal suggests using a “yes… and” negotiation technique to get the hours you actually want.
Picture: Alan Cleaver/Flickr
In a lot of professions, it’s common that workers won’t leave the office until the boss leaves. Thankfully, it doesn’t always have to be that way and you can negotiate your hours:
To get the most out of a negotiation about hours, Mr. Melcher says, think in advance about the boss’s needs, and bring specifics documenting your own performance. Start on a positive note, talking about what’s going well. Ask what the boss expects of employees when it comes to work hours and responding to email. To propose solutions, Mr. Melcher recommends the “yes…and” technique: Affirm the boss’s point, and then state your own. For example: “Yes, I want you to be able to rely on me after hours. And since I have young twins, it is important to me to be home between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and spend that time with family. I could respond to you between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. How does that sound?”
Head over to the Wall Street Journal for a few more tips, including a variety of ways to show the boss you’re working hard even when you’re not as willing to pull long hours.
When the Boss Works Long Hours, Must We All? [The Wall Street Journal]
Comments
5 responses to “Use The ‘Yes… And’ Negotiation Technique To Get Better Hours At Work”
This probably doesn’t impact the majority of Australians.
this actually did nto help at all and i do want to negotiate for better hours.
That example reads more like a “yes… but”
Isn’t this completely missing the fact that you need downtime from work to have a life in order to actually be more productive in your job?
Work life balance is critical to avoidnng burn out.
Yes and you can pay me a minimum four hour callout fee at time and a half…..