10 things you should negotiate other than salary

There’s no reason for you to enter into salary negotiations with only your pay in mind, as there are other benefits that are just as important to negotiate.

  This is because in the long term, benefits might pay off more than money. For example, if you don’t have a good pension and insurance plan at work, there’s a good opportunity for you to ask for a big salary increase.

There are probably hundreds of potential things you can negotiate on – a home cleaner? A personal trainer? While only your imagination sets the limits, the 10 most common benefits you can request from your boss are the following:

1. Insurance and pension

Let’s start with what might be the most important item. Insurance and pension are something everyone has to have, and if your job doesn’t provide them, you should ask for a higher salary to cover these costs. If you don’t, it could cost you a lot in the long run.

Read more about pension payment.

2. Company car

Do you have to drive a lot for work? Back and forth from home, and on business trips? If this is the case, you could ask about the possibility of getting your own company car. You won’t have to worry any longer about maintenance, insurance, fees and the like, and your company will get some good advertising by having its logo driven around all over town.

3. Newspaper subscription

Several companies include a newspaper subscription in your employment contract when you start working. If not, you can request one. You should limit yourself to work-related newspapers that’ll keep you updated on current trends in your field. Be sure to provide concrete examples of how this knowledge can be useful for you on the job.

4. Subsidized food

If you have buy meals at your workplace cafeteria and/or go out to buy food, it can really add up over time. Can you drop getting a salary increase and get either free or partially subsidized meals instead? It’s okay to ask your boss for this benefit.

5. Subsidized fitness

Subsidized fitness is something that all employers should offer their employees. Staying in shape can have a big impact on your health, energy level and motivation as an employee; similarly, having more productive employees pays off for employers. For instance, it’ll mean that fewer employees will call in sick.

6. Extra equipment for the home office?

It’s a smart negotiating move to mention the kind of extra office equipment you might need beyond the ordinary. You use office equipment more or less every day, which is why it’s extra important that you find this equipment useful for doing your job more efficiently. It might include having an extra screen or mobile phone to installing faster at-home broadband.

7. Sponsoring education

This is a benefit that’ll be useful to you and your job. You should also think about the kind of continuing education that would be most sensible with respect to your current job, and how your increased competency can help the company grow and profit.

If you can show them at work how your coursework will pay for itself, the chances are greater for your being allowed to take more courses later on.

8. Subsidized kindergarten

Do you have children who attend a kindergarten or an after-school program? Some employers are willing to cover part of or all of these costs.

9. Subsidized dues

What about getting your employer to cover your Tekna dues? There are already 2.6 percent of our members who have gotten this benefit.

10. Shares and options

In some companies it’s possible for employees to negotiate getting “a piece of the pie” if the company’s doing well financially, a plan which both helps employers and increases employees’ motivation.