Negotiating jobs in the ‘new normal’

This has been an interesting few months for folks who teach job negotiation. Our nation’s employment picture went from a seller’s market to no one’s market in the blink of an eye.

Although we’re somewhat accustomed to labor markets that swing up and down, those reversals are usually more gradual. We’re also accustomed to micro-labor markets, where certain sectors experience difficulty hiring, or certain populations struggle to find work.

But to have the entire economy suddenly struggling at once is not familiar territory. That’s not to say that no one is thriving right now, or that hiring has halted. But we’ve lost our road map for the moment, so it’s difficult to predict the recovery in terms of employment. In many ways, it truly is no one’s market for the moment.

On the other hand, I do see smaller opportunities to prosper, which might be available to those who are working now or those interviewing for a new position. Which brings us back to job negotiation and how much that process has changed from before COVID-19.

Just as an example, it wasn’t that long ago that a worker’s wish list or the employer’s enhancements to an offer might have included paid parking or bus passes, modernized work spaces, the opportunity to (infrequently) work from home, and even the occasional set of tickets for the company’s box seats at a premium sports arena.

At this moment in time, none of those items has any value to the worker, which means they don’t have a place in the negotiations. Indeed, most of the usual practices for negotiation are subject to review right now, for more reasons than just the pandemic.

For example, the script that we’ve all been trying to learn over our careers – “What are my salary requirements? I’d rather not say – maybe you could tell me the budget for this position?” – is fading from existence in some sectors, replaced by the demand for explicit pay information. If employers heed the call and begin announcing their pay rates on the job posting, major sections of an awkward conversation can be scrapped. This push from labor advocates is not rooted in the COVID-19 crisis, but in their work for pay equity across gender and racial lines.

Although the trend on transparent pay is gaining momentum, it’s too soon to say that it will be a norm in the near future. For the moment, which is where we have to keep our focus, it’s not a common feature of most salary discussions.

What is common in the current moment are these factors related to the workplace: a tidal wave of uncertainty that keeps employers from making firm or generous offers; a stated preference from workers to stay home when possible; the pandemicinspired thinning of work teams through furloughs or outright layoffs; and an almost accidental over-reliance on workers to provide workplace infrastructure from their homes.

When it comes to negotiation, whether it’s for a new job or to revise expectations for a job you currently hold, those are the points you want to focus on, not the proverbial pool table in the employee lunchroom.

Here are some tips to consider:

When working from home is expected, it’s appropriate to request budget to cover the “consumables” — paper and toner — as well as use of your equipment and the space itself. How hard to push for these items is a matter of some delicacy, but do remember that you are incurring expense and inconvenience by conducting your employer’s work from your home.

If you’re pursuing an opportunity that doesn’t seem to be “closing,” the employer may be hesitant to make a commitment. Consider offering to start part-time, or as a contractor, to help break the logjam. But don’t offer fulltime work at a lower salary if you can avoid it. You’ll find later that it’s easier to add hours than it is to increase your pay — so starting at higher pay for fewer hours is more strategic.

If your workplace is instituting partial work furloughs — say, one week off every month — you’ll want to understand the impact on vacation, sick leave, health care and other benefits. When you’re the nonfurloughed worker, you may need to negotiate a reduced work load while you absorb someone else’s duties.

Overall, your best tool right now is flexibility. If you have to give more than usual in order to help your employer hire you, or stay in business for that matter, then that’s the smart move. But keep your eye on things: as we pull out of this situation, you want to be sure that your employer’s new normal isn’t based on long-term sacrifices on your part.