When you think about negotiating, usually the first thing that comes to mind is salary. And while negotiating salary is important, it’s not the only thing you can bargain for at a new job. From extra days off to hit the slopes to the finest espresso machines, these are some of the most impressive things Redditors say they have negotiated at their jobs.
“I live in the mountains and I knew a guy who had a ‘powder day clause’ in his contract that involved a day off to ski or snowboard if we had over 30cm of new snow overnight. Living the dream!”
New Espresso Machines, in Every Break Room
“A company I worked for hired a new sales guy who was nutso for coffee. As part of his contract, the company had to buy and install a commercial espresso machine (model and brand of his choosing), grinder, and beans dispenser in every break room. He also got a monthly budget for coffee and supplies.
“I thought I’d seen all the entitled dot-com activity at this point, so I went out for a beer with the HR lady that had been on the other side of the negotiating table and asked her about it. She laughed and said, ‘He could’ve had $50,000 in a sign-on and another 25 per year. Instead, he got 10 in coffee makers and two a year in beans.’”
“I have a fishing day built into my contract. One day a year, on my own choosing, I get to take off and go fishing. I usually take a Wednesday or Thursday, because the lakes are much less pressured and there is no traffic to fight to get into the lake.”
Friday Off Before the USC/UCLA Game
“One of the guys who joined our production engineering group successfully negotiated that he would get the Friday before the USC-UCLA football game off. He was a diehard Trojan and our engineering manager is also a Trojan, so he let the guy take the days off.”
“They only wanted the birthday for that one year, because his father was terminally ill. We were a relatively small organization, we agreed, and he seemed legitimately shocked that we had said yes so easily, and he almost teared up. Dude was a great employee, I think he still works there.”
Tell Us What You Think!
What is the craziest perk you’ve known someone to negotiate at their new job? We want to hear from you! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter!
(Image Credit: USFS Region 5/Flickr)
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