Negotiating Remote Workdays

"We will pay you $75K this year and $110K next year.” I’ve helped candidates negotiate six-figure salaries, remote flexibility, and better perks. Even when employers initially resisted. Well... negotiations often hit a standstill when both sides are holding firm. The employer won’t budge, and the employee doesn’t want to compromise. So how do you move forward without losing what matters most? 1️⃣ Understand their WHY. Your employer isn’t just being difficult. They have reasons, maybe budget constraints, company culture, and managerial oversight. If they insist on in-office work, maybe they’re worried about productivity. If they push back on salary, maybe they’re balancing multiple hires. 2️⃣ Reframe the discussion. Instead of saying, "I can only do remote", say "I’ll provide daily Loom updates to showcase my work and keep communication transparent." This way, they don’t feel like they’re losing control. They’re gaining certainty. 3️⃣ Propose a step-up structure. If they claim they can’t meet your salary, introduce a phased increase: "What if we start at $75K now, with a structured raise to $110K next year based on performance?" Now, you’re giving them flexibility while ensuring you get the pay you deserve. 4️⃣ Negotiate beyond salary. If they won’t budge on pay, shift the focus. More vacation? Training budget? Performance-based bonuses? There are multiple levers to pull. The goal isn’t to win. It’s to walk away happy. No one gets 100% of what they want, But the best negotiators ensure both sides leave with a deal that feels fair. If your negotiation is stuck, shift from demands to solutions. That’s how you break the deadlock.

After 5 months of searching. 172 applications. 14 first-round interviews. 6 final-round interviews. And countless rejections. My client Melissa finally received the offer she'd been dreaming of: Senior Marketing Director at a fast-growing tech company. $145K base salary (a $30K increase). Comprehensive benefits. Hybrid work arrangement (3 days in office). Clear path to VP level. On paper? Perfect. But when we reviewed the offer together, she hesitated. "The money's great, but..." Her current role was fully remote. The new position required those 3 days in-office, with "occasional travel" mentioned casually during interviews. As a single mom with two kids in elementary school, those 3 office days meant: • Waking up 90 minutes earlier • After-school care costs • Rushed mornings and evenings • Limited flexibility for school events • Constant logistics juggling The "occasional travel" was equally concerning. So we did something radical. Rather than accepting or declining, we crafted a counter: Same salary. Same title. But fully remote with quarterly in-person meetings. The hiring manager initially balked. "This role requires in-office collaboration." We asked for data to support that claim. They couldn't provide any. After a week of back-and-forth, they agreed to: • 1 day in office per week • Travel limited to 1 trip per month • Flexible hours to accommodate school drop-off/pickup • Written agreement these terms wouldn't change Melissa accepted. Three months in, her boss admitted the arrangement is working better than expected. Her productivity is higher than her in-office peers. The lesson? The job description is the STARTING point of negotiation, not the final word. What you need as a human being matters more than what's on the job listing. Work-life balance isn't just a buzzword. It's a legitimate business requirement that impacts your performance and wellbeing. Your non-salary needs are just as negotiable as your compensation. And sometimes, the thing you need most isn't more money—it's a work arrangement that respects your whole life. What's something important you've negotiated beyond salary? Share below! #JobNegotiation #WorkLifeBalance #CareerStrategy #RemoteWork #JobSearch #ResumeWriting P.S. Every client I've worked with who negotiated flexible work arrangements reported higher job satisfaction after 6 months than those who only negotiated salary. Sometimes the most valuable compensation isn't deposited in your bank account.

My client was offered a “remote” Director-level role but the remote designation wasn't in writing. The recruiter told us: “That’s not possible.” But we made it happen. Here’s what was really going on: My client had been clear throughout the interview process that she would not relocate. The role was described as remote, with monthly travel to corporate HQ. But when we asked one key question: *is the role formally designated as remote, or is it just a verbal agreement?,* we found the role was still coded to HQ (three states away). And if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s this: In-office expectations can change quickly. And once a mandate is in place, the penalties for non-compliance can be steep. There was no world in which my client was willing to relocate, leave her child’s school, her community, her husband’s job, because a policy changed. The remote designation was required for my client to accept the role. We laid out our rationale to the recruiter as part of our overall negotiation. He immediately said: “Not possible.” He told us it would require: - formal approval from the VP of HR - the role being reposted for at least 5 days - possibly a new interview process Instead of debating, we asked one simple question: “What *is* possible here?” Despite the initial pushback, that same day the recruiter came back to us: the hiring manager was willing to formally designate the role as remote. Two days later, my client received her offer letter with remote status in writing. Success. A few lessons: 1) If a term is specific to *your* job but not captured in the job description, especially remote work, get it in writing. It won’t guarantee job security, but it strengthens your position if norms change (and can support a stronger exit if needed). 2) If a recruiter pushes back because of internal process, pause and ask, politely, if they can look into it anyway. Inconvenient doesn’t mean impossible. Exceptions get made all the time. 3) Negotiations are about more than compensation. Terms like role location can make or break an offer, and they deserve a real strategy. If you’re navigating an offer and need help with what to ask for, how to ask for it, and when to make the ask, that’s the heart of my work. Save this post, or share it with someone negotiating right now.

Two of my clients are in the final stages of negotiating their offers right now and these conversations always remind me how important it is to slow down and get clear before you say yes. Negotiation isn’t just about asking for more. It’s about making sure the offer actually fits your life. So here’s what we’re focusing on together: 1️⃣ Non-negotiables. These are the things that would make or break your decision. Maybe it’s salary, flexibility, commute, or a culture that actually supports working parents. Ask yourself: What do I need out of this next role for it to be worth it? 2️⃣ Salary Know your absolute bottom number (and it should be above what you made in your last role) and your "best case scenario" number. This gives you a range to work within so you can confidently counter or accept without guessing what’s “fair.” 3️⃣ Environment We talk about about flexibility and lifestyle fit. What kind of schedule feels sustainable right now? Remote? Three days hybrid? School hour flexibility? Get honest with yourself about what balance really looks like in this season of motherhood because pretending you can do it all will only set you up for burnout later. 4️⃣ Framing We practice how to frame the conversation. This isn’t a one-sided power play. It’s a team discussion. Approach it with "we" language and a collaborative tone. They're expecting you to negotiate because they want you to be happy and successful in this role. 5️⃣ Confidence The MOST important piece. Remember who you are. Remember how hard you've worked to get here. You've earned this offer and you deserve to have a say in how this next chapter looks. Negotiation doesn't have to be scary, and its not about being demanding. It’s about being aligned. Because alignment changes everything.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟰 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲, 𝟯 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮 $𝟭𝟴𝟬𝗞 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿.😮💨 When I met Talia, she wasn’t chasing a title. She was chasing 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. Two kids under 6. A partner working long hours. And a job that treated daycare pickup like a lack of commitment. She told me, “𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵.” But every job description screamed “𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱,” “𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗶𝗻,” or “𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.” She started to believe flexibility and ambition just weren’t compatible. So in coaching, we got super honest about what she actually needed. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲: ✅ 𝟦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 ✅ 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝟥𝘹 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 ✅ 𝘕𝘰 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝟨𝘗𝘔 ✅ $𝟣𝟪𝟢𝘒+ Then we reverse-engineered the roles and companies that actually matched. And we prepped her to walk in with 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? She found the perfect fit. A Series B startup with a women-led exec team, an actual PTO policy people use, and a CTO who said, “𝘖𝘩! 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘥’𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭!” She got 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 she asked for. And the confidence to never settle again. 💬 Want help naming your non-negotiables and finding a role that honors them? 𝗗𝗠 𝗺𝗲 “𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬” and let’s make a plan. #CareerClarity #FlexibleWork #RemoteJobs #WorkLifeBalance