6 tips for negotiating with your employer/management team
Negotiating with management can be a scary prospect. Asking for ‘more’ or ‘better’ is a vital part of trade union activity but it often makes people feel awkward or as if they are making trouble. On top of that, management generally have more power – including the power to say ‘no’ to your demands – and are often experienced negotiators.
But, as any trade unionist worth her salt knows; if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
I have been National Chair of the JNC (representing all unionised TUC employees) for just over a year now, so I’ve had a few chances to exercise my negotiation muscles. Here are some useful tips for negotiating with success.
- Do your research. If you are negotiating to change or introduce a workplace policy, look around - what do similar organisations use? Ask friends and family – what do their policies look like? Talk to colleagues – what do they really want from a new policy? ACAS often have best-practice policies to use as guidance and, of course, the Wales TUC Cymru have a range of great policies and toolkits. Review as many as you can and figure out what’ll be a good fit for your workplace.
Research isn’t just about getting the most you can out of a negotiation – it’s also the best way to make sure you never settle for less than accepted guidance and recommendations.
- Agree what you want ahead of time. Whatever you are negotiating on – whether it’s facility time, pay or a new policy – It’s important to decide what you will accept before you go in. If possible, agree with your colleagues three positions:
- Your starting point – e.g. a pay increase of 4% (remember, management will never go up from here)
- What you’d like and consider to be reasonable – e.g. a pay increase of 3%
- The minimum you are prepared to settle for – say, 2.5%
- Try not to feel intimidated. Management have joined you around the table because they are prepared to discuss the issue or issues, so that’s already a great start.
- If you are negotiating alongside other reps or colleagues, never disagree amongst yourselves in front of management. Feel free to ask for a “time out” to step out of the room for a moment if you need to – but disagreeing in front of management makes you look unprepared and shows weakness.
- Negotiate, don’t argue. It’s not about getting each other’s backs up and you’ll never win anyone over by shouting. Listen carefully, respond calmly, and try to find areas of common ground.
- Think about your language. Try using more constructive language, like:
Now you know how to negotiate, you’re ready to change your workplace – visit our campaign page to see what trade unions are campaigning for.