How to negotiate working less

In 1817, Welsh textile mill owner Robert Owen coined the slogan that defined the ideal workday: “Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” At the time, this was a radical proposal—most mill workers toiled for 10 to 16 hours a day, six days a week. 

Over the last two centuries, the desire to earn a living wage while working less and less hasn’t gone away. From the two-day weekend to shortened “summer hours,” workers have constantly pushed for more leisure time. Improvements in productivity throughout the 20th century—and into the present day—mean the 40-hour workweek itself might be unnecessary.

To some, reducing the hours worked in a typical week seems like the next logical step.

“We have to move to an economy where people don’t work five days a week,” says Stephen Friedman, an adjunct professor of organizational studies at York University’s Schulich School of Business. “I think it’s inevitable.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, many office workers felt drained by endless Zoom meetings and the blurring of their work and personal lives. Meena Kaila-Gambhir, founder of Career Conscious and a senior career coach and consultant at Lee Hecht Harrison, a global career transition and leadership development firm, says flexibility has become increasingly important to many employees since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

“There’s this social awakening, where people are reevaluating their lives and their values and their priorities,” she says. 

Today, that means many professionals don’t want to go back to the office five days a week—or be there at all. When Mental Health America asked 3,000 workers why they wanted flexible work arrangements, three-quarters said they needed better work-life balance. 

For others, it means shortening the workweek to just four days, or even getting rid of the idea of a set workday altogether. Just like Owen’s idea of the eight-hour workday back in 1817, these ideas may seem revolutionary. But they’re not impossible to discuss with your boss. 

How to negotiate working less

While your boss may hold a lot of power in your employment relationship, you may have more influence than you realize. A lot can be negotiated, Kaila-Gambhir points out. The question is, how should you broach the conversation? And will your employer be open to it?

Every negotiation is unique, but Kaila-Gambhir and Friedman have suggestions for anyone trying to work out better working hours, regardless of their circumstances. 

1. Understand what you’re looking for

Before you can enter any negotiation, you need to know what you’re looking for. Is it a four-day workweek so you can pursue a passion project—or relax more—on Fridays? Is it more vacation days, or a less rigid workday so you can clock in or out whenever you want? Or is it the right to disconnect completely from Slack or email by 6 p.m.?

Kaila-Gambhir says she coaches clients to be clear about what they want. What does a reduced workweek look like for you? How would a flexible workday help you? Once you’ve established that info, you’ll be able to come up with your plan of attack. 

2. Do your homework

Once you know what you’re looking for, Kaila-Gambhir says to research whether there’s a decent chance your employer will accept it. Your organization’s employee policies are a good place to start. There might already be a policy in place that allows for flexible working hours, remote work or even reduced hours. If there is, it can strengthen your case when you start the negotiation process.

But that’s not to say you should stop at company policy. Kaila-Gambhir says to ask around, too. For example, there may be someone in your organization who went from full-time to part-time, or was given more flexible hours. 

“In confidence, have a conversation with them,” she says. “You want to approach this conversation with curiosity and leverage it as an opportunity to learn from this person about their experience.” 

Representatives from your organization’s human resources department or employee’s union can also help you better understand your options.

3. Make a proposition your boss can’t refuse

Ultimately, Friedman says, your boss is highly unlikely to accept a proposal where you do less work for the same pay. He isn’t saying you can’t—or shouldn’t—make the case for working less, but your boss needs something in return.

“Think about what constitutes performance in [your] job,” he says. In some fields and industries, like marketing or financial consulting, performance is typically tied to a specific project rather than the number of hours an employee spends on the clock. Many freelancers do this by charging flat fees: The amount of time they spend on a project doesn’t matter, so long as they get it done.

In those cases, Friedman says, you might be able to arrange for a four-day workweek or flexible hours. “If the job is amenable, it has nothing to do with time, it’s not client-facing, you don’t have meetings—then absolutely, you should go and ask for it,” he says. “But you’ve got to have a plan.”

4. Start with a discussion—not a negotiation

After all your reflection and research, it may be tempting to rush into your boss’s office and lay out your terms. Kaila-Gambhir advises against that—at least initially. Instead, she says, talk to your boss about the possibility of working less. That way, “you’re not committing to anything. You’re not giving them what your optimal, ideal scenario is just yet,” she says. “You just want to have a discussion—to explore options and see what may be possible.” 

This phase isn’t just about gathering more information for your proposal. It also lets your boss see that you understand their position as an employer, one who needs to consider their own business needs alongside your request. Then you can book a follow-up conversation to ensure you keep the conversation going, Kaila-Gambhir says.

If your boss isn’t open to the idea of a hard-and-fast change to your work schedule, this is also a good time to suggest a trial run of your proposal. A conversation, rather than an ultimatum-driven negotiation, can feel less intimidating for an employer. 

5. Be prepared to walk away

While it’s tempting to imagine that absolutely everything about a job is negotiable, that isn’t always true. For instance, it would be very difficult for an intensive care unit nurse to convince an employer to allow remote work. Same goes for the manager of a community centre or a barista. 

In fact, most Canadian jobs have never been worked remotely. In April 2020, at the height of the first wave of COVID-19, it felt like everyone was at home. But the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey reported that 40% of Canadian workers were mostly clocking in from home. As of last November, it dropped to 20%.

To Friedman, asking for flexibility when your job cannot easily be done through alternate arrangements is a bad strategy. It won’t convince employers, he says, and might come off as entitled. If all else fails, finding a new job that will accommodate your desire to work less might be the best option. Some job postings include information on working from home, flexible hours, part-time status, etc.

“Do you want a flexible job? Then maybe you ought to apply for another position that has more flexibility,” he says. “I’m not telling you that’s right or wrong—I’m just saying that’s what an employer will say.” 

Understand what you’re up against

You may have to accept the reality: a request to work remotely or outside of office hours may not be a possibility in your current job, or your boss may not see your working less as good for their bottom line. 

But in his experience in coaching executives, Friedman says many are open to changing the ways their employees work. Negotiating a four-day week, a flexible work arrangement, or the ability to disconnect from email at the end of the day is totally possible, so long as you do your homework and know how to ask.

Read more about careers:

• How to make the most of your compensation
• How to take a gap year trip without breaking the bank
• The skills Canadian employers are looking for in the age of AI
• 25 money moves to make by age 25 in Canada

About Brennan Doherty

Brennan Doherty is a Toronto-based writer. His work regularly appears in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, BBC Worklife, The Local, and elsewhere.

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