Denied a Raise? 6 Alternatives You Can Negotiate

So you’ve put in your time and finally mustered up the courage to ask for a raise. What happens if, for one reason or another (perhaps a tight budget), it’s simply not an option at this time?

Fortunately, if you work in an industry where some of the wildest perks are already what draw talent, there are other perks worth negotiating for that are more rewarding than pure income can buy.

We’ve compiled a list of perks that may not only help with your work-life balance but also benefit your employer at the same time. While some of them are still material objects, we’ve picked out others that provide invaluable, intangible experiences as well:

1. Side project

Google knows the importance of playtime, which is why they initially established their 20 percent time (now axed), which gave way to some of the most innovative projects like Gmail, Google Transit, Google Talk, and Google News. While startups might not have the luxury to give employees a 20 percent time to work on anything they like, some guidelines and coordination with your employer about special projects relevant to the company can turn into something mutually beneficial.

Whatever your interests are outside of work, have an open conversation with your employer about how you might be able to apply them within the company. There are always projects startups want to complete and a good company will always be happy to see its employees grow.

The most important part about the project is that it should be as fun as it is productive. So, it will work best with a soft time-frame, milestone, and some sort of reward at the end.

2. Classes/conferences

If you feel like you’ve hit a ceiling in your current position, you can ask your employer for tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees, especially if it will lead to new skills or advancement opportunities.

Conferences allow you to network with like-minded people while checking out the competition in your industry. Then, you can go back to work with valuable knowledge that will benefit the company.

3. Philanthropic work

Canvas Networks lets their employees donate their time and Canvas service to a not-for-profit organization of their choice every year. You could talk to your employer about how you might be able to apply your company’s product towards people who otherwise wouldn’t use it. Here’s a partial list of non-profit organizations categorized by interest. It’s good for everyone.

4. Work from home

Many tech companies offer a range of perks that are intended to make it convenient and appealing for employees to stay in the office, but there are great benefits to working from home.

Ask for more telecommuting days from time to time if you want a little more time to yourself in the morning or after work, a shorter commute, more flexibility in day-to-day things like walking your dog or fewer distractions from co-workers. It can simply provides a better work-life balance.

 5. Vacation time

By vacation time, we mean a real vacation, techie. If you work in tech, chances are you’re attached to some device with a screen.

In today’s world, it’s important to disconnect, get off the grid and get in touch with the things and people around us that matter most. Full Contact actually gives their employees money to go on a trip and calls t 'Paid, Paid Vacation.'

 6. Material perks

Perks mean different things for different people, and there are always things money can buy. Here are some things you should try negotiating for if the intangible experiences don’t speak to you:

• Paid service devices like a work phone
• Coffee budget
• Work laptop
• Bigger monitors
• Standing desk (much healthier than sitting all day)
• Comfy chairs
• Gym membership
• Product discounts

 

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Rosa Trieu is a freelance multimedia journalist. She covers a range of topics related to Asian businesses in California as a Forbes contributor. Prior to that, she was blogging, designing and managing social media for news startup Truthdig. When she’s not writing, Rosa enjoys going on adventures with her camera and running with her dog, Biscuit. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google+.