How did you decide it was time to make a change?

I just had no time to do the life admin stuff that you need to do. My work is difficult – dealing with people who are emotional and in difficult situations. I felt like I needed a bit more me-time.

I knew that I was due a pay rise, but I hadn’t had one. And I knew that my boss probably wasn’t going to be keen on a pay rise. That was when the thought came to me that I could persuade him that I could work four days instead of five. That meant I was effectively getting something that I needed and I wouldn’t experience any financial loss as a result.

Have you ever negotiated a promotion, title change or pay rise before?

No, I’ve never done anything like this.

What preparation did you do beforehand?

I mainly focused on exactly what I wanted to achieve, so I could explain it clearly. I also thought about what objections he might have so I could try to close those off without him having to raise them. That way he might be reassured. Because I work with people going through separation, I see an awful lot of people having angry conversations. Because of that, I knew the most important thing was to remain calm and to ensure that I was listening as well as telling him what I wanted. I think that made the conversation go much better because he didn’t think I was being aggressive or dictatorial. I didn’t encourage him to be defensive.

Know Your Worth: “How I negotiated a 4-day work week for the same pay”