You Should Know

This is partly why big business and the rich classes are vehemently opposed to residuals, income guarantees and universal basic income. It weakens their leverage.

As someone with enough passive income to pay their bills, for whom working is to gain expendable cash, I can tell you it is empowering to have that security and independence. The knowledge that my employer can do nothing to threaten my livelihood.

This is a very basic fact of life that everyone should learn in school

Its funny, because the nature of educational administration tends to favor people not knowing this. Keeping teachers and parents in check and convinced they don't have any kind of alternative except to eat the next round of budget cuts and belt tightening is their whole reason for existing.

If people started thinking strategically about how to lever better quality education out of the system through negotiation, we'd see more wildcat teacher's strikes and parents that voted out incumbent school board members.

The idea that people should find the means to leave their parents’ household as soon as they turn 18 deprives them of an economic mattress that would otherwise allow them to be more aggressive when they negotiate for their salary, or even open up the possibility to dedicate time into trying to create their own business or projects. Different forms of social security, such as unemployment benefits, minimum guaranteed income or basic universal rent make working people far less dependent on the possibility of being laid off, which would motivate them to confront management about negative working conditions.

Absolutely. But employers will hate this, as it decreases the leverage they have over their existing and future staff.

And the modern political class is far more aligned with employers than current and future workers, because politicians need the large financial and media networks that investors and owners control.

So you're not going to see any kind of top-down policy change to this effect.

This is one of the reasons I am a big advocate of UBI instead of minimum wage. Rather than governments applying a crude, easily corruptible, fix, workers can be more dynamic. It's a lot easier to negotiate a good wage when you don't have your back to the wall. This will push up wages, to a more balanced level, while removing the distortion that income support systems produce.

A percentage tax, flat payout based system would also avoid the inflation issue. The only issue is how to properly apply it to companies, particularly the mega corps (a problem with tax systems everywhere, right now).

The moment you accept a bad offer out of necessity, remember you are NOT done searching for work yet! Continue to interview as much as possible to achieve a better result you can stomach while you grow your credentials.

Yep. You needto know your BATNA going into any negotiation. If you don't have an acceptable BATNA, you are not in a negotiation but in an unconditional surrender pleading for mercy.

BATNA is the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.

https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/batna/translate-your-batna-to-the-current-deal/?amp

The internal question always needs to be ‘what is my next best alternative - if I need to actually say no’. Without an answer you are comfortable with, you won’t be able to negotiate.

It is a someone evil aspect to reality…. those who have more, and need less, have a better position to negotiate for me.

cough brexit cough

I always feel this way about tailgaters. They don't seem to realize that they have given up all the power to the person they are tailgating.

I bet this has a lot to do with why people are encouraged to take on significant student debt.

No shit?

BATNA is the single most important thing to prepare before a negotiation. What's the best alternative if you tell walk away from the meeting?

This is very important advice - thank you!

In terms of labor market: Don’t just apply for one job. Always try to have options. I know that this is a pretty unrealistic setting for many people - and I’m sorry about that. But if you can - have a plan B. Even if you apply for a job A, which you really think you want, having an offer for a somewhat shitty job B on the table already gives you some leverage. You don’t fight for your survival anymore. You may not get Job A after all if you don’t accept the bad conditions they may offer, but you still have job B to keep you afloat. You may still get job A though - with better conditions and salary than you would have dared to bargain for if you didn’t have an alternative. The more alternatives the better.

Again, I know this is not always possible. If it is though: make use of it.

It’s a little bit like dating. Don’t take the first offer just because they want you. Make sure you actually want them, you and they know and respect your value, and they don’t screw you over.

Well of course. If you don’t give a fuck about the outcome, you are more willing to take bigger risks. If they fail, so what. If they succeed you win bigger.