Negotiate Extra Vacation Days Instead of Raise

[markb]

My annual performance review is coming up in a few months and I've been told I will be getting a raise which is great news. I'm doing well financially and saving a high percentage of my income and I'd rather have the freedom that comes with extra vacation days. I'm paid a salary and so I've put together a table that shows an equal conversion between pay raise and extra days off.

I'm hoping to negotiate more vacation instead of a pay raise by showing that a $X raise is equal to Y more vacation days and mentioning I'd be more satisfied with the extra vacation over the pay raise. I'm in a very small company so there is more flexibility. I will also make it clear that additional vacation days are in addition to the standard table of years worked vs. vacation days at my company so that I'm not negotiating for extra days I would have earned anyways.

Has anyone successfully negotiated to get more vacation days and have any tips to share?

[RyanAtTanagra]

Yep, I did this at my current job during my first review/raise.  They told me what I was getting and I said 'I appreciate that, but what I'm really interested in is more vacation', and then stated my reasons for why I should have it, which for me was:

1) The company gives less than standard vaca for the tech industry where I am, so I asked for a week more to be brought up to the norm.

2) The company's paid holiday schedule is horrible for the area as well, and I showed them how I was losing a full week of paid holidays compared to what most places did.

So I went from 2 to 4 weeks, wasn't expecting to get all of it, but sometimes you do.

I would say just make sure you have good reasons for it.

[Schaefer Light]

I've seen it happen at my workplace.  I think the strongest argument is the financial one.  Giving you more vacation time isn't costing the company any money, while giving you a raise certainly would hit the bottom line.

[nobodyspecial]

A raise also compounds, your next raise is a % of your current salary.
That's why a lot of companies like to give bonuses, or more vacation. Next year they might give you another few days, but they don't have to give you twice as many more because of this deal.

[Fastfwd]

I tried that once and I was expecting positive results with the company trying to cut costs. They just could not do it because there was a hard rule on how much vacation employees can get. They were not willing to change the rule.