7 Ways to Negotiate a Demotion (With Your Boss)

Do you work too much?

Work environment expectations are changing. Exhaustingly long days are no longer tolerated and decent pay is demanded. The “Great Resignation” isn’t just about no one “wanting to work” — no one is selling their time below market rate anymore. Hours spent with family and on passion projects are valued higher than hours on a paycheck.

Amidst this nationwide cultural change, I too hit a predicament at what I thought was my dream job. I began the position a powerhouse, working 12 to 16 hours a day easily out of passion for the job. We were building a bar, and reopening a closed restaurant during COVID. I was exhausted and loving life.

But we completed both projects, and as we waited for the next, the outlook for another waned. I didn’t see signs of another incoming project. I began to think about restructuring my position. I was tired of working 60 hours a week to satisfy the implicit expectations that came with my decent salary. I needed a title change and a reduction in hours.

Here’s how I negotiated a demotion with my boss. Read More.