Dear Sally:

Unfortunately, there’s another possibility. Instead of saying it’s all or nothing, your boss could just ask you to leave. There’s a growing trend for companies to get rid of employees who have worked for a long time and grown their salaries far beyond that of newer workers doing the same kind of work. In many corporations there isn’t a lot of loyalty to long-term employees anymore. So if your salary far exceeds that of younger workers doing similar tasks, beware!

Here are the factors that affect how to approach the boss:

1. How close are you to him? The better the personal relationship, the more likely he is to try to work with you.

2. How unique are your skills? If you can easily be replaced by someone who earns less, you could be in trouble.

3. Does the company have other part-time professionals? The more common this is, the better your chances of success. You might even go to Human Resources and ask if there is a company policy about part-time employment. Of course, going to HR is always risky, since it can easily get back to your boss.

4. Could you do your job in less time? The more you can offer your cut-back as a benefit to the company, the better off you are. For example, if you could offer to do the same amount of work in four days with 4/5 salary, that’s a good incentive for them to accept your offer.

5. How much do you need the job? If you really need the work or the money, and you do not have unique skills, you might want to reconsider.

The Career Doctor