Partridge Green author aims to help employees to tackle the cost of living crisis with new book

Everything seems to be going up, but wages rarely keep pace with inflation. Some 80% of employees in the UK have no union representation and so are responsible for negotiating their own salary. Most end up relying on the goodwill of their employer, but that's no guarantee of fairness.

When inflation is rampant, as now, this frequently results in real-terms pay cuts for many. This is a particular issue for female employees. A recent poll of more than 9,000 employees conducted by employment agency Robert Walters showed that men were 23% more likely than women to negotiate a rise at all stages of their career. More women than men (22% and 13% respectively) cited lack of confidence as a factor.

A timely book by Partridge Green author, Michael Phillips, is released on 6th January. 'The Naked Negotiator - How to Negotiate the Salary You Deserve' is quick and easy to read, and written in a narrative style. Uniquely, it gives the reader an academically robust and thorough presentation of negotiation theory in a light-hearted and entertaining manner.

The lead character, Ellen, is a talented, intelligent young manager who loves her job. Her employer, good in every other respect, has not been generous with pay for several years, and she knows she must increase her earnings if she is going to do what she wants with her life. She meets an eccentric, aged negotiation expert – the Naked Negotiator – and they embark on an entertaining and illuminating journey together. Charismatic, but at the same time rather oddball, the Naked Negotiator leads Ellen through every aspect of the important negotiation she is facing. Sometimes funny, sometimes daunting, always entertaining, Ellen’s journey culminates with her achieving more than she ever dreamt possible, and the story ends with an engaging twist.

The book arms the reader with knowledge and confidence. In what often feels like anunfair struggle between experienced, knowledgeable managers and apparentlypowerless employees, the reader need no longer fear this most daunting of careerchallenges.

'The Naked Negotiator' by Michael W Phillips is available at all major online bookstores, and can also be purchased direct from the publisher (at a discount) at https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/naked-negotiator