Dear Coach: I have a window of opportunity that arose when I returned to work after maternity leave. I am an architectural designer with college degrees in architectural drafting and art history. I primarily remodel residential and commercial kitchens, handle crises and manage the office and customer service. I was called on to deal with problems even while on maternity leave.

My boss wants me to work more hours and take on more responsibilities, and even though he's a great guy and I love designing, I don't want to commit myself for the low hourly wage I receive. I want to propose that I should be paid a modest salary and lucrative commission schedule with a flexible workweek while continuing increased productivity and bringing many new accounts to this small company. How shall I proceed?

Thanks, S.

Dear S: Good for you! Perhaps motherhood will be a wake-up call for you to insist on getting what you're due, even though you may have to go in through the side door to do it. You have to make the very sensible proposition seem appealing to your boss and worth his while. The trick, I believe, is to drop your hourly rate a little below the diddly amount he pays you now (so it seems like a big savings to him) and then calculate your commission rate very strategically. You want to get your number without giving this guy a heart attack while you make your proposal.

To get some idea about rates, visit the Monster.com Talent Market and see what others in the field are asking for their services. And while you're there, take a look at the advantages of an increased free agent role for you, in case he doesn't want to play on your terms. Be sure to highlight all the things you do for the company now, and what a positive impact your new role would undoubtedly have on the bottom line. You would do well to think of a layered rate, so that your boss doesn't perceive the pinch until the volume looks good to him. If he seems hesitant, you might want to propose a six or nine month pilot project, after which you could renegotiate if either of you are not happy.

Essential to all this, of course, is that you have to get out of your mother hen role, because those are usually not productive enough hours in terms of generating sales. So it's time to do your mothering at home now, instead of at the office. Good luck -- it does seem to me like an important window of opportunity for you on several fronts.

Career Coach