It's because it makes you sound like a clock watcher. There's also the hours vs productivity issue. Managers STILL would rather you were less productive but in

It's because it makes you sound like a clock watcher. There's also the hours vs productivity issue. Managers STILL would rather you were less productive but in the office for more hours. Even though it makes no sense. With a salary it's often implied that you'll be there until the job is done and 9-5 is a minimum. So to negotiate hours is like saying "can I do less work for the same money?" I always find myself happier in a job where I can negotiate my hourly rate and my weeks work can fluctuate. I fought really hard at my last contract to get a 35 hour week over 4 days. It lasted a while and then they said they needed me to be there 5 days - still 35 hours though. They gained nothing except to distrupt my work/life balance. It really gets me how some people come in super early but then spend their day actively avoiding work. In my shorter working week I fixed more issues, took more calls, worked through every job role in the department, built a productivity system to actually prove what we were achieving and presented 2 ideas to save the company £200k every year (they're implementing them now) Yet those that punch the clock and rack up the hours are preferred!