You've Got To Earn It

Convincing upper management of those benefits is easier if you have already established a good working relationship.

"You've got to build a history," contends Dean Sutera, director of printing at Portland, Ore.-based Fred Meyer Inc., where he is a 22-year veteran. "If the company knows that what you propose always comes through, then your chance of getting something is great. If you propose frivolous things that aren't backed up or really aren't necessary—or don't prove themselves in the long run—you're going to have trouble."