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0 pointseru9y ago0 comments

The chasers will only drag your salary down, if the business can't distinguish you from them when hiring. Luckily, it's pretty easy for you to signal that you are not a chaser.

Getting paid more than other folks mostly means you are better at interviewing and negotiations. (Or, if you are a lifer, that you are good at your company's promotion process. If your company is sane, that might even imply something about how well you work.)

I don't think shaming or not makes a difference. It's just irrelevant. (Or are people really going to ask for less in their next negotiations because someone on the Internet 'shamed' them? Really?)

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5 comments · 1 top-level

zenlikethat9y ago· 4 in thread

It's not just the Internet, it's real life too. If salaries are low across the board at $COMPANY it's an easy wedge for the management to use. "We couldn't give you more because then you would be making more than your coworkers. Do you feel like you really deserve more? You should be happy to have what you do already." If your coworkers are also too meek to ask for raises it's bad news for all the engineers. Pressure matters.

uiri9y ago

"We couldn't give you more because then you would be making more than your coworkers. Do you feel like you really deserve more? You should be happy to have what you do already."

The answer is to call their bluff and tell them that yes, you do feel like you deserve more. You may or may not add that you feel like your coworkers also deserve more. You can't negotiate your coworkers' salary for them. You're only in a position to negotiate your own.

dijit9y ago

In my case I have been fighting for my colleagues salary too, since they're "linked" by company policy.

It works because even though he's not asking for more money I can tell them what the cost of replacing us is, and I can tell them if one of us leaves the other is more than likely to follow.

eruOP9y ago

Yes. And that's why every employee should spend some low amount of background effort constantly interviewing elsewhere. First, to get a feeler for what the rest of the market is doing. Second, to take a better offer if available. Third, even a committed lifer needs to keep the interviewing skills sharp, in case of layoffs or bankruptcy.

codeddesign9y ago

You do realize that it costs companies more to continually hire. If you add real value to a company, from my experience most non-global companies see and understand that. However, in many cases the engineer is mediocre in their job (regardless of actual skill) and still expects a company to increase their pay. In a generation of people that feel something is owed to them, unfortunately the mediocre engineer covers 80% of the talent pool.

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