Don't compare to others. Are you happy with the salary you are getting? Does it seem fair or better for the work that you do? If so, then don't worry about it. If you are being underpaid for the work that you do then that's a different issue and you can discuss that with your manager without ever bringing anyone else up.
Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
31–40 of 58 posts
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#32>I believe they are over paid for where we live
This belief is problematic because real (a.k.a. non-bullshit) jobs are typically priced based on the value of what's delivered, not the residence of the person delivering the value. Like race and sexuality, residence is wholly unrelated to the job.
I'd consider your predicament to be unfair. It's also not fair that garbage men work 10x harder than you for a fraction of your pay. Oh well.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#33> Everyone on the same level gets the same base pay and those who perform well, get a bump and bonus now and then.
This is fair by definition.
The situation you describe is that you are in the wrong salary tier, which isn't about fairness but about mismanagement.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#34If you're the only senior there doesn't that mean you've got leverage? Sounds like it's time to carve out a proper senior level tier for your department.
How did you ask for the raise? How did they respond? It feels like the manager gave you a token amount to keep you around and you accepted it. Does the manager even know you still feel under-compensated?
> I believe they are over paid for where we live.
You are underpaid but are not asking for or getting a real raise for some reason. Don't fuck with someone else's bread and butter. This is your problem to solve, not theirs.
Letting your manager decide how much of their budget to give up is just asking for disappointment. Bring a number to the table next time, and get as close as you can to it.
> Does this system seem fair to anyone else?
You need unions before you get fair, what you need in this case is a chat with whoever can make changes. Convince them to make changes.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#35> I am the only senior
What does this mean? Does this mean you're the same level but have more experience?
If you're all the same level, let the other devs own things. They're the same level and can do as much as you. Let them. You should be doing this anyway so that they can learn how to do this while there's someone with some experience to help guide them.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#36[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#37> I believe they are over paid for where we live. This is the line I have a bit of trouble with. You shouldn't try to bring others down to feel better about making more, you should see what they're being paid and realize you are worth more. Outline this in asking for compensation adjustment, or begin to look elsewhere. If you can't find a role making more, just try not to let what others make bother you. At the end o…
> You shouldn't try to bring others down to feel better about making more, you should see what they're being paid and realize you are worth more.
This.
The company is probably generating oodles of profit. Any profit whatsoever represents the labour of employees for which they haven’t been paid. These employees have generated value through their labour that the company has realized, and the company has decided to steal this value from the employees rather than giving it back to them.
So OP deserves more pay.
The company has already determined that relatively low skill levels deserve a certain minimum pay. This does not mean that these employees are overpaid, but rather that OP is underpaid.
This focus on fighting against wage increases for others who are beneath you is a psi-ops explicitly engineered by the Parasite Class, to make the lower classes fight their class war for them. The Parasite Class are laughing all the way to their obscenely-bloated offshore investment accounts.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#38> Everyone on the same level gets the same base pay … I am the only senior. So you’re not on the same level, so you get paid more? Except you don’t? That’s a contradiction. I’d start applying and interviewing elsewhere, and once you have an offer, decide which one you’d rather do. If you’re not happy where you’re at, don’t wait, start making a plan B now
They said it's not a tech firm. I'd guess there is nobody else in the firm who understands anything that team does, and therefore there is an assumption that all developers are interchangeable.
Yeah they have probably one pay level for "developers" and that's it.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#39BATNA - Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.
This acronym is taught in any course discussing the basics of negotiation. If you are negotiating on anything, you will always be in a better position if your BATNA is good. In the context of job salary negotiations, saying "I have another job offer for 1.3 times my current salary" is going to put you in a much better position than saying "I feel like I'm worth more". So the answer is to find a good BATNA and then approach your boss. Unfortunately, the jobs environment is not great right now so finding a better offer might take some time (in good times, even the threat of leaving might put you in a good negotiating position).
On a secondary note, you don't necessarily need to work at a tech company to be appreciated, but it's generally important to work in a division and in roles that help increase company revenues. Try to look for that in your next role.
Re: Ask HN: Would anyone find this system fair?
#40Comparison is pretty highly rated as a factor for misery - I'd agree with others on the thread - better to consider yourself as yourself. Are you happy? Is the role fulfilling? Are you having fun? And then - given all this, are you earning enough to live a nice life?