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"Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

nityesh.com

51–60 of 624 posts

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#51

How long before an enterprising startup starts selling virtual apartment addresses in the heart of SF?

At least 40 years ago - Mailboxes, etc. first opened in 1980, and that was typically how I saw people get a street address in their choice of city.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#53
I think cost-of-living adjustments are mostly a bluff. If you demand more and you're better than someone in an expensive area, they're not going to hire the shittier candidate. They'll see what they can get away with given your apparent leverage, and offer that. If you have multiple offers, they'll bid you up to the budget for your skill level. Where you are is irrelevant (except for legal issues). At least, that's how it seems to me.

Can anyone on the other side of things chime in? Is this how it works, or is there more going on? Is it a "we-don't-negotiate-with-terrorists" policy to stop negotiation from propagating?

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#55
post #50

Median salary globally is around USD $10k, so for remote work presumably everyone's salaries should be similar. Given developers are high skilled and in demand, maybe they should be paid 3x the global median so $30k per year.

That's a fine starting point to set the initial conditions. Now, if a company can find a way to harness developers to create $100K of enterprise value per year, they will be happy to bid $50K for qualified developers. Another company that can create $150K/dev/yr will be willing to bid $60K, etc.

I doubt you'll see qualified developers seeing a salary cut anywhere near as deep as you project, because the process I describe will play out faster than needed to inject the needed stability.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#56

Salaries are based on market rates not "cost of living". If you want your employer to pay a higher salary either move to another city where they would pay more or find another company. There's not much else you can do that would convince your company otherwise.

Why not just tell you live in another city?

I agree, this seems trivial to solve: get a UPS PMB in a high cost of living area and set up mail forwarding.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#57
post #30

Imagine I am traveling the world while working remotely. Am I going to have a different compensation based on the present location? On my tax domicile location? What if I move to Monaco? If I spend time in some super cheap country, would the company reimburse my flight ticket that might be worth 5-10x the average monthly salary?

That's depends on the negotiation you have with your employer.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#58

I think cost-of-living adjustments are mostly a bluff. If you demand more and you're better than someone in an expensive area, they're not going to hire the shittier candidate. They'll see what they can get away with given your apparent leverage, and offer that. If you have multiple offers, they'll bid you up to the budget for your skill level. Where you are is irrelevant (except for legal issues). At least, that's h…

I don't know if I'd call them a bluff or an initial bid, but I agree with your main point that if you can convince a hiring manager that you're the best candidate they can find and represent a value overlay, they're very motivated to find a way to make it happen (often by hiring you at a more senior level than what you were being recruited for).

In the end, finding extremely talented developers is still a difficult, time-consuming, risky endeavor, remote or in-office.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#59
post #22

This, and similar moans, really misses the point. Employment is a social contract, looking for a compromise between two positions: * Employers want to essentially acquire a good (productive employee) for the best quality / price ratio. If a trained monkey could do the job for peanuts, employers would be happy. * Employees, and the society made up of employees, want stability, employment rights etc. as salary work is…

> there is no moral obligation for employers to pay a wage that's fair, based on the value of the employee work, perhaps above ~subsistence levels. is there moral obligation to do your job well instead of let's say watching youtube and doing bare minimum not to get fired? It's funny how people expect moral behaviour from other people but not from companies made of these people. Somehow it's fine for companies to be j…

> is there moral obligation to do your job well instead of let's say watching youtube and doing bare minimum not to get fired?

No

You can choose to do well to avoid being fired.

You can choose to do well to chase a promotion.

You can choose to do well because the work interests you.

But you are not morally obligated to do anything, and if your employer is not very good at evaluating your work, then — like a man who buys a gym membership and never goes — that's on them.

Re: "Equal pay for equal work" in remote jobs

#60
post #36

Pay is a power relationship. No one is asking company directors to take a pay cut based on cost of living calculations, because company directors have power over their companies. Similarly cleaners are paid peanuts even if they have to live/commute to high cost of living cities to do the job, because cleaners have no power in the relationship. This is also why workers who unionise can be paid more - the union has pow…

You are Not paid by the value you provide you are paid via the value you keep.
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