6 ms·

Three things: First, most recruiters/hiring managers ask for current comp (or at least a salary range) early in the discussion, so it should be easy for them t

by rcoder 13y ago

Three things: First, most recruiters/hiring managers ask for current comp (or at least a salary range) early in the discussion, so it should be easy for them to offer well over someone's current pay. This simply removes one bargaining tools (lying about current comp) for an employee considering a move elsewhere. Second, matching outside offers very quickly becomes a slippery slope. Anyone who figures out that such a policy exists will quickly come to the realization that the easiest way to get a raise is to put themselves onto the market. That's toxic, not to mention unsustainable. Finally, equity. The one-year cliff exists for a reason, and if you're playing for keeps with an early-stage startup, you're probably expecting (or at least hoping) for your ownership stake to be worth a lot more in the long run than your salary.

JonFish85 13y ago
>First, most recruiters/hiring managers ask for current comp (or at least a salary range) early in the discussion, so it should be easy for them to offer well over someone's current pay. This simply removes one bargaining tools (lying about current comp) for an employee considering a move elsewhere. Currently this screws "Niel" (to stick with the example). He wants to move someplace else and is convinced that he is worth $140k. He's convinced he's underpaid right now. He interviews at, say, Google (random example), who does a bit of research and hey, he's only making $88k. Suddenly they don't have to offer him market rate, they only have to offer him a raise on what he makes now. Obviously this only works if one company (Google in this example) isn't as open about their salaries.
angrybits 13y ago
I don't disclose current comp unless/until it benefits me in the negotiations.
CodeMage 13y ago
> First, most recruiters/hiring managers ask for current comp (or at least a salary range) early in the discussion, so it should be easy for them to offer well over someone's current pay. This simply removes one bargaining tools (lying about current comp) for an employee considering a move elsewhere. "Lying about current comp" is not the only tool for an employee considering a move elsewhere. Nor is it, in my opinion, the best tool for that. You can get pretty good results by refusing to disclose your current comp and it has an added benefit of keeping you honest. Open salaries would ruin that negotiation tool. Also, matching outside offers is not necessarily a slippery slope. Not everyone who gets an outside offer and considers it is motivated by pure greed. Sometimes people's situation changes and they would prefer to stay at the same company, but the company needs an additional incentive to meet their new requirements. For example, if you really like working at company Foo, but you just had a kid and you're noticing that your budget is too tight for your peace of mind, you might need a raise. Now, you might be an asset to your company and your boss genuinely understands your situation, but he or she simply doesn't have enough leverage to give you a raise outside the regular process. If you have an outside offer, that gives your boss the leverage and you might be able to negotiate a raise that would allow you to stay. And if they truly can't afford it, you have the choice of accepting the outside offer.
- Jemaclus 13y ago
  Serious question: I've never quite understood the "what if you have a kid" argument. Is it the company's fault you had a kid? Why are they obligated to pay you more because you had a kid? If you were worth $100K and you negotiated for that, then that's what you make -- a kid has nothing to do with it. Put another way, let's say we both make 100K in salary, and then, all other things being equal, you have a kid. Do you get a raise to 120K just because you had a kid? I didn't have a kid. Don't I get a raise too?
  - nickonline 13y ago
    I think you're looking at this wrong. The kid is an example for why the budget gets tight, it could be anything (buying a house, deciding to pay off your credit card), you're correct the company has no obligation. Hence why you're asking, not informing that they'll pay you $20k more. "If you were worth $100K and you negotiated for that, then that's what you make" was true at the time of the initial negotiation. This is a separate negotiation, with a source "hey, company X will pay me 20% more" No, you don't deserve $20k more as you didn't ask for it, you might if you reopened negotiations.
    - Jemaclus 13y ago
      Fair enough. :)
  - CodeMage 13y ago
    No, you don't get a raise, because you didn't ask for it. The difference you should be focusing on, in your scenario, is not that I had a kid. It's that, for whatever reason, I renegotiated my salary. If you can do the same, then you get the same results. See, whereas you never quite understood the "what if you have a kid" argument, I never quite understood the "don't I deserve the same as that other guy" argument. The way I see it, the magical answer is always the same: maybe you do. Do something about it and you might be surprised.
    - Jemaclus 13y ago

by rcoder 13y ago

JonFish85 13y ago

angrybits 13y ago

I don't disclose current comp unless/until it benefits me in the negotiations.

CodeMage 13y ago

> First, most recruiters/hiring managers ask for current comp (or at least a salary range) early in the discussion, so it should be easy for them to offer well over someone's current pay. This simply removes one bargaining tools (lying about current comp) for an employee considering a move elsewhere. "Lying about current comp" is not the only tool for an employee considering a move elsewhere. Nor is it, in my opinion, the best tool for that. You can get pretty good results by refusing to disclose your current comp and it has an added benefit of keeping you honest. Open salaries would ruin that negotiation tool. Also, matching outside offers is not necessarily a slippery slope. Not everyone who gets an outside offer and considers it is motivated by pure greed. Sometimes people's situation changes and they would prefer to stay at the same company, but the company needs an additional incentive to meet their new requirements. For example, if you really like working at company Foo, but you just had a kid and you're noticing that your budget is too tight for your peace of mind, you might need a raise. Now, you might be an asset to your company and your boss genuinely understands your situation, but he or she simply doesn't have enough leverage to give you a raise outside the regular process. If you have an outside offer, that gives your boss the leverage and you might be able to negotiate a raise that would allow you to stay. And if they truly can't afford it, you have the choice of accepting the outside offer.

Jemaclus 13y ago
Serious question: I've never quite understood the "what if you have a kid" argument. Is it the company's fault you had a kid? Why are they obligated to pay you more because you had a kid? If you were worth $100K and you negotiated for that, then that's what you make -- a kid has nothing to do with it. Put another way, let's say we both make 100K in salary, and then, all other things being equal, you have a kid. Do you get a raise to 120K just because you had a kid? I didn't have a kid. Don't I get a raise too?
- nickonline 13y ago
  I think you're looking at this wrong. The kid is an example for why the budget gets tight, it could be anything (buying a house, deciding to pay off your credit card), you're correct the company has no obligation. Hence why you're asking, not informing that they'll pay you $20k more. "If you were worth $100K and you negotiated for that, then that's what you make" was true at the time of the initial negotiation. This is a separate negotiation, with a source "hey, company X will pay me 20% more" No, you don't deserve $20k more as you didn't ask for it, you might if you reopened negotiations.
  - Jemaclus 13y ago
    Fair enough. :)
- CodeMage 13y ago
  No, you don't get a raise, because you didn't ask for it. The difference you should be focusing on, in your scenario, is not that I had a kid. It's that, for whatever reason, I renegotiated my salary. If you can do the same, then you get the same results. See, whereas you never quite understood the "what if you have a kid" argument, I never quite understood the "don't I deserve the same as that other guy" argument. The way I see it, the magical answer is always the same: maybe you do. Do something about it and you might be surprised.
  - Jemaclus 13y ago