Comment by philpem | Hacker News Reader

Comment by philpem | Hacker News Reader

Because they know you'll do the work you're doing -- and the tenfold increase -- for what they're paying you.

They exist to make money, not to enrich their workers. The optimisation strategy is to pay as little as possible for as much productivity and labour as possible, then charge as much as possible for it to customers as a package item. Everything trickles up to the top of the pyramid.

Sadly the only way to reliably increase your pay is to dust off your CV and change jobs.

You might get a counter-offer from your current employer if they feel you're particularly valuable -- but I'd never accept one. At best, you'll end up being higher paid than some or all of your colleagues, and if they find out or suspect that (they certainly will if you flip from "I'm leaving" to "I'm staying") then you should expect resentment from them.

It's really better to walk away and start with a clean slate in another place. I've never regretted moving jobs -- but I've definitely regretted staying at a bad one, or one which didn't value my input.

Before looking for a new job, put together all these things you have done in a paper to make a point for the salary bump. Request exactly the amount you want, the company might negotiate, so prepare for that (ask for more holidays or other types of compensation).

If what you said it's true, this is essentially just a matter of renegotiating your contract.

Yes it's disappointing, it should come from the company itself.

However at least you won't need to interview, just the negotiation phase.

The company is also kinda forced to give you at least a salary bump, or they know you will start searching.

This is the sensible advice. Don't just ask for a raise, gather evidence to support your request. It's a negotiation, and you need to prepare well for it.

Some companies give small yearly rises to keep up with inflation, but others will expect employees to speak themselves. It all depends on how much pressure the shareholders/board exert to keep fixed expenses from growing.

I don't agree that the only way to increase pay is to move jobs. I've had a lot of success simply asking for more money while explaining why I feel I provide value enough to justify it. I got a 20% increase this year just by asking for it.

It's even better if you do look for a job, get and offer and say to your manager that you already have an offer but you would stay for X amount. This worked for me twice before and the company went out of its way to meet my request and now pays me the maximum allowed for my position.

Whether that works depends on the company culture. It makes you look like "you're only working for the money" and people won't trust you because "you will switch as soon as you get a better offer".

Which is what a rational person looks like under the circumstances. One would assume reasonable people are easier to hold and work with. But not necessarily cheaper, no.

What else are you working for if not the money? XD

Reply on news.ycombinator.com