4 ms·

> How do you incentivize the good ones to work for you? If you have a solution to that problem, I suspect you'll be a very much in-demand person. Bonuses, perk

by chime 16y ago

> How do you incentivize the good ones to work for you? If you have a solution to that problem, I suspect you'll be a very much in-demand person. Bonuses, perks, and congrats on jobs well-done. If I spend 40 hours between Dec 31 and Jan 2 writing up a new wireless barcoding system because the powers that be decided at the last minute to begin the new year with a different process for warehousing, I better get a damn bonus, at least 1.5 x 40 hours of my rate. You know what I got upon successful completion of my last-minute project? "chime, if you had originally developed a flexible enough system to accommodate changing of bin/zone locations, you wouldn't have had to work in the last minute." I resigned from that job.

ryanbigg 16y ago
As a programmer bonus and perks are definitely incentives, but a nice steady "I love your work" kind of vibe is a great way to keep me in my job.
- jquery 16y ago
  > "I love your work" Nothing says "I love your work" more truthfully than a bonus or a raise.
  - Loic 16y ago
    Where have you been working for the past few years? A bonus you get it twice a year, a boss respecting your work and saying thank you, you have it every single day. If you are paid correctly, you should not even need a bonus but you cannot go long without respect from your boss and peers. By the way, it is proved by countless experience that once salary is good enough, it is disconnected from happiness at work. Good pay and respect will bring you way further than good pay, bonus and "you are my slave".
    - jasonlotito 16y ago
      > By the way, it is proved by countless experience that once salary is good enough, it is disconnected from happiness at work That's not any different then what they OP is saying. The issue people have at finding good programmers is that they aren't paying enough. Yes, other things matter, but if you start off by offering minimum wage, a "Good job!" doesn't really matter.
    - umjames 16y ago
      Personally, having my boss say thank you doesn't mean much to me. That's not because I don't want appreciation for my work, but because praise carries a more significant meaning when it comes from someone who you hold in high-enough regard. For me, high-enough regard can mean someone whose work I know of and can appreciate on its merit, or it can mean someone who used my software by choice. For example, if my boss' actions don't show that he's interested in my happiness at work and he thanks me for making his pet project happen, it means nothing to me. But, if a customer, or someone whose work I admire, tells me they like the software I created, they've just made my day.
  - jholman 16y ago
    I agree. Especially if the employee is actively asking for a bonus or a raise, and being denied. If an employee says to the boss "Hey, I think I'm worth X more than you're paying me", and after extensive "due process" the answer comes back from management as "No, and you can't have more time off either", that's a clear sign that the decision makers have, at best, limited respect for that employee's work. Verbal claims of respect, at this point, are almost offensive. That said, on the other hand, piles of cash but nary a kind word is also not very respectful.
ww520 16y ago
That was retard management at its worst.
joe_the_user 16y ago
Bonuses, perks, and congrats on jobs well-done. Maybe... certainly respect is needed but... What about a sane work environment?? What about a system which is actually aiming to produce good software?? What about not structuring your system for 80 hours weeks from the get-go??? I don't know how many vile, worthless hoops I've had to jump through in previous job searches. Still, I've also interviewed for places that made a virtue of their good process to the point of expected people to work for less (I think SAS was their model). That won't fly either because it's not really respect either.
dagw 16y ago
Bonuses, perks, and congrats on jobs well-done. Speaking only for myself, non of those things would really swing it too much for me. Give me challenging projects in my preferred problem domain, sane working hours and environment, an opportunity to grow and improve my skills and surround me with brilliant colleagues to work with, and I'll happily forgo the perks and bonuses.
- chime 16y ago
  > Give me challenging projects in my preferred problem domain The projects were challenging, that's why I stayed for so long. When you have tons of student loans, mortgage, and hospital bills, you can't forgo the perks and bonuses. I have a family to take care of so what I really want is everything. I want a good work environment, I want good money, and I want fun projects. Why? Because I give them back what they need: stable/reliable, problem-solver, productive etc.

by chime 16y ago

ryanbigg 16y ago

As a programmer bonus and perks are definitely incentives, but a nice steady "I love your work" kind of vibe is a great way to keep me in my job.

jquery 16y ago
> "I love your work" Nothing says "I love your work" more truthfully than a bonus or a raise.
- Loic 16y ago
  Where have you been working for the past few years? A bonus you get it twice a year, a boss respecting your work and saying thank you, you have it every single day. If you are paid correctly, you should not even need a bonus but you cannot go long without respect from your boss and peers. By the way, it is proved by countless experience that once salary is good enough, it is disconnected from happiness at work. Good pay and respect will bring you way further than good pay, bonus and "you are my slave".
  - jasonlotito 16y ago
    > By the way, it is proved by countless experience that once salary is good enough, it is disconnected from happiness at work That's not any different then what they OP is saying. The issue people have at finding good programmers is that they aren't paying enough. Yes, other things matter, but if you start off by offering minimum wage, a "Good job!" doesn't really matter.
  - umjames 16y ago
    Personally, having my boss say thank you doesn't mean much to me. That's not because I don't want appreciation for my work, but because praise carries a more significant meaning when it comes from someone who you hold in high-enough regard. For me, high-enough regard can mean someone whose work I know of and can appreciate on its merit, or it can mean someone who used my software by choice. For example, if my boss' actions don't show that he's interested in my happiness at work and he thanks me for making his pet project happen, it means nothing to me. But, if a customer, or someone whose work I admire, tells me they like the software I created, they've just made my day.
- jholman 16y ago
  I agree. Especially if the employee is actively asking for a bonus or a raise, and being denied. If an employee says to the boss "Hey, I think I'm worth X more than you're paying me", and after extensive "due process" the answer comes back from management as "No, and you can't have more time off either", that's a clear sign that the decision makers have, at best, limited respect for that employee's work. Verbal claims of respect, at this point, are almost offensive. That said, on the other hand, piles of cash but nary a kind word is also not very respectful.

ww520 16y ago

That was retard management at its worst.

joe_the_user 16y ago

Bonuses, perks, and congrats on jobs well-done. Maybe... certainly respect is needed but... What about a sane work environment?? What about a system which is actually aiming to produce good software?? What about not structuring your system for 80 hours weeks from the get-go??? I don't know how many vile, worthless hoops I've had to jump through in previous job searches. Still, I've also interviewed for places that made a virtue of their good process to the point of expected people to work for less (I think SAS was their model). That won't fly either because it's not really respect either.

dagw 16y ago

Bonuses, perks, and congrats on jobs well-done. Speaking only for myself, non of those things would really swing it too much for me. Give me challenging projects in my preferred problem domain, sane working hours and environment, an opportunity to grow and improve my skills and surround me with brilliant colleagues to work with, and I'll happily forgo the perks and bonuses.

chime 16y ago
> Give me challenging projects in my preferred problem domain The projects were challenging, that's why I stayed for so long. When you have tons of student loans, mortgage, and hospital bills, you can't forgo the perks and bonuses. I have a family to take care of so what I really want is everything. I want a good work environment, I want good money, and I want fun projects. Why? Because I give them back what they need: stable/reliable, problem-solver, productive etc.