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I think the attempt is to tie you value as an employee to you disposable income instead of your housing and basics income. I find them usually often inaccurate

I think the attempt is to tie you value as an employee to you disposable income instead of your housing and basics income. I find them usually often inaccurate, though. For companies that don't pay at the top of the scale, the people in the high-cost areas are comparatively screwed (software engineers having to resort to living with roommates!?), whereas for the companies paying more, sometimes it tips the other way (like failing to account for how most costs don't scale with area the way housing does, so you could end up with a $500+ disadvantage in disposable income in one of the cheaper areas).

whalesalad 6y ago
This is an extremely self-limiting and myopic viewpoint on employment. For instance, the only person who can classify income as disposable or not is me. No one else is allowed to make that decision, or is even deserving of knowing the information at all. If your hiring manager is giving you the song and dance about calculations on your cost of housing and milk, you need to turn around and go elsewhere. If you think you’re a cog in a machine, yes, you can determine your value this way. If you feel you have inherent value in and of yourself, your attitude will change about work and employment. The value I provide to a company has absolutely nothing to do with where I live. If I’m a good hire, I’m a good hire.
- majormajor 6y ago
  Did you notice the "I think the attempt is..." part of my post, which positioned it as an attempt to understand the employer negotiation position, not as my own views? It's a view on negotiation, not on employment. But I think feelings like yours get in the way, regardless. "Determining your value" is internalizing things way too much. Failing to convince the opposite side in a negotiation is very different from "your value".[0] Being a cog in a machine - or, more directly in this situation, being seen as replaceable by the next candidate who would accept the offer you don't like - isn't about how you feel or think of yourself, it's about what you can do and what you demonstrate. That holds true for far more than just the initial interview and offer negotiation, too. [0] I'm tempted to suggest the person who's happy to be a "cog" - show up, do some work, get paid, and define their life and their value in non-work terms - may value themselves more than us maximizers!
- sceptical 6y ago
  If the company can get an equally good hire at half the cost, it can and should replace you. As a shareholder I would not only expect this, I would demand it.

whalesalad 6y ago

This is an extremely self-limiting and myopic viewpoint on employment. For instance, the only person who can classify income as disposable or not is me. No one else is allowed to make that decision, or is even deserving of knowing the information at all. If your hiring manager is giving you the song and dance about calculations on your cost of housing and milk, you need to turn around and go elsewhere. If you think you’re a cog in a machine, yes, you can determine your value this way. If you feel you have inherent value in and of yourself, your attitude will change about work and employment. The value I provide to a company has absolutely nothing to do with where I live. If I’m a good hire, I’m a good hire.

majormajor 6y ago
Did you notice the "I think the attempt is..." part of my post, which positioned it as an attempt to understand the employer negotiation position, not as my own views? It's a view on negotiation, not on employment. But I think feelings like yours get in the way, regardless. "Determining your value" is internalizing things way too much. Failing to convince the opposite side in a negotiation is very different from "your value".[0] Being a cog in a machine - or, more directly in this situation, being seen as replaceable by the next candidate who would accept the offer you don't like - isn't about how you feel or think of yourself, it's about what you can do and what you demonstrate. That holds true for far more than just the initial interview and offer negotiation, too. [0] I'm tempted to suggest the person who's happy to be a "cog" - show up, do some work, get paid, and define their life and their value in non-work terms - may value themselves more than us maximizers!
sceptical 6y ago
If the company can get an equally good hire at half the cost, it can and should replace you. As a shareholder I would not only expect this, I would demand it.