5 ms·

it's a bad precedent when workers pay the company they're working for

gridlockd 6y ago
You may not realize that the $500 chair, the ping pong table and the beer fridge effectively comes out of everyone's paycheck.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- mikepurvis 6y ago
  Right, but is that money coming back to employees in the form of pay bumps now that those things are gone?
  - gridlockd 6y ago
    Those thing aren't gone, they've already been paid for and are being written off. Of course, with new contracts being negotiated, not having to pay for all these expenses will give an employer more leeway in terms of salary. However, remote work also increases the candidate pool, so the net effect is going to be lower salaries.
renewiltord 6y ago
Is it, though? I've always brought my own tools - my Aeron, my preferred high-refresh monitors, a Linux dev machine where possible, my monitor arms, my IDE. I have a good setup. I know it works. It's not as feasible to get my own standing desk in each time so I let that go. But they always give me everything and I just set them aside and use my (superior) tooling. I don't think that's paying the company. That's just me buying tools that are optimal for me. I don't really need each employer to do that for me. These things are mostly buy it for life (except for the desktop and IDE license).
- thebean11 6y ago
  I'd never even consider paying for an IDE I need for work. Why would a company not buy me software that has a direct and immediate impact on my productivity? Huge red flag.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - renewiltord 6y ago
    All of these things are productivity improvements. And I'm sure any company would buy them if I cared, but $200? It's a rounding error. And it liberates me from any choices they'd make.
    - thebean11 6y ago
      IntelliJ Ultimate is $500 for a commercial license I believe (and you need a commercial license to do work for a company over a certain size, even if you pay for it yourself). Sure it's not going to affect my finances either way but: 1. The 2 minutes it takes to file an expense report is a good trade for $200 (I don't make $6,000 an hour at my job) 2. It's the principle; they should pay for it, not me.
      - renewiltord 6y ago
        No, you don't have to do that¹. Where did you get that info? I don't want to argue your personal value calculation and I accept that you feel the way you do, so let's set that part aside. I've been using my IntelliJ licence at multiple jobs on my own and AFAIK if I don't get it reimbursed I don't need a business licence. ¹ https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240855-Can-I-use-my-personal-license-at-work-and-at-home- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240855-Can-...
        thebean11 6y ago
        Ah you're right, I stand corrected on the license. I don't see the value calculation as an emotional one, I truly don't see a reason not to fill out the expense report

You may not realize that the $500 chair, the ping pong table and the beer fridge effectively comes out of everyone's paycheck.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mikepurvis 6y ago
Right, but is that money coming back to employees in the form of pay bumps now that those things are gone?
- gridlockd 6y ago
  Those thing aren't gone, they've already been paid for and are being written off. Of course, with new contracts being negotiated, not having to pay for all these expenses will give an employer more leeway in terms of salary. However, remote work also increases the candidate pool, so the net effect is going to be lower salaries.

renewiltord 6y ago

Is it, though? I've always brought my own tools - my Aeron, my preferred high-refresh monitors, a Linux dev machine where possible, my monitor arms, my IDE. I have a good setup. I know it works. It's not as feasible to get my own standing desk in each time so I let that go. But they always give me everything and I just set them aside and use my (superior) tooling. I don't think that's paying the company. That's just me buying tools that are optimal for me. I don't really need each employer to do that for me. These things are mostly buy it for life (except for the desktop and IDE license).

thebean11 6y ago
I'd never even consider paying for an IDE I need for work. Why would a company not buy me software that has a direct and immediate impact on my productivity? Huge red flag.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- renewiltord 6y ago
  All of these things are productivity improvements. And I'm sure any company would buy them if I cared, but $200? It's a rounding error. And it liberates me from any choices they'd make.
  - thebean11 6y ago
    IntelliJ Ultimate is $500 for a commercial license I believe (and you need a commercial license to do work for a company over a certain size, even if you pay for it yourself). Sure it's not going to affect my finances either way but: 1. The 2 minutes it takes to file an expense report is a good trade for $200 (I don't make $6,000 an hour at my job) 2. It's the principle; they should pay for it, not me.
    - renewiltord 6y ago
      No, you don't have to do that¹. Where did you get that info? I don't want to argue your personal value calculation and I accept that you feel the way you do, so let's set that part aside. I've been using my IntelliJ licence at multiple jobs on my own and AFAIK if I don't get it reimbursed I don't need a business licence. ¹ https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240855-Can-I-use-my-personal-license-at-work-and-at-home- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240855-Can-...
      - thebean11 6y ago
        Ah you're right, I stand corrected on the license. I don't see the value calculation as an emotional one, I truly don't see a reason not to fill out the expense report