4 ms·

I have never had a company adjust me down, based on where I live! I mean, wtf is it to them if I choose to commute 2hrs each way to and from work to save money

I have never had a company adjust me down, based on where I live! I mean, wtf is it to them if I choose to commute 2hrs each way to and from work to save money? Why should they dock me for how I spend money that I earn?

qppo 6y ago
Your salary is roughly equal to what you're willing to take to perform the role. If you move between cities with different costs of living, that number may change. Don't think of it as "adjusting down" (since it goes both ways). Think of it as a different supply/demand curve. At least they're transparent about it, although I suspect some ICs get bumped up or down based on their performance.
- pc86 6y ago
  If you're a remote working who has been living and contributing from NYC for 5 years, what is the justification for a company giving you a pay cut because you move to Kansas? Your contributions remain the same. The responsibilities remain the same. The costs incurred by the company remain the same. You may even keep the same hours by adjusting your working hours in the new time zone. I don't see a justifiable reason for it either direction. Living in an expensive city is a choice, now more than ever with more and more tech-focused companies moving their devs fully remote.
  - qppo 6y ago
    It's not about costs, it's about supply and demand. If you move to a lower cost/tax region the amount of money you're willing to take to do the same job is lower. You can say "no" to a paycut. And they can say "no" to keeping you employed at the same rate. Eventually you'll settle on an equilibrium - the intersection of the supply/demand curves.
    - mlthoughts2018 6y ago
      It’s not about supply and demand - that makes no sense. That only makes sense if the company’s alternative is to hire a new employee at the Kansas City wage rate - but that option was never on the table. The choice is between retaining an existing employee that you’ve been happy to pay a current NYC wage. If you could have hired a Kansas City employee to do the same job for less pay, that would have already been reflected in the previous salary negotiations when you instead decided it was worth it to pay more to hire the NYC person. That person choosing to live in a different location has no effect on anything - everything that led you to the original choice to pay them a higher wage remains true.
threatofrain 6y ago
People are generally talking about working in different time zones, but proximity to work is one of the best predictors for job satisfaction and turnover.
- pc86 6y ago
  You're talking past each other. Where someone is located in the world is irrelevant to the value they are producing for the company, so what justification does a company have to adjust a remote employee's salary if they move?
  - threatofrain 6y ago
    I just gave a reason. Turnover and job satisfaction is good enough of a reason for some companies to pay proximity-based subsidies for rent. When we start talking about different time zones, then the reasons start piling up.
kaikai 6y ago
> wtf is it to them if I choose to commute 2hrs each way to and from work No one is docking people for living farther away and commuting into the office. The salary adjustments are for people who live in areas with different costs of living.
- mikewarot 6y ago
  The lower costs of living in the suburbs are one of the many reasons people commute so far. So, by the same logic, they should be payed less.

qppo 6y ago

Your salary is roughly equal to what you're willing to take to perform the role. If you move between cities with different costs of living, that number may change. Don't think of it as "adjusting down" (since it goes both ways). Think of it as a different supply/demand curve. At least they're transparent about it, although I suspect some ICs get bumped up or down based on their performance.

pc86 6y ago
If you're a remote working who has been living and contributing from NYC for 5 years, what is the justification for a company giving you a pay cut because you move to Kansas? Your contributions remain the same. The responsibilities remain the same. The costs incurred by the company remain the same. You may even keep the same hours by adjusting your working hours in the new time zone. I don't see a justifiable reason for it either direction. Living in an expensive city is a choice, now more than ever with more and more tech-focused companies moving their devs fully remote.
- qppo 6y ago
  It's not about costs, it's about supply and demand. If you move to a lower cost/tax region the amount of money you're willing to take to do the same job is lower. You can say "no" to a paycut. And they can say "no" to keeping you employed at the same rate. Eventually you'll settle on an equilibrium - the intersection of the supply/demand curves.
  - mlthoughts2018 6y ago
    It’s not about supply and demand - that makes no sense. That only makes sense if the company’s alternative is to hire a new employee at the Kansas City wage rate - but that option was never on the table. The choice is between retaining an existing employee that you’ve been happy to pay a current NYC wage. If you could have hired a Kansas City employee to do the same job for less pay, that would have already been reflected in the previous salary negotiations when you instead decided it was worth it to pay more to hire the NYC person. That person choosing to live in a different location has no effect on anything - everything that led you to the original choice to pay them a higher wage remains true.

threatofrain 6y ago

People are generally talking about working in different time zones, but proximity to work is one of the best predictors for job satisfaction and turnover.

pc86 6y ago
You're talking past each other. Where someone is located in the world is irrelevant to the value they are producing for the company, so what justification does a company have to adjust a remote employee's salary if they move?
- threatofrain 6y ago
  I just gave a reason. Turnover and job satisfaction is good enough of a reason for some companies to pay proximity-based subsidies for rent. When we start talking about different time zones, then the reasons start piling up.

kaikai 6y ago

> wtf is it to them if I choose to commute 2hrs each way to and from work No one is docking people for living farther away and commuting into the office. The salary adjustments are for people who live in areas with different costs of living.

mikewarot 6y ago
The lower costs of living in the suburbs are one of the many reasons people commute so far. So, by the same logic, they should be payed less.