6 ms·

If they can't pay more, try asking for a 4 day work week. For smaller companies/startups I also prefer to receive fresh hardware (macbook,mini,etc.) at signing

by rch 16y ago

If they can't pay more, try asking for a 4 day work week. For smaller companies/startups I also prefer to receive fresh hardware (macbook,mini,etc.) at signing.

stanleydrew 16y ago
But I want to work more than that, and they want me to work more than that too. This is a win-win situation if the compensation is right.
- rch 16y ago
  Oh sure, I expect to work nearly all the time. I just want less time that I have to answer the phone. It is still win-win.
- patrickyeon 16y ago
  Try for something like Google's 20% time? You work for four days a week on what they say, then work the other day on whatever you want. Or three and two. It works out well for everyone if they want you to do interesting things, and if they don't you still get to do what you think is most important or fun some of the time.
z92 16y ago
That's what I do. I work at most 2 months a year. But draw salary for the rest of the year. The company doesn't mind too. They are happy to keep me on board as insurance against sinking projects.
- dman 16y ago
  If you are serious then can I be your apprentice? :)
illumin8 16y ago
Fresh hardware? Are you kidding? If you make a decent salary you can buy your own hardware whenever you feel like it. A $2K MacBook Pro is a drop in the bucket compared to paying a 6 digit salary.
- rch 16y ago
  Nah - I buy other stuff too, and go places. For me, starting off with a brand new MBP with all the trimmings (incidentally, ~4-5K) translates directly into productivity. Besides, if I was paying it'd probably be running Plan 9 and have an FPGA duct taped to the back...
- orc 16y ago
  If they pay you and let you buy the MacBook, it's after tax.
  - usaar333 16y ago
    $3k is still a drop in the bucket
    - rch 16y ago
      Great! e-mail me for my address..
  - Evgeny 16y ago
    In Australia at least, if you pay for hardware, software or education which you use directly for work purposes or for self-education directly related to your current occupation, it is tax-deductible.
- noonespecial 16y ago
  Fresh hardware is a test. It should be a drop in the bucket and a no-brainer but its very often not. When it goes bad, its a huge red flag. If you get even the slightest bit of "well we can't really approve something like that without this or that managers sign-off and then the 30 day procurement process from an approved vendor..." head for the door. I've seen companies burn 100 hours of $150/hour employee labor in order to save $50 on a mouse. You don't want to work there.
  - Periodic 16y ago
    I worked for a very large enterprise software company for a while. They gave everyone their stock computers with stock keyboards and mice (the basic ones that came with the HP systems). I spent about a month trying to get them to buy me a new keyboard which I felt was necessary for ergonomics and because I had (informally) demonstrated a higher typing speed on it. Eventually I just bought one for myself. It was $50. Managers made all sorts of excuses, then IT said they wouldn't buy non-standard hardware, and there were particularly a lot of excuses in the vein of, "but then we'd have to buy keyboards for everyone." That they wouldn't consider buying their $100k/yr employees a $50 keyboard every few years was just another symptom of their dysfunctional environment.

by rch 16y ago

If they can't pay more, try asking for a 4 day work week. For smaller companies/startups I also prefer to receive fresh hardware (macbook,mini,etc.) at signing.

stanleydrew 16y ago

But I want to work more than that, and they want me to work more than that too. This is a win-win situation if the compensation is right.

rch 16y ago
Oh sure, I expect to work nearly all the time. I just want less time that I have to answer the phone. It is still win-win.
patrickyeon 16y ago
Try for something like Google's 20% time? You work for four days a week on what they say, then work the other day on whatever you want. Or three and two. It works out well for everyone if they want you to do interesting things, and if they don't you still get to do what you think is most important or fun some of the time.

z92 16y ago

That's what I do. I work at most 2 months a year. But draw salary for the rest of the year. The company doesn't mind too. They are happy to keep me on board as insurance against sinking projects.

dman 16y ago
If you are serious then can I be your apprentice? :)

illumin8 16y ago

Fresh hardware? Are you kidding? If you make a decent salary you can buy your own hardware whenever you feel like it. A $2K MacBook Pro is a drop in the bucket compared to paying a 6 digit salary.

rch 16y ago
Nah - I buy other stuff too, and go places. For me, starting off with a brand new MBP with all the trimmings (incidentally, ~4-5K) translates directly into productivity. Besides, if I was paying it'd probably be running Plan 9 and have an FPGA duct taped to the back...
orc 16y ago
If they pay you and let you buy the MacBook, it's after tax.
- usaar333 16y ago
  $3k is still a drop in the bucket
  - rch 16y ago
    Great! e-mail me for my address..
- Evgeny 16y ago
  In Australia at least, if you pay for hardware, software or education which you use directly for work purposes or for self-education directly related to your current occupation, it is tax-deductible.
noonespecial 16y ago
Fresh hardware is a test. It should be a drop in the bucket and a no-brainer but its very often not. When it goes bad, its a huge red flag. If you get even the slightest bit of "well we can't really approve something like that without this or that managers sign-off and then the 30 day procurement process from an approved vendor..." head for the door. I've seen companies burn 100 hours of $150/hour employee labor in order to save $50 on a mouse. You don't want to work there.
- Periodic 16y ago
  I worked for a very large enterprise software company for a while. They gave everyone their stock computers with stock keyboards and mice (the basic ones that came with the HP systems). I spent about a month trying to get them to buy me a new keyboard which I felt was necessary for ergonomics and because I had (informally) demonstrated a higher typing speed on it. Eventually I just bought one for myself. It was $50. Managers made all sorts of excuses, then IT said they wouldn't buy non-standard hardware, and there were particularly a lot of excuses in the vein of, "but then we'd have to buy keyboards for everyone." That they wouldn't consider buying their $100k/yr employees a $50 keyboard every few years was just another symptom of their dysfunctional environment.