4 ms·

I’m almost to my 5th anniversary at a FAANG so my base has grown a bit this year but my stock award refreshers are pretty anemic. With the stock downturn it’s b

I’m almost to my 5th anniversary at a FAANG so my base has grown a bit this year but my stock award refreshers are pretty anemic. With the stock downturn it’s barely worth much. The CEO was asked if the company planned to make up for the downturn and he fumbled through a non-answer pretty hard. I’m working on some interesting stuff in a fairly specialized niche inside a well resourced part of the company. So I’m consciously making a trade off of falling behind on total comp but working on something I enjoy and hopefully staying employed through a downturn.

HWR_14 4y ago
> he CEO was asked if the company planned to make up for the downturn Why on earth would they? If the stock price had 10x'ed would you have returned the money to the company?
- synu 4y ago
  If they don’t want people to leave for places without underwater options they may need to do something.
- Gortal278 4y ago
  Retention is a valid reason. Why stay when a job hop will get you back at your target comp while stocks are low.
  - water-your-self 4y ago
    Why complain? Just job hop. Oh wait, the people who complain dont want to job hop. Now we found the root of the problem. Stay and complain is just a longer way of saying you wont leave over this.
    - synu 4y ago
      Maybe they have friends or like parts of their current job? They’d leave for more compensation if they have to, but would prefer not to have to. Seems reasonable. Leaving any time you are dissatisfied about something without first asking if it could be improved doesn’t seem like the best strategy.
    - ahtihn 4y ago
      > Stay and complain is just a longer way of saying you wont leave over this. Nah, if you like your current work it's worth trying to get more by complaining. It doesn't mean leaving is off the table.
  - rconti 4y ago
    Yup. The opportunity cost of leaving just went way down. Golden handcuffs look more like wet noodles.
  - HWR_14 4y ago
    That's a valid reason for looking forward and creating a new 4-year RSU schedule. I certainly wouldn't expect my currently agreed upon RSUs to be increased with the same (already vested in some cases) schedule to "make me whole". I mean, it's an investment, like any other.
- borroka 4y ago
  Because people protest when they have leverage. 1/10th of expectation may make people leave and 10X expectation will make people stay. There is nothing either "just" or "noble" about getting as much as one can, it is just the way it is.
  - water-your-self 4y ago
    If im selling my labour I intend go get the most that I can for it. This is a business transaction, and every publicly traded company already has an HR team of dozens of people already treating it like it is. "Fun" and "rewarding" are just words that someone in recruiting gets to write down next to "15% hiring cost savings" on their performance review.
    - spoonjim 4y ago
      I don't know where you're at that the compensation is the only lever that matters to you. I have a job where my compensation is perhaps average+, but the flexibility is insane, I can take as much time off as I need when I need for family stuff, nobody is breathing down my neck, I wouldn't switch jobs for a 2x raise. Now 10x, well, OK. we're talking.
      - borroka 4y ago
        The relationship employee-employer is adversarial, the "we are a family" or "we take care of you" is a lie that unfortunately for the employee works more than expected. Just remember that the employer is not asking you what do you think about you being laid off. They just do it. It might reasonable on their part when looking at the "state of the business", but you as a lower-level employee (not C-level) has no say in any of those decision, you get what is thrown at you. I have also happen to believe that fewer hours, less stress, more flexibility are worth a lot of the money that is given up by not moving to a better-paying but more stress-inducing company. That's also the choice I made. But if I can get 1.5X, 2X etc. at my current company, you bet I am taking it big time.
- didibus 4y ago
  I don't know how your comp works, but generally, at least where I worked, you don't benefit from stock growth that much, because the comp is already based on their predicted stock growth. The company plans for a target comp and hope to make some of it due to stock growth, and pretends it will offer additional RSUs in case it doesn't. Generally, this works very well, because stocks were going up and up, but now they're being tested and seem to be choosing not to match the predicted comp.
airbreather 4y ago
This is why shares in the company you work for are potentially a double risk threat - you could lose employment and wealth all in one bad or unexpected business or market move.
- Gortal278 4y ago
  Only if you hold on to them after they vest. But there best idea to do so for that reason.

HWR_14 4y ago

> he CEO was asked if the company planned to make up for the downturn Why on earth would they? If the stock price had 10x'ed would you have returned the money to the company?

synu 4y ago
If they don’t want people to leave for places without underwater options they may need to do something.
Gortal278 4y ago
Retention is a valid reason. Why stay when a job hop will get you back at your target comp while stocks are low.
- water-your-self 4y ago
  Why complain? Just job hop. Oh wait, the people who complain dont want to job hop. Now we found the root of the problem. Stay and complain is just a longer way of saying you wont leave over this.
  - synu 4y ago
    Maybe they have friends or like parts of their current job? They’d leave for more compensation if they have to, but would prefer not to have to. Seems reasonable. Leaving any time you are dissatisfied about something without first asking if it could be improved doesn’t seem like the best strategy.
  - ahtihn 4y ago
    > Stay and complain is just a longer way of saying you wont leave over this. Nah, if you like your current work it's worth trying to get more by complaining. It doesn't mean leaving is off the table.
- rconti 4y ago
  Yup. The opportunity cost of leaving just went way down. Golden handcuffs look more like wet noodles.
- HWR_14 4y ago
  That's a valid reason for looking forward and creating a new 4-year RSU schedule. I certainly wouldn't expect my currently agreed upon RSUs to be increased with the same (already vested in some cases) schedule to "make me whole". I mean, it's an investment, like any other.
borroka 4y ago
Because people protest when they have leverage. 1/10th of expectation may make people leave and 10X expectation will make people stay. There is nothing either "just" or "noble" about getting as much as one can, it is just the way it is.
- water-your-self 4y ago
  If im selling my labour I intend go get the most that I can for it. This is a business transaction, and every publicly traded company already has an HR team of dozens of people already treating it like it is. "Fun" and "rewarding" are just words that someone in recruiting gets to write down next to "15% hiring cost savings" on their performance review.
  - spoonjim 4y ago
    I don't know where you're at that the compensation is the only lever that matters to you. I have a job where my compensation is perhaps average+, but the flexibility is insane, I can take as much time off as I need when I need for family stuff, nobody is breathing down my neck, I wouldn't switch jobs for a 2x raise. Now 10x, well, OK. we're talking.
    - borroka 4y ago
      The relationship employee-employer is adversarial, the "we are a family" or "we take care of you" is a lie that unfortunately for the employee works more than expected. Just remember that the employer is not asking you what do you think about you being laid off. They just do it. It might reasonable on their part when looking at the "state of the business", but you as a lower-level employee (not C-level) has no say in any of those decision, you get what is thrown at you. I have also happen to believe that fewer hours, less stress, more flexibility are worth a lot of the money that is given up by not moving to a better-paying but more stress-inducing company. That's also the choice I made. But if I can get 1.5X, 2X etc. at my current company, you bet I am taking it big time.
didibus 4y ago
I don't know how your comp works, but generally, at least where I worked, you don't benefit from stock growth that much, because the comp is already based on their predicted stock growth. The company plans for a target comp and hope to make some of it due to stock growth, and pretends it will offer additional RSUs in case it doesn't. Generally, this works very well, because stocks were going up and up, but now they're being tested and seem to be choosing not to match the predicted comp.

airbreather 4y ago

This is why shares in the company you work for are potentially a double risk threat - you could lose employment and wealth all in one bad or unexpected business or market move.

Gortal278 4y ago
Only if you hold on to them after they vest. But there best idea to do so for that reason.