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I'm getting really old cause I am starting to see this from both sides If you found out your cube neighbor is out-earning you and you do the same work, you (pr

I'm getting really old cause I am starting to see this from both sides If you found out your cube neighbor is out-earning you and you do the same work, you (probably) are safer when the next wave of layoffs comes around. That little disparity can feel like a giant shield. This is the most anti-worker thing I have ever typed. I hate myself for sharing how I rationalize this.

pydry 4y ago
The shield is illusory. Money in the bank is not. If you earn more, spend the same and keep the difference in a rainy day fund overall you'll be better off.
shapefrog 4y ago
Funily enough I have sat at the table and it went down the opposite. The underpaid lifer, with tons of internal knowledge was thrown out over the shiny new grifter who convinced them they were the second coming and they threw money at. There was also a lot of confirmation bias as they were sure the story was true.
- greedo 4y ago
  And there's also inherent bias in terms of who the hiring manager was for each employee. Our team had a director change a few years ago, and everyone he has hired has been treated far better than the original crew, regardless of work output.
lo_zamoyski 4y ago
That's a good point. I've seen this myself during a layoff. The more senior staff (who, presumably, were earning more) were the first to go, save for a couple who were kept so that all the senior knowledge of the system wasn't lost. This is just the application of basic economic principles to specific circumstances (sometimes, it makes more sense to cut junior staff because the senior staff too more valuable).
valdiorn 4y ago
well, it's true. The first people to go in every layoff operation, at every company I've worked for, were always the "rockstar programmers". The guys that came in with reputation, because they are known in the tech world. The conference speakers, bloggers, open source heroes, etc. They come in, command a huge salary, and give a big PR/awareness boost to the company. But then turns out they're about as productive as everyone else, which makes them the first to go during layoff season.
- subsuxbjes 4y ago
  Can you provide citation because quite frankly I don't believe your assertion
  - valdiorn 4y ago
    Can I identify my employers, call out specific people with a large online following by name, and declare that they were let go for budgetary reasons? No. I can't. For really obvious reasons :) But I've seen this happen quite a few times. And given some private conversations with my managers (i.e. the people who decide who to fire and who to retain), when discussing layoffs at the time they were happening, it was pretty clear why certain people were let go. This is just my anecdata. Even if I could prove my experience 100%, I still can't prove this as a universal rule, obviously. So it's just an observation of a few datapoints.
thebigspacefuck 4y ago
They get laid off, they get a few months of paid vacation, a raise when they switch jobs, and a sign on bonus. You are still working for the same old salary. How do you feel now?
subpixel 4y ago
The caveat here is you want to be highly valued. If low pay alone is an advantage, the company is in big trouble.

pydry 4y ago

The shield is illusory. Money in the bank is not. If you earn more, spend the same and keep the difference in a rainy day fund overall you'll be better off.

shapefrog 4y ago

Funily enough I have sat at the table and it went down the opposite. The underpaid lifer, with tons of internal knowledge was thrown out over the shiny new grifter who convinced them they were the second coming and they threw money at. There was also a lot of confirmation bias as they were sure the story was true.

greedo 4y ago
And there's also inherent bias in terms of who the hiring manager was for each employee. Our team had a director change a few years ago, and everyone he has hired has been treated far better than the original crew, regardless of work output.

lo_zamoyski 4y ago

That's a good point. I've seen this myself during a layoff. The more senior staff (who, presumably, were earning more) were the first to go, save for a couple who were kept so that all the senior knowledge of the system wasn't lost. This is just the application of basic economic principles to specific circumstances (sometimes, it makes more sense to cut junior staff because the senior staff too more valuable).

valdiorn 4y ago

well, it's true. The first people to go in every layoff operation, at every company I've worked for, were always the "rockstar programmers". The guys that came in with reputation, because they are known in the tech world. The conference speakers, bloggers, open source heroes, etc. They come in, command a huge salary, and give a big PR/awareness boost to the company. But then turns out they're about as productive as everyone else, which makes them the first to go during layoff season.

subsuxbjes 4y ago
Can you provide citation because quite frankly I don't believe your assertion
- valdiorn 4y ago
  Can I identify my employers, call out specific people with a large online following by name, and declare that they were let go for budgetary reasons? No. I can't. For really obvious reasons :) But I've seen this happen quite a few times. And given some private conversations with my managers (i.e. the people who decide who to fire and who to retain), when discussing layoffs at the time they were happening, it was pretty clear why certain people were let go. This is just my anecdata. Even if I could prove my experience 100%, I still can't prove this as a universal rule, obviously. So it's just an observation of a few datapoints.

thebigspacefuck 4y ago

They get laid off, they get a few months of paid vacation, a raise when they switch jobs, and a sign on bonus. You are still working for the same old salary. How do you feel now?

subpixel 4y ago

The caveat here is you want to be highly valued. If low pay alone is an advantage, the company is in big trouble.