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What was the ratio of folks who were told to get an offer somewhere who actually brought it back and were matched/beaten, to those who took that offer and walke

What was the ratio of folks who were told to get an offer somewhere who actually brought it back and were matched/beaten, to those who took that offer and walked? Maybe it's my general caution around "try not to get fired" but on the receiving end I'd probably parse such a line as a gentle invitation to leave and that I should probably just take said offer and go.

dumpsterdiver 4y ago
I'm curious also. Granted, the reasoning was that the employee wasn't perceived as being worth a raise, but inviting them to interview elsewhere might give the impression that they aren't valued even at their existing salary. Is the intent of such an approach to encourage those employees to take the other offer since it was already stated that they aren't perceived as worthy of a raise in their existing position? Why would coming back with a higher offer make them more valuable after they were basically already told no? Doesn't that seem a bit adversarial? It kind of puts the employee in an adversarial position as well, since if they really want the raise they would have to come back with a sort of "I told you so" proof that others value them more. How does that affect the working relationship?
tsuujin 4y ago
Sometimes it’s just politics. I manage software engineers and am responsible for advocating for their raises. Occasionally the answer from above will be “no” because budgets are tight and it’s a bad time to be handing out money, but if I have an offer to match in hand it simply gets more attention. I have advised my direct reports to go get an offer if they could, and it was not because I wanted them to leave. I wanted them to have the best chance at getting that raise they wanted. I also want them to do the best thing for themselves, so if they have an offer and I can’t match it, good for them they should take it. For them it’s win/win, it only sucks for me if I can’t match.
breckenedge 4y ago
Never. No one ever took me up on the offer. Sometimes you just have employees constantly asking for an out-of-cycle raise or promotion. And sometimes they are mediocre but have an inflated perception of their abilities or contributions. Pay should reflect personal contributions and market conditions. If they think they are worth some percentage above a normal engineer’s salary based on their location, they need to do the research and convince me. The best engineers I work with get a raise or promotion any opportunity that I can, even without asking.

dumpsterdiver 4y ago

I'm curious also. Granted, the reasoning was that the employee wasn't perceived as being worth a raise, but inviting them to interview elsewhere might give the impression that they aren't valued even at their existing salary. Is the intent of such an approach to encourage those employees to take the other offer since it was already stated that they aren't perceived as worthy of a raise in their existing position? Why would coming back with a higher offer make them more valuable after they were basically already told no? Doesn't that seem a bit adversarial? It kind of puts the employee in an adversarial position as well, since if they really want the raise they would have to come back with a sort of "I told you so" proof that others value them more. How does that affect the working relationship?

tsuujin 4y ago

Sometimes it’s just politics. I manage software engineers and am responsible for advocating for their raises. Occasionally the answer from above will be “no” because budgets are tight and it’s a bad time to be handing out money, but if I have an offer to match in hand it simply gets more attention. I have advised my direct reports to go get an offer if they could, and it was not because I wanted them to leave. I wanted them to have the best chance at getting that raise they wanted. I also want them to do the best thing for themselves, so if they have an offer and I can’t match it, good for them they should take it. For them it’s win/win, it only sucks for me if I can’t match.

breckenedge 4y ago

Never. No one ever took me up on the offer. Sometimes you just have employees constantly asking for an out-of-cycle raise or promotion. And sometimes they are mediocre but have an inflated perception of their abilities or contributions. Pay should reflect personal contributions and market conditions. If they think they are worth some percentage above a normal engineer’s salary based on their location, they need to do the research and convince me. The best engineers I work with get a raise or promotion any opportunity that I can, even without asking.