4 ms·

> It says “pay package” which seems to fit pay + benefits. It seems at best like it skirts the line of "technically not incorrect" for questionable reasons; co

by clipsy 3y ago

> It says “pay package” which seems to fit pay + benefits. It seems at best like it skirts the line of "technically not incorrect" for questionable reasons; compensation packages are not an uncommon topic of conversation here or in the tech industry generally and I've never once heard someone include the cost of benefits in their TC. Certainly if an employer quoted me a compensation package of $x and then revealed that 1/3rd of it was the cost of benefits I'd be quite livid.

JohnFen 3y ago
> Certainly if an employer quoted me a compensation package of $x and then revealed that 1/3rd of it was the cost of benefits I'd be quite livid. I wouldn't, because that's exactly how most of my employers made their offer to me[1]. Not all, but most. Total compensation, in my world, anyway, isn't a rare way to put these things. [1] The ones who do this also usually include the cash compensation somewhere in the offer letter, though. If they don't, I'll ask because that's the only part of the compensation package that I actually care about.
- clipsy 3y ago
  I can't help but wonder if we're talking at cross purposes here? I would consider a "pay package" or "compensation package" to include salary, bonus (in some form: average, max, ???), and equity. That has been the standard "total compensation" for every tech company I've worked for and every tech company at which I've been offered a position. I would not consider: the employer's share of health insurance premiums, 401k matching, "health and wellness" benefits, transit benefits, catered food, coffee, or toilet paper in the office restrooms to be part of the "pay package" because none of that is pay. If my expectations are genuinely unusual then I guess I consider myself quite fortunate!
  - prepend 3y ago
    What I ask for is all compensation from my potential employer. If they don’t provide it, that’s a bad sign. Things I ask for: -salary -average and median overtime (if applicable) -paid time off with leave and sick broken out -company holidays (eg Christmas, Juneteenth, etc) -pension -401k match -insurance - health, life, disability, dental, vision -anything else the company pays for me I definitely care most about salary, but I compare total bottom line across offers. If one company pays $100k and has no 401k match and another pays $95k with 10% 401k match that’s really useful in deciding.
prepend 3y ago
I always hear cost of benefits in TC, especially in union negotiation. It’s important because that’s the cost to the employer. If I’m negotiating a union contract for the union I want to know how much I’m asking and what it costs. As an employee, I also compare total compensation packages across offers. I once had multiple offers where one was $20k higher in pay, but the insurance was way worse (cost of $3k/year vs $18k) and the leave was way worse. So it’s a good idea to compare total pay package, not just the gross take home.

by clipsy 3y ago

JohnFen 3y ago

> Certainly if an employer quoted me a compensation package of $x and then revealed that 1/3rd of it was the cost of benefits I'd be quite livid. I wouldn't, because that's exactly how most of my employers made their offer to me[1]. Not all, but most. Total compensation, in my world, anyway, isn't a rare way to put these things. [1] The ones who do this also usually include the cash compensation somewhere in the offer letter, though. If they don't, I'll ask because that's the only part of the compensation package that I actually care about.

clipsy 3y ago
I can't help but wonder if we're talking at cross purposes here? I would consider a "pay package" or "compensation package" to include salary, bonus (in some form: average, max, ???), and equity. That has been the standard "total compensation" for every tech company I've worked for and every tech company at which I've been offered a position. I would not consider: the employer's share of health insurance premiums, 401k matching, "health and wellness" benefits, transit benefits, catered food, coffee, or toilet paper in the office restrooms to be part of the "pay package" because none of that is pay. If my expectations are genuinely unusual then I guess I consider myself quite fortunate!
- prepend 3y ago
  What I ask for is all compensation from my potential employer. If they don’t provide it, that’s a bad sign. Things I ask for: -salary -average and median overtime (if applicable) -paid time off with leave and sick broken out -company holidays (eg Christmas, Juneteenth, etc) -pension -401k match -insurance - health, life, disability, dental, vision -anything else the company pays for me I definitely care most about salary, but I compare total bottom line across offers. If one company pays $100k and has no 401k match and another pays $95k with 10% 401k match that’s really useful in deciding.

prepend 3y ago

I always hear cost of benefits in TC, especially in union negotiation. It’s important because that’s the cost to the employer. If I’m negotiating a union contract for the union I want to know how much I’m asking and what it costs. As an employee, I also compare total compensation packages across offers. I once had multiple offers where one was $20k higher in pay, but the insurance was way worse (cost of $3k/year vs $18k) and the leave was way worse. So it’s a good idea to compare total pay package, not just the gross take home.