4 ms·

I'm more surprised folks fell for the "take it or leave it" gambit.

by enjo 13y ago

pdenya 13y ago
What's the third option?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- kingkilr 13y ago
  Negotiate. It's always an option in my experience. (For example, I've negotiated the text of offer letter and IP/confidentiality agreements at most of my employers).
  - namank 13y ago
    Thats negotiation of terms, not the money.
    - svmegatron 13y ago
      I think that generally money is by far the easier thing to negotiate than terms. Even if just because a change of terms often needs to be approved by lawyers, whereas a change of $ amount can be approved directly by the parties doing the negotiation.
      - amirmc 13y ago
        I think that generally money is by far the easier thing to negotiate And here's something to back you up: http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/hvv2m/i_work_for_a_large_multinational_tech_company_i/ http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/hvv2m/i_wor...
  - mikeash 13y ago
    It is so fun to call someone's bluff like this. "The offer is fixed, take it or leave it." "OK, bye." "Waaaaiiiit, we didn't really mean it!" I've only had the chance to do this once, with pretty small potatoes stuff, but damn if it wasn't absolutely delightful.
- anon345345 13y ago
  (anon to protect the innocents) I have been through the exact same scenario: acquisition, take it or leave it offer of employement to join the employer. You know what? Go to your boss, in a non-confrontational way, tell them that you are underpaid, the market (meaning other companies) are making you offers left and right at much higher salary. It's not you who is greedy, it's the market telling you what you are worth. Then say you very much want to stay. The deadline they give you about signing the original offer? Let it expire. Until you do that, they don't take you seriously. You're just a whiny engineer. Once their deadline is gone, see who calls first. They will call you in a panic and find out what it is you want (you already told them by the way). Then they'll move real fast to make a counter-offer that is at least half-decent. Done.
  - jrockway 13y ago
    It's good if you also have an offer from a competitor. Then there's no theoretical game to play ("the market price is your highest offer, which is currently ours") and you win by doing nothing.
  - yekko 13y ago
    Helps if you all do it together, eg, a union.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - bconway 13y ago
      Some of us pride ourselves on not sinking to the lowest common denominator (i.e. breeding grounds for mediocrity).
      - msellout 13y ago
        I'd imagine that the power imbalance of corporation vs employee creates a "lowest common denominator" situation more often than corporation vs union.
  - 13y ago
dmourati 13y ago
I agree. This sounds like tough talk. I can understand why they would say that but I can't undertand why anyone would believe it. What they are really saying is look, we wan't to roll you all up and it would be much easier for us if you weren't comparing notes with your buddies. Fine, I recognize that we as a group have collectively a stronger bargaining position than we would if you had approached just one of us. Use that to your individual (or even collective) advantage. Hindsight, 20-20 and all that but the point stuck out for me. Anyway, sounds like OP played the game the way he wanted so props for that. Something to think about next time someone claims something is "take it or leave it:" get up right away and leave it.

I'm more surprised folks fell for the "take it or leave it" gambit.

by enjo 13y ago

I'm more surprised folks fell for the "take it or leave it" gambit.

pdenya 13y ago

What's the third option?

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
kingkilr 13y ago
Negotiate. It's always an option in my experience. (For example, I've negotiated the text of offer letter and IP/confidentiality agreements at most of my employers).
- namank 13y ago
  Thats negotiation of terms, not the money.
  - svmegatron 13y ago
    I think that generally money is by far the easier thing to negotiate than terms. Even if just because a change of terms often needs to be approved by lawyers, whereas a change of $ amount can be approved directly by the parties doing the negotiation.
    - amirmc 13y ago
      I think that generally money is by far the easier thing to negotiate And here's something to back you up: http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/hvv2m/i_work_for_a_large_multinational_tech_company_i/ http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/hvv2m/i_wor...
- mikeash 13y ago
  It is so fun to call someone's bluff like this. "The offer is fixed, take it or leave it." "OK, bye." "Waaaaiiiit, we didn't really mean it!" I've only had the chance to do this once, with pretty small potatoes stuff, but damn if it wasn't absolutely delightful.
anon345345 13y ago
(anon to protect the innocents) I have been through the exact same scenario: acquisition, take it or leave it offer of employement to join the employer. You know what? Go to your boss, in a non-confrontational way, tell them that you are underpaid, the market (meaning other companies) are making you offers left and right at much higher salary. It's not you who is greedy, it's the market telling you what you are worth. Then say you very much want to stay. The deadline they give you about signing the original offer? Let it expire. Until you do that, they don't take you seriously. You're just a whiny engineer. Once their deadline is gone, see who calls first. They will call you in a panic and find out what it is you want (you already told them by the way). Then they'll move real fast to make a counter-offer that is at least half-decent. Done.
- jrockway 13y ago
  It's good if you also have an offer from a competitor. Then there's no theoretical game to play ("the market price is your highest offer, which is currently ours") and you win by doing nothing.
- yekko 13y ago
  Helps if you all do it together, eg, a union.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - bconway 13y ago
    Some of us pride ourselves on not sinking to the lowest common denominator (i.e. breeding grounds for mediocrity).
    - msellout 13y ago
      I'd imagine that the power imbalance of corporation vs employee creates a "lowest common denominator" situation more often than corporation vs union.
- 13y ago

dmourati 13y ago

I agree. This sounds like tough talk. I can understand why they would say that but I can't undertand why anyone would believe it. What they are really saying is look, we wan't to roll you all up and it would be much easier for us if you weren't comparing notes with your buddies. Fine, I recognize that we as a group have collectively a stronger bargaining position than we would if you had approached just one of us. Use that to your individual (or even collective) advantage. Hindsight, 20-20 and all that but the point stuck out for me. Anyway, sounds like OP played the game the way he wanted so props for that. Something to think about next time someone claims something is "take it or leave it:" get up right away and leave it.