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Re: This year's salary survey-same old same old.. HERE WE GO!
Subject:Re: This year's salary survey-same old same old.. HERE WE GO! From:"Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 26 Nov 2004 06:56:15 -0800 (PST)
lwright -at- positron911 -dot- com wrote:
> The only way to get more money for consistently proving
> yourself to be a really good worker at one company, is to
> leave that employer.
This has been true for decades... During the '80s, US companies
permanently broke the social contract with their workers, and it's been
a brave new world ever since, for better or worse. Previously,
executives considered it a shameful personal failure to lay off
workers, and often resigned, carrying a stigma for the rest of their
careers.
> Whatever happened to rewarding good employees so that
> they DON'T leave and take their skills and experience
> with them? CRAZY!
Employers no longer have long-term vision. From their perspective, it
is perfectly rational to hire-and-dump. Of course, this attitude was
created by US policies that motivate companies to favor short-term
profits over long-term investment. Tech writers are especially
vulnerable to the short-term outlook - heck, any company can go at
least six months without writers before customers start noticing
problems with the documentation.
> You should change jobs regularly... not to keep from
> getting bored to death and to learn new things, but
> so you can keep making more money
More specifically... when rates are rising, change jobs as often as
practical. But when rates are flat or declining, hang on to what you've
got and build your skills for the next upturn.
The raise you get by quitting is always bigger than the raise you get
by staying. Employers are more conservative with raises than with new
hires. If you quit, the person who replaces you will probably get a
bigger salary than the raise you were asking for. Employers see nothing
irrational about this. I suppose new hiring makes you feel like a big
shot and is more fun than giving raises.
Also, nobody wants to train employees anymore - they only want to hire
employees who got experience somewhere else. So, take them up on that
offer, and quit! Consider it a rotating paid internship. And after a
few years of changing jobs, look back and you will find you have an
amazing basket of skills and experience to offer.
Also, as a whole we are now often competing against societies that
provide health care, child care, education, and other support.
Mike O.
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