
Ask HN: Switching to Engineering Role=Compensation Reduction? - ike_d
I am switching my role from a traveling consultant (Monday-Friday at a customer site) to a pure engineering role (work in the office). My employer, a multi-billion Silicone Valley-based software company insists that I take a (somewhat) significant
(~10%) total compensation reduction by saying that they pay premium for traveling. I already negotiated this down to 10% reduction (initially it was more like 30%), and they say it is final. I didn&#x27;t think it was the norm in the industry, but I wanted to validate this against a larger pool.<p>My likely choices are:
1. Take their offer and move on.
2. Take a stand with a potential of being forced to resign.
3. [Your suggestion]?<p>I am very stable financially, so leaving is not detrimental in the short term (6-12 months).<p>Have you been in this situation? How did you deal with it?
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zer00eyz
Without a literal dollar figure, it is hard to say.

There is a premium on travel, and field work. A lot is going to depend on your
office culture. I know quite a few firms where field engineers have a rough
job and the guys back at the shop work 9-5.

In a larger company, your role change, likely comes with a title change in the
"HR" department (from something like "SALES ENGINEER" or "FEILD ENGINEER" to
"ENGINEER I/II/III). Every one with the same shadow title is probably stuck in
some "pay band". By keeping these bands tight you avoid a lot of potential for
discrimination lawsuits. You might not see the pay cut at a smaller company
but the title change at a bigger company makes it "likely".

If I look at your 1 and 2 options, ( 1. Take their offer and move on. 2. Take
a stand with a potential of being forced to resign. ) There really isn't a
difference except your pay while looking for a new job. "Forced to resign" is
a misnomer, and I know people who have spent years on PIP's as employers tried
to squeeze them out doing little and collecting a check. There is also the
"your fired" speech, it is an at will state and you never know if your HR
department has a wild hair up their ass.

I suspect that no matter what you choose to do, it is time for you to start
looking for a new job.

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x0x0
There are good reasons to pay people who travel more. Mostly that business
travel sucks, not just for the discomfort but also for the damage it does to
personal relationships regularly being gone.

I find it strange to expect to move to a lower comped role and keep the comp
from the higher role.

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HeyLaughingBoy
I would find it stranger if he didn't at least try!

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mtnGoat
Of course traveling pays more, it's more stressful and generally consumes more
of your life. I would expect a smaller paycheck if the number of things I am
willing to do for the company decreases.

I find that endlessly arguing with your employer puts a Target on your back.
Take what they'll give and if you don't like it, start the job hunt in the
background.

edited for spelling.

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Sevii
Take their offer and start looking for a new job. In my experience I make
significantly more working for a big company in Seattle with no travel than I
ever did as a traveling consultant.

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numinary1
Yes, this!

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boring_twenties
Just speaking personally, if I had a normal software engineering job and my
employer wanted to add travel to the requirements, it would take a lot more
than 10% to get me to agree.

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apohn
What are the differences in the base versus variable (e.g. bonus) pay for SWE
versus consultant? At one point I was in a travel heavy role and I got a
fairly good bonus based on utilization/billable hours. Overall the consultants
made more than the SWEs in the same company at similar levels because of the
bonuses.

The above wasn't true for the associate (basically entry level) and regular
consultant levels. Level 1 and 2 SWEs could make more money and had far more
career options.

I got tired of travel and moved on to a low-travel role at a different company
where I got a paid more. You should explore that.

That being said, I'd have gladly taken a 10% paycut (at least temporarily) to
stop traveling. Consulting roles require a different set of skills than a pure
engineering role so it might make sense to switch jobs and hone your skills
for 6 months or so. Then interview and move on. Or, if you perform well, ask
for a promotion.

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akamia
It's a little hard to know whether this is reasonable or not without knowing
more about the circumstances (dollar amounts, is this change your decision or
theirs?).

I haven't experienced it personally but I've had friends in similar
situations. It's not uncommon for traveling roles to have additional
incentives.

I worked for a company that regularly added an additional percentage to your
salary if you were on a temporary relocation or were regularly traveling for
your role. This was to account for the inconvenience of being away from home,
family, etc. When you returned home permanently that percentage was removed.

I would ask if there is a documented policy discussing the compensation
differences between traveling and in office roles. A company of the size you
mentioned should have a policy for this kind of thing. Understanding the
policy should help in your communication with HR.

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godisdad
Not knowing what your role was at the customer site makes it hard to give
contextual advice but, if traveling was wrecking your personal life and you
see more opportunities for growth in the office, I’d take the cut.

Don’t know if you’re switching titles, responsibilities, whether the on site
work ebbs and flows/is seasonal either but if your only immediate goal is to
preserve or grow income I’d start looking around like everyone else in this
thread has said.

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jiveturkey
Industry norm doesn't matter, company policy does. Are you so unaware of your
company's pay practices that you don't know if this is true? Ask HR for policy
documentation and go from there.

I do agree if I am reading correctly, you can afford the cut but you don't
want to be screwed. So if you like the job and that's the policy, take the
cut. If you don't like the job, leave even if you can get the same pay rate.

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skyyler
It sounds like you should take a stand and tell them you're not taking a
reduction in pay.

Simply not getting travel time / paid per mile anymore would be one thing, but
a 10% reduction in compensation is another.

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psv1
Are you switching because you want to or are you forced to switch _and_ take a
pay-cut? Either way you shouldn't put up with it but knowing that detail can
paint a very different picture.

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batt4good
Never take a pay cut unless it's on your terms and what you want. It seems
evident you want out of this situation.

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ike_d
Thanks, everyone. Very helpful.

