
Stripe Is Offering $20k Bonus to Employees Who Relocate - evo_9
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/09/15/stripe-is-offering-20000-bonus-to-employees-who-relocate-to-less-expensive-cities-but-it-comes-with-a-pay-reduction/#7513910f3072
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mytailorisrich
This is a cost-reduction exercise for Stripe and, as usual, people ought to be
careful of the headline one-off incentive versus the recurring cost.

It would have obviously be more attractive, and perhaps fairer, not to cut
salaries. The company still saves on cheaper office, etc. and can adjust
gradually by slowing down salary increases, and the employees gain increased
purchasing power.

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xibalba
How fairer? If you take a pay cut, but the region to which you re-locate has a
substantially lower cost of living, are you not, in effect, getting a raise?
Sounds like a win for all parties involved (except the Bay area, of course).

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mytailorisrich
You are not getting a raise, you are getting a pay cut.

The company wins and tries to convince you that you also win because "cost of
living is lower". You buy it at your perils.

Also note that, in any case, once you have moved the company will then have an
incentive to put the brake on salary increases because "you earn above the
local area's average", which may further be an area will less opportunities.

People move from lower income to higher income areas/countries for a reason,
even if the cost of living also increases. That's because in the end you keep
more in your pocket then can do what you want (e.g. _once_ you've made your
money you can move back to a lower income area and buy a huge mansion and
enjoy).

