Ask HN: How do you approach salaries for distributed/remote teams?
A few that I've seen in the wild: a. Pay top dollar (probably confined to FAANG and the well funded/profitable) b. Aim for the market rate for the geographic area the employee is located in c. Come up with a band and leave it for prospective employees to negotiate (read: most people are terrible at negotiating their own salaries) d. Know what they can afford, regardless of location, and pay the higher of the candidates expectations or the budget
I personally find myself having an issue with b and c most of the time. It might be utopian, but I like people I work with and those who work for me to make the most they can.
As for myself, I have lived in very expensive cities and relatively cheaper ones. What remains consistent is my saving/investment rate, I have an absolute minimum ($) and a relative ideal (%), and adjust my standard to achieve this.
It seems logical that some cities might have a premium attached to the salary (SF and London come to mind). But is discounting acceptable?
Think two engineers providing equal value to the company, one working remotely in Toronto and another in Bucharest.
How do you navigate salaries?
context: Besides advocating for employee salaries at companies I've been affiliated with, I see myself taking a more active role in this area in the near future for some time to come.
This is my attempt to hear from peers and to better establish my foundational principle on this topic.