Hacker News Reader

Comment by rdtwo | Hacker News Reader

I mean it’s true but the reverse sucks too. If my company spent 2-3k per employee to make the work environment better is appreciate that way more than the 5k bonus that’s 3k after taxes we get and it would improve my quality of life more. We get paid quite fairly but not being able to get decent cafeteria food or coffee is a huge drag

View on HN

If an employer offered me a 5k paycut so they could ply me with coffee and snacks that’s not a deal I would take. So in reverse, I’d like the 5k please.

For snacks no. But for breakfast and lunch, that’s a 20$/d or 5.2k/yr value, so I’d take that for the convenience. I got tired of bringing lunch to work after about 4 years. Most places I’ve worked have had few takeout options. (Of course WFH changes calculus)

I had the opposite experience (in my well funded tech company days). We got free food at my job, and we had to pay tax on it as a benefit (for which we were reimbursed). The food, and cafeteria, were not my thing at all, and 95% of the time I either skipped lunch or grabbed something outside. I had no problem with my salary, but given the choice, I would have been happy to get more money and no food. (Just to be clear, it was very popular, I just would have liked the choice)

Yeah I guess it depends on priorities we’re in a big campus so it’s hard to go anywhere. I don’t always have time to pack a lunch so I’d like to have a healthy non prison style food option as a backup. Also I’d like to not get changed 5x if I need a snack and not have to provide my own coffee and tea

You’re probably saying that as someone with a much more comfortable income than the typical low wage worker. An extra $3000 to a McDonald’s worker means a lot more. If you’re someone who is struggling to make rent every month you’d probably take a one-time bonus of $300 cash over $3000 in ongoing workplace amenities.

Do min wage workers get much of 3k amenities?

Of course you can estimate my income just off the tax rate I’m describing

Meanwhile it's pretty normal to need to save up for multiple pay periods to buy shoes for your 4 year old. $3k/yr in the pocket makes a difference worth more than delicious coffee to many or most people, even in California.

I’m a PhD student living on a stipend that puts my family well below poverty level, and I can easily buy shoes for my 7-year old whenever he wants. Spare me the unfalsifiable histrionics about how hard it is to be poor, please.

Congrats on having a spouse who makes decent money.

Shoes for my toddler are $30-$40, and while it’s not a burden for me, it certainly would be if I was only bringing home $1200/month.

Perhaps it’s possible to be more poor than you?

As a PhD student I was considerably better off than I had been at any time before that.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com