Do you worry about what others earn?

[dowie]

Nope. Don't care in the slightest what others earn, what their job titles are, whose you-know-what they're sucking on - I keep myself to myself. Watching my peers just burn money like it's cheap firewood on crap and trinkets, I'm probably better off financially anyway

So if your peers were paid say 20k more than you for doing the same job you'd not be bothered?

I think a lot of managers would be very keen to know that, saves a bit of worry when dividing up the pay rises/bonus pool etc.. if they know one guy isn't bothered too much.

 

[regulus]

Correct, not at all. There'll be people less senior than me on more money, purely because of time served. I asked for X during salary negotiations and was offered my asking number. The rest I have no interest in.

 

[dowie]

Correct, not at all. There'll be people less senior than me on more money, purely because of time served. I asked for X during salary negotiations and was offered my asking number. The rest I have no interest in.

I'm not talking about time served, no need to restrict it to that. How about a new guy you have to help train up - if he earns 20k more than you you'd honestly not be bothered because you're happy with what you're on?

You obviously still enter salary negotiations and ask for more, what do you base that on if not partly what others doing a similar job earn? This might sound silly but think about it, you asked for X, part of that involves you knowing X is a reasonable amount.

 

[regulus]

I based my asking number based on the going rate for my job title - which has roughly a 10-15k variance in Wellington (NZ). I'm in the upper level of that variance. I know this because I feel out the market occasionally.

I can increase my salary by 20% moving to Auckland, or I can double it moving to Australia, neither of which I'm planning on doing right now.

You could say that I'm not chasing money at this stage, but the right experience. We're all on high enough salaries anyway. An extra 10 or 20k would make no difference to my life. Therefore there's no reason to concern myself if someone do get that extra 10-20k

 

[regulus]

double up

 

[dowie]

I based my asking number based on the going rate for my job title - which has roughly a 10-15k variance in Wellington (NZ). I'm in the upper level of that variance. I know this because I feel out the market occasionally.

"going rate" aka what other people earn!

Sorry but you've kind of contradicted yourself there, you said before you don't care what other people earn but have now explained that you've asked for a raise based on what other people earn. That's essentially what is being discussed here from the context of the OP - whether people establish what the going rate is for a job.

 

[regulus]

No, the question was whether I care if anyone earns more than me in presumably the same role, I do not. I asked for a rate, I was offered said rate. Had someone come in and asked for an even higher rate and got it (doing the same role), it would not bother me in the slightest.

My answer to the following question: Do you worry about what others earn?

Answer: No I do not.

Any further discussion would require use of semantics which is rather pointless. I believe the answer is clear enough.

 

[dowie]

No, the question was whether I care if anyone earns more than me in presumably the same role, I do not. I asked for a rate, I was offered said rate. Had someone come in and asked for an even higher rate and got it (doing the same role), it would not bother me in the slightest.

nah that was my follow up question

the OP's question at the start of the thread, concerned checking what others were on/doing some research:

Mate started telling me he'd have to know what others were on, he would be researching, seeing what averages would be etc.
I said surely it doesn't matter what others earn - just earn a salary you are happy to, something you're happy getting out of bed for....

this was your answer to the OP

Nope. Don't care in the slightest what others earn, what their job titles are, whose you-know-what they're sucking on - I keep myself to myself. Watching my peers just burn money like it's cheap firewood on crap and trinkets, I'm probably better off financially anyway

and yet after some probing you state:

I based my asking number based on the going rate for my job title

Which is basically what the OP's friend was suggesting the OP do in the first place. I'm not trying to have a go at you but I think in reality most people do check roughly what a role should be paying... that's all the OP was asking re: whether people 'care'. Sure I've asked some additional questions because I'm a bit curious about this idea of someone not really caring if they get screwed over.

 

[stoofa]

I think most people know what they are worth - as I said at the beginning, personally I don't care what others, doing the same job as me are earning. That doesn't mean I don't know what I am worth to a business. I take this into consideration when I am negotiating. So if the average salary for the job I do is, in my opinion, around the £40k mark and I am happy at that salary then that is where I am going to be happy.
If I subsequently fine someone else doing the same job as me but earning £50k then I'm not bothered - I am at my market rate, or rather what I perceive is my value to a business and I am on a salary that I am happy with.
What my mate was effectively saying was that if I'd valued myself at £40k, and I was happy working for £40k, then the realisation that somebody else was on £50k for the same job would be devastating to me and be the cause of numerous nights without sleep - which I very much disagreed with.

Of course the salary I'm happy on is going to be "within the expected salary for a person doing my job". I'm not going to be happy doing my job for less than I want and I want to be earning a good, fair salary. I'm just not necessarily bothered if there are others doing the same job as me, earning more money.

 

[nitram100]

Not in the slightest. I'm a Nurse and money has never been the strong point of the job so I don't care. It's the flexibility and the opportunity for emigration that attracted me to this job.

 

[Nitefly]

I am not 'worried' about what others earn, but I would be annoyed if a peer within my firm (of an equivalent role) got paid substantially more. I think ignorance is bliss, somewhat.

 

[bakes0310]

I don't care what others earn but it would bother me if I was underpaid in my role.