...

[sourceninja]

...

 

[Chiropteran]

Depends. Is the performance measurement deterministic, or opinion?

 

[sdifox]

depends solely on the chance of you getting that bonus

 

[Brainonska511]

Could you also negotiate for better ancillary benefits, like vacation, due to the lower base?

 

[Uppsala9496]

No, because a bonus is not guaranteed.
I made that mistake years ago. 20% drop in pay for a 40% bonus increase. Worked out nicely year 1. Year 2 and 3.....not so much. Jumped jobs at that point.

 

[Ns1]

Nope.

That means the year you want to leave you'll have to stick around the whole year + change unless you want to seriously short yourself that year.


Assuming they stick to their word and give you the bonuses...

 

[John Connor]

Sounds like a scam...

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[Uppsala9496]

What happens when something completely out of your control changes the parameters? Nothing you can do about it and you get screwed out of the bonus.
Not worth the risk in my opinion, unless you can get something in the contract stating that if certain parameters change, you then revert back to $xxx salary.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Reminds me of this thread.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2468467

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[Ns1]

One thing of note, this is a move from engineering to management. I'm pretty capped out in my current position, but not nearly capped out in the potential new position. I've been trying to make that switch for a few years now.

Oh. If that's the only way you can get to management then I guess you gotta pay your dues.

I'm sure purbeast and ICF will have some choice words

 

[kt]

Will you be doing anything different in your new position? I get bonuses in my current position but they keep reminding us that bonuses are not guaranteed. Although the company has never missed a bonus since I have been here, I never count on it. Don't ever count bonuses as part of your salary, you'll end up regretting it.

Ah, just saw your last post. I made a similar move to management but I actually got a small increase in salary and potential bonuses. If management is something you want to get into it's definitely worth the small drop in salary now for the potential of higher salary in the future.

 

[purbeast0]

if both positions were all things equal other than that, not me.

but you said it would be moving up from a senior software engineer to a tech lead or something?

if that is the case then they are low balling you because base tech lead should be more than base senior engineer. me personally i would not do it since you are already worth what you are making as an engineer, which is less valuable than a tech lead. basically you're devaluing yourself. that is not something i'm in the market of doing.

i'd never leave my current position in a lateral movement OR moving up to tech lead for a lower salary. in fact it would take probably at least $20k more for me to change even laterally because my company owns and i already make great money.

unless it was for a startup, then i would probably make a lateral move salary wise.

EDIT:

and if the bonus is "guaranteed" then it would be in your salary to start and wouldn't be as a bonus.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Bonuses are like commission payout, they can be manipulated and goals can change without notice. Always go for the base.

 

[kt]

Bonuses are like commission payout, they can be manipulated and goals can change without notice. Always go for the base.

Commission is part of your contract and is a guaranteed payout. Bonus, on the other hand, is not guaranteed payout.

 

[waggy]

HAHAH "guaranteed bonus"

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[gorcorps]

One thing of note, this is a move from engineering to management. I'm pretty capped out in my current position, but not nearly capped out in the potential new position. I've been trying to make that switch for a few years now.

Depends on how big the change is to the salary, but I'd consider it if you know for a fact that everybody deals with this same pay change when they make this jump. I personally am trying to make the same jump, but know they don't pull that stuff with anybody else so I'd negotiate with no change to my base salary (at the least).

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Commission is part of your contract and is a guaranteed payout. Bonus, on the other hand, is not guaranteed payout.

Well it is guaranteed however the amount needed to sell or the various ratios is not guaranteed. I've been commission based for many decades and have seen many different ways of screwing with the comp plan.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

One thing of note, this is a move from engineering to management. I'm pretty capped out in my current position, but not nearly capped out in the potential new position. I've been trying to make that switch for a few years now.

This is a totally different thing to me, go for it.

 

[purbeast0]

I declined and countered with a proposal that matches my current salary with the potential for bonus.

:thumbsup:

 

[kt]

Well it is guaranteed however the amount needed to sell or the various ratios is not guaranteed. I've been commission based for many decades and have seen many different ways of screwing with the comp plan.

But wouldn't you have an agreement signed when your company decides to change your commission plan? I know that not all commission plans are simply straight % commission but the rules are put down on paper. Whereas with bonus, they could just not give you one and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

But wouldn't you have an agreement signed when your company decides to change your commission plan? I know that not all commission plans are simply straight % commission but the rules are put down on paper. Whereas with bonus, they could just not give you one and there is nothing you can do about it.

Yes they are written down with the disclaimer "subject to change". Commissions are a bit more dependable than bonuses just not by much. Main reason is commissioned employees are more dependant on them because of the lower base salary. Many companies are cheap only a few are cruel.

 

[rh71]

nvm.