Absolutely. A previous company I worked at had a horrible company culture, but they paid really well. No respect, no autonomy, no hope. In the end, the money wasn't important. I couldn't stand working there anymore and left for a job that paid 30% less but had a much nicer working environment. My overall quality of life went way up.
Don't hang around working for clueless bullies and assholes, thinking "the money makes it ok". It doesn't.
Yes. I don't understand the people who say "I'd rather work in a company with a good working environment" as if you have to work for peanuts to have a good job. If you are convinced to work for a low salary in the name of "culture" your employer is laughing all the way to the bank.
There are a bunch of jobs that people (may) like being in but are widely recognized as not paying very well--at least unless you get very lucky.
I was in a role for quite a few years that I mostly enjoyed, but even if the company hadn't had a downward turn, compensation was probably half that of my next job (at best).
Most people have this idea that either you get paid less and have a good job environment or you are highly paid in a bad environment. From my experience it's the opposite. Companies that pay well also have a good environment.
There are plenty of people who prefer a different environment and culture from what those big companies have. Once the pay reaches level X ( different for each person) other factors become more important.
Who knows what this person wants? He probably doesn’t either.
That's just how employment is handled here in Portugal. Something along the lines of: "Don't want to enjoy our amazing company culture and below average compensation? There are dozens who would, for even less pay".
Personally, I don't advance solely because of the money. My main motivation is facing and overcoming new challenges. I've worked for a couple startups and another small company. In my experience I face challenges at the start and overcome them while leaving my imprint. Soon after, things are better then when I showed up and the place starts feeling stale. I suppose I just hunger for more punishment. :p The increases in pay are just an added bonus that makes the other stuff in life slightly easier.
It's like accepting a lower starting salary hoping that, since you love doing what you do, you will prove it to everyone that you're good at it and that you will get a raise eventually. I got burned with this twice -- believe it or not, low starting salary coupled with uncertainty about whether there will be an eventual raise played a big role in me actually stopping loving my work (which at the time was a good thing since I acquired more productive interests, but that's besides the point).
I think the most frustrating thing for me as someone from the United States is the number of people I talk to that want a 'better paying job' where the job is exactly what they are doing right now just with a bigger dollar amount attached to it. They can't even see that the fact that they have a job that pays as well as it does is an aberration and can go away, or that it is a cultural/economic norm to just slowly increase pay over time and those bonus/yearly raises are often not representative of your value in the organization. There is a reason why firing someone and replacing them with someone fresh out of school is such a common trope/strategy because it just resets this implicit clock among other established interpersonal tensions.
I'm not talking about the more entrepreneurial types or people who feel like trying to take a level of change jobs or start a business of their own is beyond their taste for risk, which are people I could see as part of 'hard work will pay off' not really ringing true.
I've seen people happily work at much lower pay then they deserve. I've also seen people work at higher pay then they are worth and still be miserable. Pay isn't all that.
It might be an awful place to work. Or it might just be, if I'm going to work at a place that has made several people billions of dollars, if I don't get paid pretty well, I'm going to resent it. They might have to pay well to keep morale up, not because it's an awful place, but because it's easy to envy others who also work there.
In a large company, most people _aren't_ making the big bucks and don't do it to make a fortune. They do it to make a living.
The "culture" of a place, especially at a bootstrapped startup where the higher ups _aren't_ raking in the big bucks is a huge draw to someone where money is not the main reason for taking a job.
For me, I'm paid well (probably 60th percentile for my location/position) but the flexibility I get from my employer which cultivates a nice culture and work-life balance is worth the cut in pay.
That said, if by culture you mean ping-pong tables, free beer and massages. I'm right with you.
I've always thought that part of that culture is remuneration. People in IT sector are more likely to earn well nowadays than most jobs. When one doesn't have to worry about money it's easier to be kind, helpful and open-minded.
People always equate being treated properly with a higher salary, but from what I've seen there's a lot more to a job than pay. I watched several people leave a department for "better" jobs (meaning: higher pay) only to be miserable a year later for reasons unrelated to salary.
Not just money. Many of us just want a job that pays pretty well, doesn't require too much overtime, doesn't stress us out too much, isn't too far from home, and has some decent coworkers to work with.
Why so many companies can't just offer this and get some dependable, competent employees and be happy with that, I'm not sure, but I know it has something to do with the mentalities of people who become founders or high-up managers.
a well paying job with low expectations sounds great, but actually sucks after a while. i’ve been there a couple times. it’s just not fulfilling. it brought out a weird mixture of guilt and sadness in me. i was getting great reviews, and by every measure was doing my job well.
when i’ve moved on from those jobs i’ve been happier, grown more, and it’s led to more money.
You would get into a job with a small salary, and the expectation you'll have a larger one in an year or so.
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