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Subject:RE: Pay Gap Between Manager and Subordinates From:<laura_johnson -at- agilent -dot- com> To:<techwr -at- genek -dot- com> Date:Fri, 4 May 2012 11:49:10 -0600
Thanks, Gene; that's how I felt about it when reading the question, and I was starting to get lonely as I read the answers. Around here, the rate range for first-level managers overlaps the range for individual contributors, so while the average manager's pay is obviously more than the average writer's, it's normal and acceptable for it to be the other way 'round in certain cases.
Bad for morale? ...Hm. How about the morale of an undeniably excellent senior writer with thirty years' experience who's paid less than a shiny new mediocre manager? Mind, I'm in a company where it's normal and acceptable for the senior writer to NOT want to become a manager -- I mention this to stop you from saying "But the excellent writer should have been made manager!"
I was a manager for a while, and a couple of my folks made more than me. I knew that, and I knew why, and I was happy to have 'em and to pay 'em what they were worth. I'm sure I have been in the situation of making more than my manager, too, though I have no way of knowing that (and no reason to want to know).
-Laura
-----Original Message-----
From: Gene Kim-Eng [mailto:techwr -at- genek -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:36 AM
To: Cardimon, Craig
Cc: 'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com'
Subject: Re: Pay Gap Between Manager and Subordinates
When you're a manager you know what your subordinates make. You're the
one recommending their salaries. If that's not the case, you're a
manager in name only.
It never bothered me if the best of my subordinates were making more
than I was. For one thing, I was usually the one putting in for their
raises, and if they weren't there I was the only other person in the
office who could do what they were doing.
Gene Kim-Eng
On 5/3/2012 6:56 AM, Cardimon, Craig wrote:
> How in the world did you even find out? That stuff is considered classified.
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