Can You Be Bought? and How Do You Feel about It?

T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 12:44
Last edited 04/12/2018 - 19:20 by 1 other user

Hi all,

just a bit of a back story i moved to Sydney a few months ago. i found it interesting and moved down from Adelaide to be closer to my brother (well mainly his new born baby). Anyways, i was lucky enough to find a decent job 6 figures and all was good. I work in IT in Adelaide and have been very successful there and was earning almost double contracting where as this is perm. I gave the new employer my word i would stay there for at least 12 months. now for me my word means a lot. So this new company made a few offers, significantly more than what im on, almost $50k more, but i turned them down all down. Thinking back to my word, and integrity It was very hard thing to do but thought i put it to get - and i was happy. After all i am an ozbargainer at heart and Sydney is very expensive so i felt i couldnt be bought! A few days ago, they basically upped the offer and added another $100k ontop. The package is about $300,000 pa. its basically an offer i cant turn down, i realise that and im gona take it, but how do i reconcile my conscious? or is it a non issue for most people? I used to think i cant be bought but now im not sure, i have to take it , this will set me up for life quickly. Have you ever been bought off? whats your price that you coudlnt say no too?

hmmm

update:

Ok just some more info on why I feel bad.

/Brag accusers please turn away.

I was a big fish in Adelaide I was getting over $200k pa (but that was contracting). When I tried to get a job in Sydney, I found it hard, discouraging and generally unpleasant. No one would basically give me the time of day. All the recruiters didn’t know me and made me jump through hoops for non-existent jobs and when I told them what I wanted (which was ever under market) they cut me off and never heard for them or returned my phone calls or emails. These guys gave me a chance and made all this possible. See in Adelaide I had a house paid off and could have retired very soon, working for well I dono why mostly cos its expected and day time tv isn’t that great. The people at the new company were also very nice and down to earth even in the interview, they were very “Adelaidean”. But seeing house prices in Sydney and having to pay so much rent which I hadn’t factored in as much means i wouldn’t have taken it and kept searching so I made a mistake… in hindsight. I consider the opposite, what if I turn it down and stay, will I be happy will I regret it for life? I dono, I really don’t, I suspect probably.

Anyways, I guess I have my answer, the reason why we go to work is for the money, the life it provides and also the freedom we are trying to get, not because we lover it.

oh and if all this was fake id say its $600 or $800 something stupid like that.

Education & Work

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 12:50
    +37

    your word means jack. if it's not in writing who cares. take the money and run.

    sydney definitely sucks though.

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 12:53
      +7

      to me it does, and is part of the reason why ive got to where i have in life. people to often just say one thing and never follow though. People i find like people they can trust and believe. everything else is secondary…

      but in the end your are right, i wish i could not give it a second (or first) thought life you!

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 14:00
        +6

        it used to mean something to me too, until i got royally screwed over by other people several times in my life.

        reminds me of the movie jerry maguire after they shake hands - "my word is as strong as oak"

        nek minnit - "we signed an hour ago while you were in the lobby with the black fella"

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moRXBFT1tbQ

      • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 21:54
        +1

        Why did you give your word that you'd stay for 12 months anyway?

        • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 22:41

          Pervious person left soon too. They didn’t want to be in that situation again.

          • exulted on 05/12/2018 - 07:55

            @T1OOO: What is the type of IT role you are going to be leaving? I would move to Sydney for a $200k role so I could take your place

            • orangetrain on 05/12/2018 - 08:13

              @exulted: Would you stay a year for 200k when there's a potential 300k offer?

              • exulted on 05/12/2018 - 20:50

                @orangetrain: Pffft no, I'd leave in a heartbeat. If they can't refill the $200k role quickly then they have some serious issues. There are so many senior IT people out there that may not tick all the boxes for the experience or demonstrated leadership skills they are looking for but with a bit of training, guidance and patience, could probably excel in the role and thank them for giving them a chance with a few years loyalty.

          • Blitzfx on 05/12/2018 - 16:51

            @T1OOO: They are probably going through that same situation because they are underpaying you. Sounds like other employers are poaching people with your skills because it's in high demand.

          • knk on 06/12/2018 - 14:09

            @T1OOO: So it should be a 2 way street. You sign a contract with a penalty for not staying 12 months, they guarantee to pay you 12 months total salary if they want to fire you early.

            A handshake agreement doesn't mean anything and if the business required it, they'd get rid of you without feeling bad about it…

          • lainey13 on 08/12/2018 - 20:00

            @T1OOO: They should have paid more then.

      • dave999 on 05/12/2018 - 09:19
        +18

        If they are a good employer they would probably be happy for you to take such a big upgrade in position at another company. In the end they will have a good ex employee that highly recommends their previous employer as a business you would want to work at - which they know ultimately helps them long term.

        • Kangal on 06/12/2018 - 15:44

          This…that's the winning comment of this thread.

          • exulted on 09/12/2018 - 10:39

            @Kangal: Not so sure. Is three months long enough to prove this on either side?

        • revelationx on 06/12/2018 - 21:18
          +1

          I logged in just to up vote this comment.

        • Hasbulla on 06/12/2018 - 23:01
          +1

          I signed up just to up vote this comment.

        • [Deactivated] on 07/12/2018 - 03:17
          +1

          In the end they will have a good ex employee that highly recommends their previous employer as a business you would want to work at

          This could certainly work against OP though also. ie. If OP screws over current employer, could have an disgruntled ex-boss, who highly recommends against hiring or putting trust in, OP ultimately harming OP's employment prospects in the 'long term' . Even with this new employer, they are going to know OP is willing to screw them over at any time, and they are never going to trust him at his word. I'm not sure how OP's industry etc is, but if word gets out and everyone (other potential employers) find out that he has done wrong by 1 or more previous employers, it could impact OP's career in the long term.

      • cameldownunder on 05/12/2018 - 11:04
        +2

        Do something for you, where you regain your soul, and then something for the money, where you lose your soul. Try to keep a balance and you will be rich in money and soul.

    • poboy on 04/12/2018 - 14:45
      +3

      I think this needs to be rephrased to 'look after yourself and your family first'. You sound like you have a great relationship with your boss. Assuming the second company has a good environment, I would jump to them and tell your boss why you are moving.

    • JoeSoap on 08/12/2018 - 00:20

      good luck in your new position.

  • Tech5 on 04/12/2018 - 12:53
    +62

    Think of it in reverse. A company would not hesitate to screw you for the bottom line. Take it and go

    • jellykingdom on 06/12/2018 - 08:38
      +1

      Completely completely agree. My motto at my previous job was to remember that my employer, at the end of the day, wouldn't piss of me if i was on fire

  • Fergy1987 on 04/12/2018 - 12:58
    +6

    Tell your current company to match it.

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 13:00
      +2

      there was no agreement to do so at the current company between all the partners…
      i would have only stayed for equity which was spoken about before but too early atm.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 13:07
        +10

        You are being underpaid. Your market value is what you are beigg offered so consider the fairness of it all. Why should you do work at a rate less than fair value?

        • Edmuntasaurus on 05/12/2018 - 11:00
          +1

          I basically second this, they may not even remember you gave them your word. There's nothing that says you can't keep your word and also ask to be paid for what you're valued at. Just don't bring up during the talk with your boss that you gave them your word or they'll jump onto it and might guilt trip you.

    • jake-sun on 06/12/2018 - 22:14
      +3

      Unless he works for Officeworks, I don't think they can do a price match.

  • Ugly on 04/12/2018 - 13:02
    +2

    How do I "fell"?

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 13:03
      +4

      good pick up! that helps alot, thanks for your input.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 13:09
        +2

        Wooooooosh

        • zwolf on 05/12/2018 - 10:36

          Haha! Ha Ha Ha! Ha.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 21:32
      +18

      It's good to know that there are still high paying jobs available for people with poor writing skills.

      • orangetrain on 05/12/2018 - 08:15
        +7

        English degrees aren't worth much.

    • No ONE on 06/12/2018 - 14:38
      +1

      How do I "fell"?

      Ugly

  • Freitag on 04/12/2018 - 13:05
    +12

    I think the company would understand if you told them the offer you've received.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 04/12/2018 - 13:06
    +7

    Everyone has a price - whether you believe it or not ;)

    • outlander on 04/12/2018 - 14:46
      +1

      The evil and the stupid don't, but it's true for everyone else

      • A fish on 05/12/2018 - 08:35
        +9

        That's so profound bro, are you a philosophiser?

    • idonotknowwhy on 05/12/2018 - 10:55

      I've thought about this a lot actually and I disagree. Does Bill Gates have a price? Jack Bogle?
      Many sufficiently rich people can't be bought with money.

      • macrocephalic on 05/12/2018 - 15:21

        Bill Gates still knows the value of money - which is why he does so much charitable work now. If you told him that you'd pay him a trillion dollars to work on a project for a year - I'm sure he'd take it; he'd probably then use that money on charity, but I think he'd accept it.

        It's far fetched, but he has a price.

    • frewer on 05/12/2018 - 14:16

      It should be
      "Every soul has a price, depend WHO paid for it"

  • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 13:07
    +21

    but how do i reconcile my conscious?

    Be honest with your employer. They're a business, they understand how money works too. Give them an option to match, or up your pay, or offer you other perks (shorter hours, more seniority, company car, etc). But I'd say that satisfies honour. Your employer didn't do you a favour by hiring you, they're getting something out of it too.

    • Edmuntasaurus on 05/12/2018 - 11:01
      +4

      Your employer didn't do you a favour by hiring you, they're getting something out of it too.

      This.

      • roundnumbersonly on 05/12/2018 - 21:17
        +1

        Exactly - if they’re willing to pay you $200-300k then rest assured they’ll be making a whole lot more than that.

    • FimpBARGAIN on 05/12/2018 - 21:08

      I have to agree.
      If you actively went searching for the offered job then it would be different, but here is the market screaming at you that your worth more.
      Give your current employer the chance to match it, if they cant then move on. You haven't done anything wrong.

      BTW what sort of job in IT is it? I couldn't imagine earning that much money unless they were managing a few hundred underlings? (I'm in Engineering though, and not in Sydney)

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 13:11
    +28

    Take the money and purchase some lessons in punctuation, grammar etc.

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 13:13
      +21

      I was gonna say something snarky too but if OP is commanding $300,000 p.a. on the market even with their grammatical deficiencies, hey, who am I to judge?

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 13:17
        +16

        That's not snarky. It's a fact with evidence in the op.

        If I was being snarky I would have said something like "you don't move down from Adelaide to Sydney. You move across and up a bit."

          • dahax77 on 04/12/2018 - 13:43
            +25

            @T1OOO: The way you are choosing to use it definitely does look like 'hodge podg' nonsense!

            • 87percent on 04/12/2018 - 16:58
              +9

              @dahax77: Leave the man alone, he's making bank speaking crap

          • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 21:35
            +30

            @T1OOO:

            The package is about $300,000 pa.
            …
            I speak 7 languages…

            Today on OzBraggin'…

          • dave999 on 05/12/2018 - 09:24
            +7

            @T1OOO: That's a little harsh :)

            I agree that spell checking a post on OzBargain is a waste of ones time - but English is a hodge podge because it absorbs the words from other languages, including spelling, instead of making up new words - that is actually what makes it nice.

            Also, take the new job.

          • Hasbulla on 06/12/2018 - 23:03

            @T1OOO: defiantly

      • exulted on 09/12/2018 - 10:42

        Ok quick poll, who else is commanding $300,000pa on here?

        • altman on 17/12/2018 - 13:19

          I thought that was the minimum required to post on Ozbargain.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2018 - 11:36

      A Jealous grammar Nazi.
      you should know that most of welfare earners speak native English…

      • buckster on 06/12/2018 - 11:24
        +1

        Native Bogan more like it.

        Farrrrrkenn strewwthh maatey

  • redpump on 04/12/2018 - 13:17
    +2

    Shit, I would of probably caved from the first offer. Also depends on how much you like your boss, but I would definitely take the 2nd offer like you did. Sleep easy fellow ozbargainer

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 15:22

      you remind me of my brother,.. he laughed and said "whats there to think about?!"

  • try2bhelpful on 04/12/2018 - 13:23
    +6

    Make sure the Sydney job is locked in if you intend to take it and make sure it is long term and you understand how quickly you can be terminated. Now think about what money you would need to stay in Adelaide, if you still want to. Then go to your employer and, honestly, explain the situation. Tell them they have been a great employer and give them the opportunity to counter offer. Most organisations understand people move on when they get a great offer. What you don’t want to do is give this job up for a very short term new job and burn your bridges on the way. However, do be aware that if you do stay you will be considered a flight risk. Best of luck.

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 14:29

      What?

      Now think about what money you would need to stay in Adelaide

      Maybe you should change your name to "try2readproperly" because OP's first line says:

      just a bit of a back story i moved to Sydney a few months ago.

      They're already in Sydney in a permanent position, they've been offered another Sydney job paying more. Also, OP's previous position in Adelaide was on contract, basically as short-term as you could get.

  • spiff on 04/12/2018 - 13:24
    +2

    300k nice work go for it

  • tsunamisurfer on 04/12/2018 - 13:26
    +2

    Of course I can be bought.

    Everyone has a price.

    • orangetrain on 05/12/2018 - 08:17

      Bet everyone here can be bought for less than 300k. Is anyone refusing 300k?

    • Wardaddy on 07/12/2018 - 04:17

      So not true.

  • mooney on 04/12/2018 - 13:28
    +1

    Companies are inherently selfish, the exist to drive a profit. If they need to get rid of you they will. You should take the job if it is better for you and your personal circumstances.

    I expect almost everyone at your current company joined from some other company.. people change jobs. It's life.

    Go get your money and if you feel bad about it donate some of your additional wealth to charity, something you couldnt have done had you stayed in your old place. :)

  • purplelady on 04/12/2018 - 13:44
    +1

    If your employer is a good employer, they will understand and let you go. They know they'd do the same thing if it happens to them.

    But if your employer is bad, then expect a huge argument with them. But hey, you didn't sign a contract, so even if they kick and scream and throw things at you, you're free to leave.

  • 87percent on 04/12/2018 - 13:57
    +23

    I smell bullshit

      • 87percent on 04/12/2018 - 16:51
        +31

        Seems like everyone on ozbargain is making $300000 a year, and driving Mercedes Benz and looking to buy multiple investment properties in Sydney… Oh yeah, they only work 3 hours a day from home and they're hoping to retire in the next 6 months when their residual income becomes viable because when they were 16, they bought their first house by working at McDonald's

        Did I miss anything out?

        • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 17:31
          -4

          god bless america,..

          but i dont drive

        • Baysew on 04/12/2018 - 17:34

          There has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian!

          • Malcolm Turnbull
        • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 21:44
          +5

          Seems like everyone on ozbargain is making $300000 a year…

          OzBargain or Whirlpool?

        • TheOtherLeft on 05/12/2018 - 07:38
          +3

          I think you've just described Whingepool…oh sorry Whirlpool.

        • boostpak on 05/12/2018 - 10:27
          +1

          Don't forget everyone is early 30s on 300k pa

        • [Deactivated] on 07/12/2018 - 02:53

          Seems like everyone on ozbargain is making $300000 a year, and driving Mercedes Benz and looking to buy multiple investment properties in Sydney… Oh yeah, they only work 3 hours a day from home and they're hoping to retire in the next 6 months when their residual income becomes viable because when they were 16, they bought their first house by working at McDonald's

          Did I miss anything out?

          Nope, not even close!
          Im only on $299,000 (hoping to make up the extra thou as a professional here;) ) . Only drive the entry level benz :(
          My investment properties aren't even on the mainland, just 3 mid-sized apartment blocks in tassie:/
          And bought my first McDonald's at 16 working on a house (which I designed, and sold plans for internationally).
          And before you start assuming I'm spoilt and lazy…. I work 4 HOURS per day, not 3 :)

  • chumlee on 04/12/2018 - 14:03
    +4

    Is the job with Womens Weekly or New Idea as gossip is suiting you?

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 14:24
      +3

      not with my english skills!

      • Charity on 07/12/2018 - 17:28

        *English

  • Some Human on 04/12/2018 - 14:05
    +31

    The subtle bragpost evolves.

    • ChillBro on 04/12/2018 - 14:10
      +12

      As subtle as an elephant repeatedly stomping you.

  • onetwothreefour on 04/12/2018 - 14:06
    +5

    200 eneloops and I'm all yours.

  • djkelly69 on 04/12/2018 - 14:08
    +3

    The package is about $300,000 pa. its basically an offer i cant turn down

    Do current company the courtesy of advising them of this offer, and seeing if they can match it/make a suitable counter-offer (salary + equity, etc).

    If they can't, walk. It never feels good leaving a good workplace, but that much extra money can buy a lot of hookers and blow to cheer you up.

    To me it is not being 'bought' - your contract sets out the whole agreement between the parties. They would not hesitate to sack you if the need arose and the contract didn't prevent it even if someone had given their word that they wouldn't.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 14:36

      yeah and you can easily just tolerate sydney for a few years, save some real dough and move back to adelaide.

      it's why adelaide is a pretty big retirement village full of incompetent lazy old farts in various industries (especially IT)

      • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 14:47

        I think this man… honestly its the best outcome long term. i can come back and party in sydney if i want. btw im in my early 30s so not so old.

        before moving, i was looking at another property in Adelaide 1400sqm , 10km from the cbd, 6 bedrooms for $800k .. i thought it was a bit high at the time!

        • purplelady on 05/12/2018 - 09:44

          I should move to Adelaide @_@

    • boostpak on 05/12/2018 - 10:27

      why are you on ozbargain if ur going to be making 300k a yr… i'd say get a life son

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 14:30

    A decent company would let you honour your word and start with them when you are able.

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 15:06

      dosnt work that way sadly.. they have deadlines and priorities too, and really need me at the start of jan for what ive done in the past is what they are doing atm. Bringing an off-shored dev project that has gone off the rails in house and ill be leading the transition.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 15:11
        +1

        Then my advice is, if you aren't at risk of being sued, take the new job and put your manpants on and tell the guy you gave your word to the situation, or not even the full situation but politely everything he needs to know.Worse things than that happen in business. Maybe give them extra notice or if you feel really guilty take a pay cut during your exit notice period as it won't make a big difference in the long run.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 14:54
    +25

    I speak 7 languages

    What are your other 6.5 languages (genuine curious question)?

    • T1OOO on 04/12/2018 - 15:04
      -2

      then you shouldn't have been glib when asking.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 15:19
        +3

        Touché. Smack down deserved.

        When you have time would you please advise what the other six languages you are able to speak in?

          • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 15:28
            +2

            @T1OOO: Then which language did you do your phd in?

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