Are Salary Jobs really worth it? After having worked for several companies and having worked hourly for all of them, it would seem like a relief to finally be on salary. There are several benefits but there are also some problems as well that I have noticed as I have started working with a salary position. Here are some things to look out for salary positions. You really need to compare your salary position to what it would be if it were hourly. This means that you need to keep track of how much you are working each week and then see if it is really worth your time that you are putting into it. Many times when people move up to salary they actually take a pay cut but don’t realize it because it is a bigger number but they are actually expected to be in the office on Saturdays or late into Fridays. No matter if you are with a company that has health benefits in Utah or whatever state, you will find that when you do the math it just doesn’t add up. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. When it comes down to it you need to know how much you are really worth and people need to understand it, well not everybody, but your boss does. Remember that when you look around the majority of the people that stay after work when everyone else leaves, are under salary. Sometimes they have more responsibilities but the pay doesn’t exactly match that pay. Realize that you won’t get overtime when you do stay after work like the rest of these salaried individuals. You won’t have a predetermined set of hours set for you but you will be required to get done what is expected of you. Here are some of the benefits of a salaried position.
Status Everyone knows that if you want to jump to “elite” status then you really need to get on the salary boat. Once you are in this group there are a lot more opportunities for jumping to higher positions and better pay.
Flexibility This can be a great thing for people who don’t like being managed by the time clock. You have the option of leaving when you want as long as you are getting done what you
need to by time reviews come around. That being said most companies are still pretty strict and expect the same from their salaried individuals as the hourly paid employees. Make sure that you realize all of the costs and benefits before you go jumping into the next job. There are a lot of things that you can learn by taking the time to really do the math and actually look at the people who made the choice to be salaried. This may deter or sway your opinion so make sure you keep your eyes open and be willing to ask people what it is like. Remember that everyone has a bias but the math you do is definitely not biased. Photo Credit: Jypsygen, slworking2,