Bonkers

[Peter Corlett]

On 6 May 2007, at 23:48, Paul Makepeace wrote:
[...]
> Unlimited (free) bacon sarnies?

Approximate value to me, about £350/year. More valuable in that I  
know I don't need to get breakfast before hitting the office. I'll  
take that.

> Paying your motorcycle insurance?

Not much use as I'm not currently allowed to have a motorcycle. Many  
employers already offer travelcard schemes which is a similar perk,  
but the cash value in that case is usually close to zero.

> Sending you to YAPC with an expense account?

That would be rather nice. It'd never happen at $WEKILLTREES though.

> Having you work on open source projects?

Debatable. The company's core stuff might be just as much fun to hack  
on.

It's an indication that the company is more enlightened though, which  
suggests that there are other intangible unstated benefits.

> Paying your home broadband?

Actually, I'd rather they didn't, as it opens all sorts of  
obligations. Worth no more than £300/year anyway even if you pick a  
decent ISP.

> Free beer?

Assuming unlimited, from my own choice of beer, probably still only  
about £500/year, given that making much more use of it would affect  
my performance substantially.

Most companies' idea of free beer is a can of lukewarm horsepiss  
every couple of months, which actually has negative value to me. It  
tells me that the employer doesn't actually know or care what I think.


All in all, if I was offered that lot, I'd consider a 2-3k lower  
salary than I would have otherwise demanded.