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Ask HN: Which job perqs mean the most to you?

14 points by and_jetsam ↗ HN
(burner account)

I'm in the midst of negotiating an offer with a medium-sized startup and am trying to decide which, if any, perquisites to push for.

For example: one I'm considering is an education allowance to cover $n/yr in conferences, trainings, etc.

What perqs have you had / seen / dreamed-up, and why did they matter to you?

If you can, please provide $values where relevant.

21 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 64.8 ms ] thread
PredictorY
Personally, I'm much more concerned with the day-to-day work situation than perks, but remote work (near 100%, preferably) is something I look for.
and_jetsam
I agree with this, however it's not clear to me what concessions one can win in comp negotiations that'd affect day-to-day work. Any ideas there?
PredictorY
Sorry, you're right: TO me, either there's a fit or there isn't. I guess my point was that no perks will compensate for a bad fit.
madarve
Remote work, beats any other perk almost any time for me
purplezooey
Please, somebody build an HQ with real offices for everyone, where you can close the door. Have premium slack, email and conferencing systems so everyone can still chat when they need/want to. That would be awesome.
saddestcatever
Ah, that's the dream. Being able to work in a silent room. No, noise cancelling headphones aren't really the same. I just want to invite Joe over to talk about X and not have Sandy from Biz Dev overhear and invite herself to the discussion.
dozzie
Apart from permission to work remotely, nothing else really matters from what is advertised as perks. Well, maybe health insurance in the countries underdeveloped with this regard. Everything else either you can buy easily yourself (and not depend with lifestyle on this particular employer) or gets old after six months.

What really matters is how much you can learn (and you only learn by actually doing something that's above your skills) and how much you can develop your own ideas, but (a) nobody advertises this and (b) even if everybody did, it's a really difficult thing to verify before you actually take the job.

txmjs
Training budget for confs/courses/books is a big one for me, it shows that a company is invested in you and helping you further your career.

Another one is relaxed working hours and having a culture of trust with regards to when you're actually in the office. It shouldn't be a big deal if I need to leave early one day, or if I decide to do reduced hours but work flat out during the time I'm in the office, as long as the work gets done - who cares when?

jackgolding
Very interesting point for me nearly every increase in salary I've gotten has had a decrease in training budget.
slipwalker
- bonus based on your performance, starting at 2 month salaries;

- home office allowed, with the proper accesses ( VPN ? ) available, at least 2 times a week;

- certifications costs' reimbursement up to 3%(?) salary yearly;

fjones12
In addition to professional development stipends, you could look into allowances for transit and fitness, as well.

Additional vacation time is an easy ask, as well, since it doesn't require the company to spend more money to hire you.

sloaken
1) Time off 2) only a 40 hour work week 3) Window 4) work from home <- the best 5) Office size 6) I like the $ for conferences, I recommend a specific annual anount that remaining rolls over or a specific conference. 7) special schedule - 9/80, or 4/10 8) Beer :-)
eb0la
Vacation. When you have kids, you suddenly realize 1) They have much more holydays than both parents combines and 2) you will bump into unforeseen stuff like, one kid getting sick, or you getting sick...
b_t_s
(1) True remote. (2) BS remote(realistically have to live in commuting distance of the office) . (3) true 40 hr week (4) flexible schedule for appointments/kids/etc. (5) time off
bryan11
(1) True remote (2) True 40 hr week with flex hours -- Those two allow the best options for a work / life balance
vinylkey
From reading some of the comments here, it's a bit sad that a 40 hour workweek is considered a job perk...
alexhoff1
1) managers that only truly expect a 40 hour work week 2) freedom to explore new fields in the non 40
codeonfire
Really, REALLY flexible time. I only go to the office to socialize. I like to code late at night where nobody can bother me. I've quit strict "where were you at 8:00AM you need to call in if you are going to be late" jobs within weeks.
guilhas
Cafeteria. Worked in a company where we had free lunch and breakfast. It was very sociable.