MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: martyst on September 10, 2014, 06:43:15 AM
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Hi all,
Just wanted to know others opinions and/or experiences. I have worked on wages forever and have been asked about going on salary and wanted to know others thoughts and what to be aware of.
Cheers Marty
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Depends on the $$$$, problem with a salary is I work 50 hours a week minimum and weekends as I work in retail. Luckily these days as I've worked my way up it's okay but when I first went to salary it was a big hit losing penalties and going form fortnightly to monthly pays
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I've done both. It really depends on the type of work. There is negatives and positives for both.
When you go to a salary you generally lose overtime rates etc, so if you are someone that does a lot of ot, make sure you add all that up with your normal wage and come to a happy meduim with your employer for a salary. The last thing you want is to do the same or more hours for what may work out less money.
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I've bee salary all my career.
If I work over time, my employers have always give me time off to compensate as apposed to the $$$.
works for me as I usually take fridays off @ full pay and go camping
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On a salary getting paid monthly is a pain!! Rich on the 15 th broke on the 16th of the month ;D
Swannie
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I've been on salary so long I can't even remember what wages was like.
As above, if you do a lot of OT it may not be a good move to salary.
Remember on salary all your OT is tax free!
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Sarary - your Japanese?
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.
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I don't like Salary. Too many people end up working longer hours and getting nothing for it. Most companies won't give you money for overtime and regularly you even battle to get time off in lieu.
If you are in a job where your hours are guaranteed to be the same then it may be worth considering, but in an environment where you can't guarantee the regularity of your hours (maintenance/callouts etc) then its not a good idea.
From an employers perspective, you are providing no incentive for employees to perform well too.
Aaron
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Completely depends on the job and employer. I've done both like a lot of others, currently on salary.
I work fifo for a company that does a lot of short contracts, if the next job is not ready when one ends, i stay home until it is it ready. Been home about 6 weeks now, looks like being about another 2 to go ;D 8) until next contract is ready.
Simply couldnt afford to do it if i was on hourly wages.
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I like salary been on it for years as you know what you will be paid
Only downside is the pay cycle if it is one that says 15th of each month sometimes you have to deal with 5 weekends in a pay cycle
If you can get it paid fortnightly it smoothes it out
As for working extra hous i can usually make an agreement with the boss and duck out early on a friday if i have worked over time
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I like salary been on it for years as you know what you will be paid
Only downside is the pay cycle if it is one that says 15th of each month sometimes you have to deal with 5 weekends in a pay cycle
If you can get it paid fortnightly it smoothes it out
As for working extra hous i can usually make an agreement with the boss and duck out early on a friday if i have worked over time
Agreed, the five week months are tough especially 5 mortgage repayments. Ive found the best way to deal with monthly pay is over time build up a months pay in reserve over and above any saving you have elsewhere to get you through
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Agreed, the five week months are tough especially 5 mortgage repayments. Ive found the best way to deal with monthly pay is over time build up a months pay in reserve over and above any saving you have elsewhere to get you through
I used to get paid monthly, now it's weekly, but I've always got a buffer in the bank so that if the fridge dies, or something that needs cash now it is there. If it drops below my comfort level then no more non essentials until the balance is back up there again.
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I’ve been on both and all depends on how nice your employer is. I’m currently on a salary and we are always being pushed into working extra hours with no extra money or time off in lieu. Also things like RDO’s and Holiday leave loading are a thing of the past. Also where I work they can play with our start finish times as the people on a Salary have a different/watered down enterprise agreement to the staff on wages.
Also when you first move across find out if your salary package includes Super or if it’s paid on top. Reason is in simple terms say someone is on a wage of $50 000 plus the compulsory 9% super ($4 500) on top. But on a Salary they might offer you a package of $55 000, but the 9% super comes out of this amount, so effectively your take home salary is $50 500, so your only receiving a $500 pay rise with no ongoing allowances.
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I have been on both but have been on a salary for my last couple of positions. Assuming the $$ are ok I'd rather the salary. Hours are generally set and you know how much you are getting. I found that when I moved from wages to salary originally that my rate went up accordingly to make up for some of the O/T losses. The problem with O/T is that you are always pushing for more and it's a struggle when you get used to the extra $$ and then work slows down and you have to go back to base $$. A salary means that you get the same amount on leave as you do normally.
And yes - make sure you understand whether your salary includes super or not. My most recent position the salary was always discussed as being separate from the super component.
I have never been on a monthly cycle. My previous employer paid salary fortnightly and my current employer pays it weekly which is even better. ;D
I do accept though with my position have there is the expectation to do some 'unpaid' overtime if required but another bonus is some companies do pay O/T. Not always at penalty rates but my last company paid O/T at single time. Depending on your situation some people prefer to take time in lieu.
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I am on wages and will always try to stay that way. I am not chasing the big $$$ but limited working hours are important to me.
A very good friend of mine works in retail ( for one of the big supermarkets) as a manager and is on salary. She gets $55k per year and is required to work close to 60 hours every week. It works out to be around $17.60 per hour.
My wife works in retail (for one of the big supermarkets) NOT as a Manager. She works 6 hours per day 5 days per week and she earns $19 per hour. You do the maths.
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I would be happy to work either as I was retrenched 4 weeks ago..
When I finish working on the 4wd and the house, I'll have to get my arse into gear and start looking !!!........after I have 3 weeks holidays tripping around NSW soon.
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Horses for courses really.......you cannot be to picky in the current environment. A lot of it depends on your relationship with the manager.
Monthly pay is only an issue if you live week to week.
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Horses for courses really.......you cannot be to picky in the current environment. A lot of it depends on your relationship with the manager.
Monthly pay is only an issue if you live week to week.
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300% agree
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You have to look at the whole package and the way the company or business treats people. If you were to look at just my salary vs hours worked it would look poor. Im lucky to also receive an extra two weeks AL each year, shares, bonuses, vehicle etc. Whilst there is a very high expectation of working the hours until the job is done, there is never an issue when it comes to flexibility re family time etc.
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I didn't even know there was a difference :-[ :-[ :-[
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From what I have seen thru friends and reps, salary is not something I would consider, they all worked way too much for what they get paid. Sure some like the security of a guaranteed pay packet but it seems to me a great way for businesses to exort employees, I left the wages train 15 years ago and went out on my own, now my pay is all over the shop and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Cheers
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Horses for courses really.......you cannot be to picky in the current environment. A lot of it depends on your relationship with the manager.
Monthly pay is only an issue if you live week to week.
Agree,
Having been self employed, to now on a wage, it's about how you manage your income and the time on the job.
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Thanks for all the thoughts (keep them coming). I have been with same company for about 10 years. I think will see what they offer and weigh it all up. I do a fair amount of OT and away work. I am certainly not going to go backwards.
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there is a lot of month left at the end of the money
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G'day mate,
I was on salary for 7 years; when I went into it, the boss told me I'd be compensated for all of the extra hours I would have to work with time off in lieu. I worked plenty of extra hours & even days & I'm still waiting for the time off in lieu! (I left there 12 years ago) Then there's the unexpected calls where I got called in to cover for someone else who's gone sick/on holidays/pregnant, you name it!
Never again for me!
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I suppose it depends on what profession you're in. I've only ever been on salary, sure I put in extra hours but it evens itself out in the end.
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I'm on a salary and get paid monthly and yes, sometimes it seems like you live like a king for a week and then a pauper for the next 3 until payday. But that is more about how you manage your money than anything else. I do work a few extra hours here and there as part of my daily job but if I get a proper call to come in and cover someone on my days off, I get paid double time for the shift $$.
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I've been on a salary for the last 10 years or so, monthly pay the whole time. I've never had an issue with it all and it's just normal to me. I've been fortanante to have good employers that don't demand stupid extra hours.
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Interesting thread! I've gone back to wages after being on a salary for the past 12 years. Saying that it took over 5 years to get to this stage. For me it has given me much more flexibility although a slight drop in pay. I now get paid for overtime, Allowances such as First Aid $14.50 per week, Now getting an RDO every 4 weeks. I am basically always on call but there are benefits if the need to come into work arises. AND I am now covered by our Site EA which was the primary reason for changing. I was potentially exposed to a much lesser payout if i was ever made redundant.
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Very interesting I'm in a position now with taking a new job that is offering both options. However coming from my previous job that was salary with monthly pay(on the last day of the month) with monthly salary you need to have a buffer I would always have atleast 1 months pay in my account all the time plus normal emergency fund hidden away it can make those spontaneous great deal purchases a bit more difficult. The biggest reason why I am changing is because of the agreement with the employer in the overtime and shift/away work just. All I can say if you take salary is it enough money for you to be happy with doing 50 hours a week, you might not do that many hours but you will most likely do more then 40 especially at first. I'm going to wages with the new job just because there is plenty of OT and I want to make hay while the sunshines
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WAGES FOR THE WIN
Salary = used and abused. Been salary for the past 13yrs, when I convert the hours worked back to an hourly rate its extremely sad. I get nothing like the wage guys, they clock on and off Salary does not. If I work a weekend with wages they get double, I get a day in lieu.
My 2 bobs
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I just did the sums. I took my hourly rate x yearly salary hours. Then took my weekly income / hours actually worked on average. Times it back out and it's a difference of $27,000. Ie my real salary is less 27k or they are getting an additional 27k for free each year out of me
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I just did the sums. I took my hourly rate x yearly salary hours. Then took my weekly income / hours actually worked on average. Times it back out and it's a difference of $27,000. Ie my real salary is less 27k or they are getting an additional 27k for free each year out of me
Thats right mate, I get paid for 7,5hrs a day, they put me on a 9hr roster which if I'm lucky i'll get out of there after 10hrs.
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You have to look at the whole package and the way the company or business treats people. If you were to look at just my salary vs hours worked it would look poor. Im lucky to also receive an extra two weeks AL each year, shares, bonuses, vehicle etc. Whilst there is a very high expectation of working the hours until the job is done, there is never an issue when it comes to flexibility re family time etc.
I just did the sums. I took my hourly rate x yearly salary hours. Then took my weekly income / hours actually worked on average. Times it back out and it's a difference of $27,000. Ie my real salary is less 27k or they are getting an additional 27k for free each year out of me
Bottom line is, it must be a good job cause ya still there ;D
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Bottom line is, it must be a good job cause ya still there ;D
Hi
Sometimes the bottom line is that:
You live rural - not alot of options like in the metro.
You have bills and a family to feed - can't just chuck it in and get a job somewhere else.
If you happen to be in the private sector most employers are doing it tough, salary is a soft target so thats where they cut costs.
Another 2 bobs worth :D
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I did 1 year on wages.
The pay is good but in the current market some sort of security is worth a lot.
My monthly pay is less, however there is an annual bonus, shares and other benefits.
Only downside is that I went from weekly pay to monthly pay.
My first job in Australia was paid fortnightly which is great.
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We have done both, we have found greater flexibility with salary when it comes to negotiating a package.
Perks we have previously negotiated are extra holiday time, car allowances, RDOs, phones, bonuses ect
Salary is good for budgeting, you know what money your receiving and you not getting a cent more! Sometimes it works out quite well, work is a bit slow not alot on and the pay is good for the hours worked but mostly it has been lots of work, lots of pressure and lots of hours and no home life for what works out to be a pretty dismal hourly rate.
We have found that working in a larger company on salary is ok because there is usually more than one of you and you can be backed up and helped out, you just have to deal with the red tape that at times almost makes it impossible to do your job. In a small company where there is no one else to help spread the load then you end up doing long hours.
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Wages or salary - it makes no difference if an employer wants to rape you in regards to what you take home, they can do it with either.
The trick is finding an employer that is fair and reasonable with what they are offering, not only for the hourly rate, but the whole package. Such things as flexibility of working hours, opportunity for training and development (paid by company), profit sharing, incentives etc. Some of these things are "worth" quite a bit to people and make the job much more enjoyable but can be over looked / underestimated if you're just purely looking at your hourly rate alone.
I'm a big believer that we all have choices. If you're not happy with what you're getting paid or the job you doing, you can always do something about it....
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9.5 years with last company on Salary when I left TOIL was at 25 days and that only included weekend work. Of course contract stated all hours required to complete role were included manager would give time when needed But was best role and didn't mind the hours. Now if I added all the 12 hour days and time on laptop etc at home it would be huge but great company people benefits and $ made it worthwhile each to their own. If on wages need to budget of Base and not include OT in planning
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