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Why would anyone want to be paid a salary and not know how many hours they will have to work for that salary as opposed to getting paid hourly and then time and a half for anything over 40 hours? Just for the 'honor' of the title of manager, v.p. or c.e.o.? Is it for the rare times you can leave early?
It's so that when I work for 30 minutes on Saturday, I can take 8 hours comp time
Just kidding (I mean, I do get the comp time if I work at all on a weekend, but that's not why I like being salaried...)
The only time I've worked "hourly" was as a cashier when I was in high school, or when I was a consultant (no time & half then), so I've considered being salaried as the "norm". Working hourly is not an option in my job, so I don't really give it any thought.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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It's not the honor of the title, but the added responsibility of being management, and the increased pay that goes with it. You are paid for the body of work not for the hours worked, so do not have to account for
where you are at all times. Yes, there will be long evenings and weekend work at times, with no overtime pay, but if you go to an appointment or
leave early to catch a flight for a vacation there's no need to use personal time off.
Yes, non-exempt employees have to be paid overtime for work over 40 hours. But you also only have to pay them for the hours worked - this means no holidays, vacation etc, unless otherwise agreed upon.
I think it really comes down to the type of work, the environment, as well as the individual. I rather be salaried because it give me more control over my time. And most of the environments I've worked in allow flexibility in the schedule to offset any "unscheduled work". If you had to stay till 10pm one night, no one is going to hold it against you for leaving early on a different day. For the most part, I'd say salaried positions are based more on the responsibility/result, not the time spent doing it.
Why would anyone want to be paid a salary and not know how many hours they will have to work for that salary as opposed to getting paid hourly and then time and a half for anything over 40 hours?
Even when salary appears to be an advantage...
don't assume that some beancounter hasn't done the analysis.
Depends. With overtime, I would make more money as an hourly employee, but as a salaried manager I get most holidays and weekends off. It's a trade off.
I like to get paid for the hours I work, therefore I prefer hourly jobs.
At my last job I was hourly and other coworkers (who had the same type of job as mine, they were not managers) were set up as salary because they could then be part of the "bonus" program (they were required to work 45 hours a week).
Unfortunately for the two years I worked there, everyday I would hear a salaried coworker complain about how they were sick of working 45 hours a week and never getting bonuses because the company wasn't making any money (they could only receive a monthly bonus if the company made a profit and it was at the discretion of the owner to dole out the amount of bonuses as he saw fit).
I worked in the same office as the accounting rep who complained everyday that she was sick of working 45 hours a week when she saw me leave everyday at 5:00 (I only worked 40 hours a week). She said the bonuses were not worth the extra 5 hours a week she was required to work.
BTW, salary and hourly employees at this company all received the same amount of vacation, sick and holiday pay.
Most people don't have the choice. Your occupation is generally one or the other. Anyway, if your one argument on the pro side for salary is "the rare time you get to leave early" there probably isn't much of a discussion to be had.
Moving to a salaried position from hourly was like freedom for me. Maybe financially you could earn more hourly but you have no life, late shifts, overtime, weekends, etc.
There is nothing like the flexibility and respect when you are salaried..I always felt that i was under a microscope when hourly and once they starting making us log in and out that was the last straw.
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I like hourly
