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How to pay programmers

This article is a response to this article .

Well. If everything is so bad with the idea of ​​how to manage programmers, you have to write here how it really is.

And do not forget to read the classics - “The Kamikaze Path: Auditing the Management of a Hopeless Project” and “The Mythical Person-Month”.

So. I'm a programmer.
Below are the abstracts of the original article, below them is the text of why they are not true, or a comment.

“Unfortunately, their work is expensive, they are lazy and almost impossible to control. No matter how well their programs work, you have to pay them every month. ”

Yes. To control you should delve into, not every boss knows how, and if the software is not a product manufactured by the company (whether it is trading software or a complex gadget with its use in the processor), then not every boss should spend time on this. For example, if a manager classically calculates cottage villages economically, what difference does he know what the department is busy with.

“Keep your salaries a secret”

In companies engaged in advertising and design (and consequently employees' watches are simply resold, iOs programmers are useful there), as well as in those companies where the objective reasons for high turnover are constantly changing (the stack of required technologies is constantly changing) - yes. In companies with very low staff turnover - there is not much difference.

"Raise by chance"

- no. It is such a blunder as a motorist to go into a red light, stop at an intersection and turn on a bridge. For such actions, the dismissal of the chief must arrive within 24 hours. And will fly.

“No conferences. Do not allow them to attend mitaps »

Most programmers I know don’t do. This is mostly fashionable for long-haired university students. And it’s not up to you to forbid attending meetings. There is no slavery, people do not live on your hacienda.

“Employees must know that you are following them.”

- no, employees should not have active resumes at hh dot ru. This is enough, and to do more is not within your power. In general, the opinion of the benefits of stiffness warms the pride of a near-sighted person, but in many cases it is a gestalt and has nothing to do with reality.

“Agree with competitors. Agree with your main competitors not to hire employees from each other. If they do not agree, try to lure some of their main specialists, offering them twice the salary. Even if you don’t need these employees. ”

- Uncle Petya, do you actually know the salaries of programmers? Any of the main software specialists in a large organization that has gone 1.5-3 times more for payroll - is this 400 000 rubles a month you will pay them? Those who you do not need? Are you normal Well, with such ballast, you will certainly overtake all competitors, yeah. And you won’t get the best if you don’t have specific tasks for them that are interesting. (And if you were, then you would not read such articles)

“Promote corporate values.”

- no. This is the best way to drive people away. They have a place to go where they won’t be bullied.

“Build a family. Corporate parties, teambuilding, beer on Fridays, bowling, birthdays and joint lunches - all this creates the feeling that the company is a second family ”

- The advice is not universal, it all depends on the pool of individuals. If the pool of personalities does not create a common interest, then it is not fate. Secondly, if it works out, it works both ways. In a crisis, programmers will drag each other into a new company.

“Keep them tense. Workers should never relax. Make sure that they have urgent deadlines, complex problems and a fair amount of responsibility. They will not ask for an increase if they constantly feel guilty due to unfulfilled goals. ”

Partly true. About "as much as possible" is not true. It is useful to connect programmers and customers directly, then customers will put pressure on programmers.

« . , , . - $1000, $200-$300 . . : , - . : .»

- wrong in the details. Soft chairs + sedentary lifestyle = illness and depression. The chair can be expensive and comfortable, but not soft. Buy high resolution monitors (higher than FullHD) for programmers. Pets will help the owner but distract the rest. Game consoles do not contribute to mental relaxation. Instead, give them an area of ​​at least 5 square meters per person and a room with high ceilings. Do not invent nonsense, provide a powerful system unit, high resolution monitors, clean keyboards and mice, plenty of space for one person, high ceilings and woods outside the window.

« . -, : - , - , - - . , . , LinkedIn. - , , : , , .»

- The boss and the programmer are not the same thing. To call someone who is not a boss, president - as "effective" as calling him a pilot of a plane or a nuclear physicist, this will be nonsense obvious to everyone if he does not play a real stated role.

There are generally accepted grades of qualifications for programmers: Junior, Middle, Senior, Tim leader. The last category - Tim leader - assumes that you cannot have more than 50.0% of programmers of this qualification, otherwise its meaning is lost.

“Help them survive. Most programmers do not know how to do home bookkeeping, don’t know how to buy insurance, don’t know how to save for retirement and don’t know how to pay taxes properly. ”

- not the majority. And specifically with the above, programmers have no problems. If you have a company with a large number of girls (for example, promoters, sales consultants), then organize corporate parties. This will reduce salary requirements: if a programmer with a salary of 120,000 marries a promoter of 18 years with a salary of 20,000, then he will already be successful (objectively) and not strive for more, but they will have enough total income. Dissuade taking a too heavy mortgage. Organize cheap summer tours.

About "how to pay taxes" - Americanism, devoid of meaning in Russia. The Russian reader will not even understand what it is about. In Russia, the employee’s taxes are paid by the employer anyway, so the job site indicates which salary is written - net or before taxes.

“Be a friend. This is the latest and most effective technique. Programmers should see you as a friend. Making money with a friend is difficult. They will continue to work for less because you are good friends. How to become friends? Meet their families, call them for dinner at your home, give presents: this will save you a ton of money. ”

- Meet with families? This is Americanism, for Russians it is wild and makes you want to stay away from you. Gifts are useful if they are gifts that are really useful. They do not affect salary expectations.

And finally, the main thing. The base value is the cost of developing a software project, the value derived from it is the salary of the contractor. It is important not to lose sight of the main value, and to see the forest behind the trees.

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