You have probably seen a lot of buzz surrounding software engineering jobs that offer amazing benefits just to attract and keep "rock star" talent. The first ones that come to mind for me are from Hedgehog Labs and perhaps What else do companies have to do to keep Software Engineers?. You probably know (dream?) about Google 20% time. I was just talking with a friend about how great his benefits were compared to mine yadda yadda yadda… I would say that it has become a big bragging point in our industry. Is it even real or is this just perceived?

What I’m wondering

The thing I’m wondering here is: How far does it go? I am trying to consider in what other jobs benefits like work-from-home programs, free conferences, multiple monitors, and flex time are almost standard. I know that we don’t all have these nice things but doesn’t it seem like this profession goes further than most? I know that I’m already at the point where I would have a really hard time adjusting to a job without these benefits. Are you?

What’s it worth to you?

Obviously, giving software engineers great benefits costs money, probably quite a lot. I know some other programmers that are better paid but have fewer benefits and they seem content. Yet the articles I read focus on how much some company will pay for every type of conference and let you take Fridays off. Would you rather make 25% more and give up your benefits? Where do you see this trend going?

My Perspective

I consider my company benefits to be very good. I think that it is flexible enough that I can have an interesting life but also rigid enough that things get done. Benefits make my job much more enjoyable, and I would rather have them than a 25% pay increase. This is because I feel like someone is going the extra mile to make me happy. I like to think of it like buying a house: I could buy a big, unfurnished house and be unhappier than having a modest-sized, well-furnished house for the same cost.

I think there is a tipping point where the company gets almost no return for extra benefits and I think we are reaching it and some might even be over the line. A company has to compete on the benefits level or let their "rock stars" feel like they are in a big, empty house. At some point, I would rather pocket that money and I’ll bet that goes for pretty much everyone.

What do you think? What are your benefits worth to you and would you be happy working without them?