How much is the salary really worth?

As Recruiters, we get to know our candidates and clients well, not just as profiles or business prospects but as people, some relationships spanning years. It’s one of the great rewards of this job. What develops is a type of friendship and there will often be confidences traded about their emotional well-being to do with work and their overall job, and invariably this is linked to salary.

The Salary Trap — There are industries where salaries are grossly inflated and often it is our experience that they are industries synonymous with high staff turnover and difficult or toxic workplaces. What we observe is what we like to call The Salary Trap which boils down to a state of misery at work but the pay is so good you are trapped into staying. It has the same toxicity as a co-dependant relationship and is extremely hard to break away from. It’s effects on mental and physical health are palpable and very destructive. We have numerous cases of candidates reporting not wanting to go to work in the morning, feelings of dread and anxiety from the night before, physical symptoms of anxiety and on it goes.

So the question begs, how much is that salary really worth? This balancing act of happiness and financial stability seems to keep most people on a tight rope between one version of misery and another. Ascribing emotion or value to ‘softer’ elements like the work environment and looking at the true meaning of money and financial reward is a philosophical debate in itself and a very individual thing.

The discussion even, around money makes most people uncomfortable. As recruiters, we remove that barrier since we are not the prospective employer and most candidates are more honest and direct about what the remuneration means to them. Our strongest advice to our candidates is to look at the package and offer in all its entirety, not just the final numerical salary. There are other considerations whose value cannot be overlooked and should be considered such as work environment, job prospects, and growth — long term investment.

There is also an element of ego attached to the offer and what the salary proposed is. We attach all kinds of personal attributes and values to money, many imprinted on us from childhood. The mistake is to allow the ego to rule and remain in or pursue unhappy situations for the sake of the monthly amount without looking at the hidden health costs. The false economy of it all will show over time that what you earn will eventually go on doctor’s bills, medication or divorce lawyers.

At HR Innovate, we have seen a surge in recent years of international candidates wishing to relocate to Cyprus from seemingly glittering destinations like San Francisco, London, New York, etc. Mostly on very high salaries and in prestigious roles, they are mentally and physically tired and opting out. Trading in the 6 figure wages for the Mediterranean ocean and family time.

So, in conclusion, while we all must earn a livable salary, we urge job hunters to consider a more balanced approach and not exclusively value the monthly salary as the deciding factor. The best salary in the world is not worth much if you are depressed, ill or working so many hours to earn that fat salary that you never get to spend time with your loved ones.

After all, it will not be the monthly amount that you remember in decades from now, it will be how that company made you feel.