Of course, Luckenbaugh notes, salaries vary from company to company and individual to individual. As engineering and computer science employees find their stock rising, however, they've realized that they can leverage their value to demand more from their jobs than a good base salary. Some employers are offering sign-on bonuses to certain types of employees as an incentive, too. In addition, a big trend in high-tech industries in particular is employee stock option programs. With these programs, employees are given a certain number of options to purchase company stock at a later date at a preferred price.
Employees are also interested in self-improvement, and employers are responding.
Today's workers are encouraged to get additional training, not just for themselves, but for the company. Whether it's another college degree or a week-long seminar, most companies that hire technical people pay for their continuing education. At PMC-Sierra, employees are encouraged to get as much education as possible. The tuition reimbursement program has prompted a number of employees to pursue master's degrees in electrical engineering and business. In addition, we offer access to computer-based education to employees.