[Aeolun]

I think it’s more that you can compensate for everything else by just increasing (2), so if you cannot fix your cultural issues just yet, you can keep your engineers if you pay them more.

The moment someone else pays them more for a more pleasant environment you are 100% guaranteed to lose someone.

[midrus]

As I said, I doesn't work like that for me nor for some other engineers I know of. There are definitely people which are only interested in money and that's the main motivator for anything in their life. They're definitely trading their time for money. I know many people like that and I respect the way they see their profession. I prefer not to work with people like that, and I believe those are often times not your best employees. If you tell me I'm going to earn 50% more than at my current job but I have to wear a suit and deal with bullshit all day in a toxic environment, I'm sorry, I prefer my current salary and job. There is no way you can pay for making me will to kill myself 8 hours a day. Not enough money in this world for that.

[darkerside]

This doesn't sound right to me at all. There are environments and fits where people will leave, no matter what you pay them.

And people have an inherent bias for the status quo because of job switching costs (or if they don't, they're not long for your company anyway). If they're happy and feel fairly paid, they're not going anywhere. If they get a competing offer such that it no longer seems fair, if you've created an environment of trust, they may even tell you.

[lolinder]

I don't think that you can compensate for everything else by paying more. I'm with the GP in that I have a minimum requirement for pay. After that, culture, flexibility, and hands-off management matter far more.

You couldn't pay me enough to work in a toxic culture. I've been there, and no amount of money is worth it to me.