Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions about workplace, career and leadership in her advice column Got a Minute? This week: a salary sacrifice, a painful new commute and some missing former friends. Accepting a lower salary is not always a step backwards, but there are things to consider. Dionne Gain Should I take a 20 per cent lower-paying role to work in a job that aligns more with my values? The role is in a government organisation and the work sounds interesting, however as I’ve learnt more about the role, it also seems the organisation is trying to get a lot out of the job without necessarily paying for it. I’m concerned that if I accept a lower salary, it will be difficult to move back up. Accepting a lower salary is not always a step backwards, but taking a 20 per cent reduction is a significant trade-off. You want to be very sure the ledger is balanced in your favour in other ways. I want you to imagine a day, say 18 months from now, after you have been in the job a while.…