Very common in government, as well. Several of my employees made more than I did because of longevity raises. Someone who had been there for 15 years would easily make more than I did.
I train and recruit life insurance agents, and I get a cut of what each of them individually produces (if they contract through me). On an individual basis, I only make 5% of Agent X’s production, but when things are good I make 5% off Agent X, Y, Z, A, B, C, etc. so in the theoretical aggregate it should be more.
On reflection I think it’s pretty common. When you think about it you are comparing someone who is on the top rung of the worker ladder with someone who is on the bottom rung of the management ladder, it doesn’t surprise me that those ladders overlap. The thing is though that the worker has reached the limit of his earning potential while the manager is just at the start of their earning potential.
When I worked in a department store in 1974 the only people who made more than me was some assisant strore manager. The only one who made more than the Chief Engineer was a store manager in a large store.
In high rise buildings I make more than the senior property managers.
I bet lots of hospital administrators make less than the Doctors they manage. Who do you think makes more money, Cutty or House?
I’d imagine that’s true in a lot of scientific professions where the managers have administrative degrees.
Isn’t Cutty a doctor herself? And I believe she’s a partner if the hospital which probably means she’s collecting some shares of the profits. So she’d be getting doctor fees, administrator salary, and corporate profits. House meanwhile was supposeldy hired cheaply because of his personality. So while you’re right in general I think your specific example is wrong.
I work in healthcare and my boss makes more than his boss. Neither of them are physicians.
The fictional hospital on House is a teaching hospital affiliated with Princeton. Nobody’s raking in profits there.
Cuddy is supposed to be an MD, but I’m pretty sure administering is her full time job.