I don’t know. I mean, as long as I have sufficient money to live, and the resources I need to complete my job, I’m happy to do it, but I’m fairly sure that many of my colleagues would not - and this could seriously fuck up the team dynamic to the point that my job would become impossible, regardless of my good intentions.
So… I’d give it a shot (after all, it would mean a raise), but I’d also prepare to bale.
Nope.
Every job I’ve ever had there’ve been plenty of people who did a fraction the amount of work I did and got paid the same or even several times more. It’s not really my business. Life ain’t fair; I recognized and made peace with that very early in life. I go to work to work; if my colleagues don’t share that principle, that’s their problem. It’s my experience those lazy people just skating by get discovered sooner or later and either shape up or get left behind.
That said, and I’d never go out of my way to “out” somebody, but if a supervisor were to come by and ask for my opinion on someone else’s work, I have no problem providing an honest assessment.
Nope. Been in that situation many times and never cared. But then, I’ve never been the type to cover for anyone’s bad work, so I don’t even worry about it.
Happens every day.
Like several others, if I was paid a living wage and had a quality work environment, it’s fine that the receptionist and the vice president are making the same as me. Or not.
But this happens all the time in our current system. It is increasingly becoming the rule rather the exception where I work. The people at the bottom are often breaking their backs with work while the ones getting paid the most (and have the most status) often bumble along with little accountability and are clocking out at 5.
The training and talent I have enables me to do a job I like much better than one that I don’t. My pay is important, don’t get me wrong. But it is not the reason I’m doing that as opposed to picking up trash or ringing up groceries.
Paying everyone the same actually makes sense to me, as it implies everyone is equally important in the organization. And isn’t that true, when you think about it? When the furlough shut the government down in Oct, security guards and janitorial staff were working despite there being only a handful of “essential” govt employees there. But guards and janitors make less money than the PhD-having managers who were furloughed. Who is really more valuable?
Well, you’re assuming the owner wouldn’t be a hard-ass about slackers. Just because she has this generous pay scheme doesn’t mean she tolerates laziness or incompetence. She’d probably be quite apt to fire bad employees simply because there’d be long line of applicants waiting at her door. Which might mean that it would suck very much to work there. Five minutes late? Spending too much time in the restroom? Too much trash in your waste basket? FIRED!!!
There’s another angle I’m surprised no one has brought up yet as a “gotcha.” Compensation is more than salary. Sure, you and your assistant may bring home the same paycheck. But maybe you accrue more annual leave than he does. Or you have a corner office while he gets a nosy cubicle. You get to drive home the company car and get cadillac medical coverage, and he gets neither. The owner can give and take these things away as she pleases.
Would you still be unhappy?
No… never. I might be pissed off that they’re not pulling their weight or not being disciplined for that, but not based on what they’re being paid. I’m just generally annoyed by slackers and by people who don’t fulfill their obligations. Perhaps that’s why I’m self-employed - I’ve always believed that you get what you ask for (and/or what you prepare for, such as in getting an education). Go work somewhere else if you can get more there. (And if you can’t get it elsewhere, maybe you need a reality check on what you’re worth.) Nobody owes you anything where you are now. Bottom line is that if you’re not getting what you want, there are only two people to blame: you and yourself.
Nowhere in this equation does someone else’s earnings have any relevance, except maybe as a point to bring up during negotiations.