Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Stevens
While I agree there needs to be a set minimum wage, how did they decide it should be $15?  |
I got to agree, at face value, $15 is daft, our current minimum wage is $10.18.
Honestly though, a minimum wage should be tied to the current cost of living in the nation that it is applied to, or the 'living wage' as it's called over here, which is $12.28. I'm not sure what it is in the US, I expect it varies from state to state and to each persons condition.
Ah, it looks like MIT has done the number crunching (they're good at that), and for you, Neal, as a single person in Texas it's $10.13.
http://livingwage.mit.edu/states/48
Honestly though, companies have a responsibility for the well being of their employees, and that includes, to an extent, their fiscal well-being, and if that's not being met by the wages they are providing then the employee will suffer.
Ultimately, what a company wants is a person who is fit and healthy, both mentally and physically, and who will perform to their best. A person who is struggling to make ends meet will not do this, they will work long hours and be tired at their job, they will possibly put off medical conditions to avoid costs, thus reducing their overall effectiveness. You can only push the human body so far before it breaks down, and these days companies will push their staff as far as they can in order to get the maximum about of use out of them for the minimum about of input.
I know it's basic economics, exploit what you have to the most that you can with as little effort as possible, but at some point along the line you have to realise that what you have will go further if you look after it well, rather than discarding it and getting fresh recruits.
Some companies realise this, and they tend to have a pretty loyal and dedicated staff base, Virgin and Google are two that come to mind immediately, although I am sure there are others. Obviously in any corporation you get exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking they are very forward thinking when it comes to employee treatment, and it tends to pay off.
Generally speaking though, I find the trend of the widening gap between the top and bottom portions of society to be incredibly concerning, and something I suspect that will bite society in the arse in the future...but that's another story entirely.